A couple of months ago, I asked my email list what their current biggest Human Resources challenge is. My friend, Julie, said that her biggest challenge is making sure she’s making a successful hiring for her organization.
I’ve been pondering that question and talking to a number of other HR professionals, small business owners, non-profit Executive Directors, and reading industry and business articles.
The general consensus is that there’s never a guarantee that an excellent candidate on paper or in the interview will translate to an excellent employee.
But, I did gather some best practices for successful hiring through all of those conversations.
Leadership Principles and the Hiring Process
Michael Hyatt recently released a great podcast episode about using a couple of personality assessments at work — including the Clifton Strengths (which I’ve had the privilege of using to facilitate several team building sessions), the Ennegram, and the Kolbe A assessment. His team uses the Kolbe A assessment as part of their hiring process to gauge the way their new hires work. The “instinctive method of operation” is the foundational instrument in their assessment catalog. The Strengths and the Ennegram the Hyatt team use as part of their team building and leadership strategies but not as a hiring practice.
In general, there’s a consensus that if you hire for attitude and train for skill, you’ll make successful hiring decisions.
The typical hiring dilema
Many businesses feel a need to hire on an “emergency” basis – an employee leaves, is fired, or you have a growth spurt and all of a sudden, you need an employee TODAY. It is easy to feel that a warm body is better than nothing; however, that quick hire often leads to a long-term problem.
Poor hiring decisions cost you money — training time (both the new hire and the person doing the training), office supplies to get them up and running, etc., — and they cost you emotionally — you start questioning your own judgment, if other individuals were involved in the hiring process, you may question their judgment, etc. Setting up a system to ensure a successful hiring is one strategy to help ensure a good hire.
Develop a Hiring System
What does it take to successfully hire employees? You need to develop a successful hiring system that starts with the concept that hiring is an on-going process, a constant low-level investment of time and energy with occasional hiring spikes.
Step One: Constant Recruitment
We’ve all met amazing employees at other businesses who have the attitude that we want our employees to have — they are happy, helpful, and knowledgeable. When we are the customer/client, they serve us with excellence. Your first job is to determine the characteristics that are the best fit for your business and then be on the lookout for potential future employees all the time.
Hand out business cards, ask for their name and number (don’t be creepy when you are doing this — Harassment Prevention is the topic for a different day), or connect on social media. Keep in touch with those individuals who meet the criteria you’ve defined. When you have an opening, reach out to them.
You MUST keep top of mind that you will have openings and you need to create a process for successful hiring. And, you need to remember to look for potential employees. Be aware of the qualities you are seeking. Always be on the lookout for good matches.
Step Two: Essential Communication Tool – Job Description
Write a job description that identifies the following components that would allow an employee to successfully perform the duties of the job:
- Title
- Essential functions and duties
- Knowledge, skills, abilities and other characteristics required
- Physical qualifications for the job
Think carefully about the duties — where does the attitude of an employee fit within the description? If you’ve always required a certain education or experience level, review it — does that still apply today? Does that provide the necessary background to do the job or can you train on the skills if the employee has the right attitude?
Use the job description to write the vacancy announcement. Then, use it in the hiring process during the interview to talk about the job and how (or if) the applicant’s background and experience prepared them to be a successful hiring. You should also use the job description when doing performance evaluations, considering training opportunities, and when reviewing compensation plans.
Step Three: Plan the interview and work the plan
The interviewing process should answer: Is this person the right one for your business? For this specific position that you have available? Do they have the right skills and personality?
Plan how many interviews you want to conduct and what style they need to be. This isn’t a busy-work exercise. This is crucial for your business. You may have several of the following options in your process:
- Telephone Pre-screen
- Telephone Interview
- Team interview with co-workers
- Panel interview with supervisors
- One-on-one interview with a supervisor
One small business owner told me that he used to always conduct the initial interview himself and then had a team interview with the co-workers. One time they had to switch the timeline and he discovered it made more sense to do the team interview first. If the team didn’t “pass” the applicant, there was no point in continuing the process. The team had a vested interest in making sure a new hire was going to show up, pull their weight, and be a benefit to the whole team.
Think about what interviewing elements you want to include and how they can best serve your needs and ensure successful hiring.
If you know that interviewing isn’t your strong suit, make sure you include others in the hiring process. I knew a couple of business owners who strategized about how to interview together. Because they each bring different skills to the interviewing table — one is EXCELLENT at judging whether someone knows what they are talking about and the other one is EXCELLENT at asking the questions to determine if the employee can do the work. Together, they are a powerhouse for their businesses.
Agenda and Questions
You should have an agenda in mind for the interview. You need to prepare a list of questions and ask all of the candidates the same initial questions. Their answers may take you down a different path and you can ask individual follow up questions. But, it’s important to ask the same general questions so you are doing more of a side-by-side comparison.
Take notes during the interview — after a day or half-day of interviews it is difficult to remember which individual said what.
You should listen more than you speak. This is the opportunity to hear what the candidate says, what they think is their best qualities and qualifications. You do want to introduce yourself and the company but don’t spend more time talking about you, the business, etc., than you do listening to answers. Keep the main thing in mind — successful hiring of the right employee for your business or organization.
Step Four: Evaluate the Candidates
Use a score card. Immediately after each interview, fill it out. Mark each candidate appropriately. Remember, you aren’t attempting to compare candidates with each other; you are comparing candidates to the job description and team environment you already have.
Need a score card/evaluation tool? Contact me to discuss what specifically you need.
Step Five: Reference Check
After finding the perfect candidate, take the time to call and check each reference the applicant listed. Don’t hurry now; it is critical to check references prior to hiring an employee. You’d be amazed at who applicant’s list as references and what information they are willing to share with you.
Conditional Offers of Employment
In California, the next step would be to make a conditional offer of employment. This should be a written letter outlining:
- wages the employee will earn
- anticipated start date
- emphasizing the offer is conditional based on the successful completion of (whichever pieces you are using):
- physical test
- drug and alcohol test
- criminal background check (read more here about this process)
Step Six: Orient the Employee
Don’t just sit back and relax after you’ve completed a successful hiring of the employee. Make sure you spend some time every day and make sure your new employee is getting the training, support, resources, etc., that they need to be a successful employee. Set them up to succeed, not fail.
Congratulations on making a wise hiring decision. Now you can return to the low-level, on-going constant recruiting that you started off with. Keep up the good work! Enjoy your cup of coffee today knowing that you are prepared and ready to repeat the process as needed.