Stephanie McGuinn — November 6, 2018 — November 6, 2018
The problem many companies face is not necessarily finding talent, but finding the right kind of talent. Forsake your due diligence, and you’ll end up hiring a poor fit, which will just cost your business tons in time and money. Not only will you have wasted cash in the finding and hiring process, but you’ll also have to spend more cash just to find a replacement. It’s best to get things right the first time as much as possible. Here are five ways you can do that:
Use the Employee Network
While official networks and job postings will always be an excellent place to find great personnel, sometimes the best hires are right under your nose. Ask your employees to refer you to past co-workers or friends who have the skills and attitude you want in your company. Not only are the recommendations pre-vetted (though you should still perform background checks on your own), it’s a cheaper process overall.
Fix Up Your “Careers” Page
Many business sites have a dedicated section for job openings. While they don’t guarantee a good crop of hires, they can serve as an additional hiring funnel. However, many businesses settle for putting up an occasionally updated post filled with the most basic information. While it can still work, you can make it better.
Make sure that the page has links and contact information that will help interested parties send in their resumes. The page should also have a list of requirements they need to submit, such as documentation and references.
Keep Your Job Listings Updated and Sharp
You can’t go online without tripping over a job posting platform. Job hunting might be rough for many people, but it’s not because there aren’t postings. What this means for you is that your hiring campaign might get buried under an avalanche of other offers, so you need to make sure that your posting stands out.
Accuracy and detail are great ways to keep eyes on your post. Vague information will not only push away serious prospects, but it might also keep your openings from popping up on search engines. It’ll also make sure that you get a more accurate set of applicants. The less detailed the post, the wider the net you’ll cast. That sounds like a good thing until you start getting a wave of applicants who have nothing you want.
Open Up More Internship Slots
The problem with interviews and resumes is that it can only tell you so much about the potential hire. It’s the difference between dating and living together; you can get a good idea about what kind of person they are, but that doesn’t mean you know what it would be like to share a house with them.
The solution is to offer more internship positions. This way, you’ll get a taste of what kind of workers you’re getting. Offer promising employees permanent positions and jettison the rest.
Focus On Traits and Behaviors.
While skills and experience are easy to gauge from a resume and interview process, you could end up with a hire whose attitude is a mismatch for the position. An example of some traits you might be seeking for your hire are that they are:
- Positive
- Motivational
- Emotionally Intelligent
- Honest
- Assertive
- Self-disciplined
- Decisive
At my company,PI Midlantic, we recommend companies use the PI Behavioral Assessment to assess job candidates. The Predictive Index Behavioral Assessment is an online six-minute assessment consisting of free-choice questions. The respondent’s results are compared to four core drives that measure workplace behaviors and motivators that you can then use to determine if the candidate will be a good fit.
Hiring people is expensive, and even large and well-established companies can find their campaigns stalling if they have to keep spending money on the process. Get it right the first time as often as possible, and you’ll free up time and capital for more critical ventures.
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