Is recruiting heating up in your organization? For many companies, the last few years have been focused on reduction of staff. With the projected economy improvement, this may be a good time to “dust off” your interviewing and selection techniques. Here are a few tips to apply to your hiring process for a focus that looks at the longer-term issues of not just hiring people, but Hiring The Right People:
— Create Selection Criteria for Cultural Fit:
What makes the perfect candidate for your positions? Before beginning the recruitment process it is important to identify the critical skills, attributes and values that are important for your organization. Important attributes that are difficult to change should be more of a factor in your hiring decisions than skills that can be readily trained.
— Develop Behavioral Based Questions:
Behavioral interviewing is based on the philosophy that “past behavior is one of the best predictors of future behavior”. So instead of answering “what if” questions, the candidate has to respond based on what they actually did. If they were successful in the past, chances are they will behave the same in the future and create success for your organization. Examples include: “Give me an example of a problem you faced on the job and how you solved it.” And “Tell me about a situation in which you had to deal with a very upset customer.”
— Create an Interviewing and Selection Process:
Does your process result in quality candidates hired in a timely manner? Does your process impress candidates and make them excited about joining your organization? Your process should include a specific plan for: 1) screening resumes, 2) who will interview, 3) what type of interviews (screening, one-on-one, panel etc.), 4) other selection methods such as testing, 5) realistic job previews, 6) background checks and 7) offers.
Every organization, regardless of size, can plan ahead to Hire the Right People for future openings. If you make time for planning, in return you will reduce hiring time and cost, lower training costs for new employees and have a more stable and motivated workforce.