Trying to hire successfully with a knee-jerk, undisciplined approach?
It’s like trying to make Jell-O without a mold.
Too often, good companies make bad hiring decisions because they don’t follow a structured process or allow enough lead time. And as a result, they wind up with new hires who just don’t gel.
Don’t fall into the same trap! Avoid these three hiring mistakes that could really hurt your company:
Reactionary hiring. Finding the best candidate for a position takes longer than it has in years. So if you wait until you have a position vacancy to get on the hiring horse, you’re already behind the game.
- Take a proactive approach to hiring, by analyzing your current talent “supply and demand” and identifying future gaps.
- Determine which upcoming needs can be filled internally (by promoting from within), and which you’ll likely need to recruit for.
- Start developing a talent pipeline well in advance of your hiring needs. When you give yourself sufficient lead time, you increase your chances of hiring the right person – the first time! Ideas include: engaging prospective candidates on social media; building a talent community; and partnering with a professional staffing and recruiting firm like Mom Corps.
Unstructured interviews. Are your hiring managers properly trained to create and conduct a structured interview – one which will reveal whether or not a candidate possesses everything necessary to succeed in the position (and thrive in your culture)?
It’s a tall order, for sure – but it is possible. Set your interviewers up for successful hiring by giving them the structure and training they need:
- Provide formal interview training. Review proper techniques for: probing/asking follow-up questions; interpreting nonverbal cues; asking behavioral questions; and using active listening.
- Provide accurate “success profiles.” Beyond supplying them with a list of job duties, give hiring managers a clear picture of what success in the position looks like, including required skills, experience, personality traits and performance expectations.
- Standardize interviews. Provide a list of required interview questions to be asked of all candidates. Improving consistency allows you to more accurately compare “apples to apples” once interviews are complete and make informed hiring decisions.
Relying on “gut instincts.” We’re all human, and most of us decide whether we like someone within a few minutes of meeting him. As a result, interviewers are prone to perception-driven bias – seeking out evidence that supports their initial reactions to candidates, and filtering out important information that conflicts with their “gut reactions.” To prevent this problem:
- Make your interviewers aware of the hiring mistakes that can result from perception-driven bias.
- Use fact-based assessments. Require interviewers to provide concrete evidence to back up their opinions about candidates.
- Conduct multiple interviews. To minimize the potential impact of interview bias, require at least two staff members to interview candidates.
- Make team-based hiring decisions. Gather for a debriefing once interviews are complete. Evaluate each candidate as a group to make sound hiring decisions.
Need more hiring tips?
Read this earlier post on hiring practices that are hurting your company.
Hire better with Corps Team.
When you need to hire talented professionals, Corps Team can help you improve sourcing, simplify screening, shorten your search – and make better hires, every time. Contact your local Corps Team office to learn more about our staffing and placement services for mid- to senior-level professionals.
