In a recent article, we looked at some good ways to hire employees quickly. This is important to be able to do in an even-more-competitive business environment today. At the same time however, it remains crucial to hire the right people that have the necessary skills, and will fit your company’s culture. Wrong hires are common mistakes, and costly to remedy. Fortunately though, you need only take a diligent approach to ensure that your company has the best chance of hiring the right people from the start (without sacrificing much in the way of efficiency).
Read on for some key tips on how to find the right employees.
1. Pre-screen the resume/CV before an interview
Interviewing candidates to fill a position can take hours (and sometimes even days or weeks!). To help make each interview go well, be sure to review each candidate’s resume or CV personally in advance. While this may sound like a given, some organizations today automate the process of checking resume details –– which seems efficient at first, but ultimately leaves interviewers less prepared for in-person assessment. When you have personally screened material, you’ll have a better chance to understand each candidate and direct the conversation as needed to figure out what else you need to know to determine fit and qualification.
2. Create a structured interview
Structure is important throughout the hiring process, and especially when doing interviews. One effective way to structure an interview is to break it up into sections –– such as introductions, company background, job description, and Q&A. Within each section, you can add special notes, insert questions that are important to you and your organization, and determine what finer points to hone in on. Another good tool to use during an interview is a checklist, which can help you make sure you cover all of the important points. These are straightforward steps, but if you’re not using them already you may be pleasantly surprised at how much more efficient and effective they can make an interview.
3. Focus on soft skills
They don’t always show up on resumes, but soft skills are crucial in quality hires, especially if they are going to be working in teams. Some of the essential soft skills you should look for in prospective hires are communication skills, creativity, and emotional intelligence. Prospective hires who are going to work in teams need to be able to communicate with and understand others, as well as put forth their own ideas comfortably. If you can get a feel for skill and natural ability in these areas, you can be confident not only that an individual is qualified for a given job, but that they will be an asset to the team in more intangible ways as well.
4. Ask insightful questions
The questions you ask during an interview will help you understand the quality of the candidate. Naturally, questions can be situational if you want to test their expertise –– meaning that you can pose hypothetical problems relating to the position a candidate is after, or the qualifications they ought to have. Additionally though, there are some interview questions you can ask that will give you a better sense of how a candidate actually thinks, and who they are. For instance, you might ask them to describe an insight or realization they’ve come to in the past (which will clue you in to how well they think on their feet and how well they can communicate a story). You might ask them what’s in it for them if they get the job (which will give you an idea as to their ambition, enthusiasm, and honesty). Approach every interview with a few questions like these in your back pocket, and you’ll wrap up with a much stronger sense of what you think of each candidate.
5. Describe the company culture
Describing the company culture should be a two-way effort. On the one hand, you can ask the candidate to describe their ideal company culture to see if their values match what your company already stands for. On the other, you can directly describe the company culture to the candidate to see how they respond to it, and if it affects interest. These are simple conversations, but they demonstrate clearly how it’s helpful for interviews to go beyond basic information and qualifications. A quick exchange about culture and expectations can leave both you and the candidate with a clearer idea about the potential fit.
Employees are every company’s greatest assets. Give these tips some consideration, and you’ll be able to adjust your interview and hiring processes to ensure that you get the right people in the right roles.
Comments are closed.