Whether you’re in Human Resources or you’re staffing your small business, hiring is one of the most important processes performed within a company. Not only does cohesiveness within a company’s culture contribute to its success, but bad hires are also one of the costliest mistakes that can be made.
As this Forbes.com article notes, “Well-known recruiter JörgenSundberg puts the cost of onboarding an employee at $240,000. And, according to the U.S. Department of Labor, the price of a bad hire is at least 30% of the employee’s first-year earnings.”
Needless to say, it’s imperative to get it right the first time, so honing your hiring methods is of the utmost importance. Need some guidance? Read on for five ways to make sure you always hire the best employees.
1. Get a Second (or Third… or Fourth) Opinion
Even if you’ve had extensive training on the best hiring practices and have been doing this for years, getting some outside perspective is never a bad idea. This is particularly true if you’re on the fence about a candidate.
Discuss your hesitations and what you see as benefits regarding this particular person with your coworker, and then invite him or her to interview the candidate either alone or in a group interview setting. If you have a communication line like Slack, you can chat about thoughts and concerns in live time.
2. Do Your Due Diligence By Checking Their References
Hiring a new employee can be a lengthy process, and if your company is under the gun to hit deadlines, you might be tempted to shorten the time spent on hiring. That would be a huge mistake, especially considering the expensive cost of a bad hire. Take the time to call past employers.
Conduct TransUnion employment background checks. Consider doing a phone screen before the interview and then at least one follow-up interview. Spending the time and effort up front can save you pain and money on the back end.
3. Hone Your Interviewing Skills
There are endless articles about how to interview well and land a dream job, but it’s just as crucial for you to be equally prepared. If you don’t ask the right questions, you might realize after the interview that you don’t have the information you need to make this important decision.
While you want to be friendly and put your candidate at ease, you also need to get answers in regards to what they would do in certain scenarios.
Ask for concrete examples of how this candidate has handled situations in the past that he or she will encounter in the workplace. As this RobertHalf.com article notes, “Develop your questions from the areas of the candidate’s background that deserve the most attention, based on the job description and your hiring criteria.”
Although it’s fine to write these questions down, try to maintain eye contact.
It’s also important to assess the personality fit with other members of the department and/or company. And remember that just as much as this person is selling his or her skills, you are selling this position and your corporation.
4. Act Swiftly When You Have A Good Candidate
A good candidate who’s a strong fit for the position—as well as your company’s culture—won’t likely to be on the market for long. While you don’t want to rush your decision, you should act relatively quickly.
Review your interview notes, confer with coworkers, and pull the trigger with a job offer. You don’t want to lose a good candidate to the competition. Not sure what to offer, or what the standard going rate is? The data at Salary.com can help.
5. Keep An Eye On Your Customer Reviews
The hiring process is just as much a chance for the candidate to review your company as it is for you to review him or her. Make sure you or someone within your company monitors your customer comments, etc.
If your potential candidate goes online before the interview and sees statements that reflect badly on your business, he or she might not even bother to show up.
According to Glassdoor.com, 46 percent of its members read the company reviews before they even bother to speak to a recruiter or hiring manager. The implications of this are obvious.
Follow these tips on enhancing your hiring process to avoid the heartache and considerable financial loss that can accompany an employee that ultimately becomes dead weight.
Good luck!