Recruitment is a crucial step in contributing to an organization’s health and success. Making sure you’ve hired the right employee is essential because that employee plays a pivotal role in helping to determine where the organization will be in five years (and after). Here’s how you can make the hiring process work for you:
Know what you’re looking for. Take the time to clearly define the position and all necessary qualifications when you’re writing a job description. Including information such as required experience, education, skills, and knowledge make the selection process more straightforward for both the candidate and the employer. This roadmap gives the interviewer criteria for “evaluating each candidate against the requirements to determine who will be the best fit,” according to Forbes. It’s also a good idea to consider whether the candidate’s personality traits will fit and align directly with the day-to-day tasks of the job.
Take it seriously. Think of hiring as a crucial part of your overall strategic plan. Bringing on new employees is a challenging and complex process. Make the process simpler by preparing before you sit down to interview job applicants. According to Inc., “being prepared is vital if you are to stand any chance of consistently hiring great people.” I find that the best way to prepare for an interview is by reviewing the job description, concentrating on the qualities that the ideal candidate would possess, and then creating interview questions that focus on those qualities.
Consider testing your candidates. A good way to find out if your candidate’s resume accurately describes qualifications may be to include an assessment – i.e, a “real-life situation” exercise that tests skills needed for a position – as part of the interview process. For example, if the job requires blog writing and social media capabilities, you might ask the candidate to create a blog and social media posts based on a prompt.
Include others in the hiring process. Make sure that there’s more than one person involved in the hiring process. Considering multiple perspectives will help your organization hire excellent employees on a consistent basis. Final candidates should also, where possible, meet with those with whom they will be working most frequently.