Have you ever been in this situation? You have an important position with a revolving door and are about to fill it again. How do you ensure that this time you will get the right person the first time?
When there is an immediate need to fill a role, some companies may take the “warm body” approach – taking the first person they find who is qualified for the position. But rushing through the hiring process can compromise on your quality of talent.
The hiring process should be structured with speed bumps to give you the opportunity to assess the candidate on different levels.
Here are five ways that you can ensure the applicant is the best possible fit not only for the position, but also for the company.
1. Don’t rely on general “good guy” criteria
Everyone wants to hire good people, but being a good person does not ensure success on the job. Every position has a specific set of skills that will predict success of a candidate. Make sure you know what those are for the particular position.
2. Don’t rely only on interviews to evaluate a candidate
According to research, you may as well flip a coin if you intend to rely only on interviews to select a candidate – you will get the same result! Interviews are great for determining whether the candidate is a good “fit” but not necessarily for determining whether they have the right skills to get the job done. Consider using a competency assessment to increase your odds of selecting the right person.
3. Use a validated assessment to determine the critical criteria
Don’t hire a nice guy who is predicted to finish last. To hire winners, use an assessment tool that can determine the most critical factors for predicting success in that position. Make sure the tool is validated for the purpose of selection.
4. Don’t confuse job skills with “personality”
Only tests of job skills or knowledge are proven to predict job success consistently – personality assessments do not. You might enjoy knowing your sales candidates have self-confidence and energy, but knowing whether they can answer objections and close sales has been proven to be more predictive of whether they will be a productive salesperson.
5. Don’t bypass the reference check
According to a study by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) up to 53% of applications contain false information. Make the extra effort to verify the information your applicants provide. Checking references may seem tedious, but it beats the frustration and cost of hiring the wrong person.
Learn more about the Selection Process and the challenge of hiring the right person the first time on page 22 of the Business Owner Guidebook to Building a Better Company.
