Beyond the résumé, reference check, and the interview, use these four techniques to improve your hiring process.
1 Identify past mistakes
One essential element to consider is the office’s history. Before interviewing anybody, look at what has gone wrong in the job when other people have held it and identify what filters need to be set up for the next hiring decision.
Look at personality. Was the last person the wrong person? If so, why? What personality traits should the office avoid this time? What traits should it require?
Look at turnover. Has it been high in that job? If so, what’s unattractive about it? The supervisor? The workload? What changes should be made so the next person is satisfied with the position?
What’s the office’s culture? Formal? Relaxed? If it’s formal, the new hire needs to be someone who is articulate rather than someone who communicates with “yeah” and “uh-huh,” and “like.”
2 Get at least one more opinion
Another essential element is to get a second opinion on the final decision.
Don’t be the only one conducting the interview. Have a supervisor meet with the candidate, preferably a supervisor with a personality different from the manager’s.
Or go further and have the best candidate meet with the entire staff as a group, perhaps for lunch, when the manager isn’t present. Don’t give any opinions or facts about the person ahead of time.
Get everybody’s opinion later. If staff don’t like that person, it’s not the right hire.
3 Choose by merit, not position
Also important to good hiring is fairness. Don’t hire somebody based on connections, particularly family connections.
If the new hire is the boss’s daughter, expect problems. The manager may not treat her with favoritism, but other staff may perceive it that way.
Worse, if she turns out to be ill-suited for the job, there’s no way to fire her.
4 Use numbers, not emotions
Finally, get emotions out of the selection process. Use a numbered scale.
Determine what traits and skills are important for the position and list them in order of importance. Then rate the candidate on each element with a score of 1 to 4.
If initiative is high on the list of what’s needed, then consider only those who get a 4 on that item. Or, if computer skills rank low on the list, somebody with a low score there can stay in the running.
The manager’s personal subjective opinion has to be included but should not be the overriding factor. Go with a subjective decision and ignore the scores, and that new hire will not be there long.
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