Hiring is one of those areas of your business that you really do need to take as seriously as possible, because not only is the process an expensive and time-consuming one, but it could make the difference between a productive and switched-on employee who enhances your business, and one who… doesn’t.
The thing is, it is not always easy to work out which candidates would truly enhance your company and which would not, so it is not unusual for business owners and HR teams to make the wrong decision, and that can be disastrous!
That being the case, below we are going to take a look at a few simple things you can do to ensure you always hire the best person for the job.
- Define the Job as Precisely as You Can
First things first, you are going to want to take some serious time nailing down exactly what the role is that you are hiring for. You are also going to want to work out exactly what skills and experience you require from candidates. You can then use this information to craft a highly detailed job description that will attract all of the right people and make it clear to poor candidates that this would not be the right job for them. Start as you mean to go on.
- Resumes are Not the Be All and End All
Sure, resumes are important when it comes to hiring candidates for a new position, and you should definitely request them as a matter of course, but they are not the in,y thing you should be basing your decisions on, and in fact, not having the best resume might not be the most important thing in the world.
Depending on the job you are hiring for, taking a look at their portfolio if they are a graphic designer, or asking specific interview questions when hiring SEOs to see how they react, for example, can often be a better gauge of how talented they are and how good a fit they will be for the role.
- Check Out Their Social Media
It’s 2024, so you know you are going to want to check out their social media presence before hiring them if you are able to do so. This is not just about brewing a nosey parker, it’s about checking out their character and the way they present themselves when they are not in the presence of their boss. It will help you to gauge whether they are likely to be a good fit, personality-wise, at least, in your company, and whether you are likely to have any problems with them should you hire them. It’s an important part of doing your due diligence as an employer these days.
- Think About the Future
When you’re hiring a new employee, it can be tempting to think only about the job criteria in front of you and how well they fit with it, but this would be a mistake. Unless you want to be hiring again in a year or two, you need to think about the future and how the scope of the role may change and grow with your business. That way, you can hire someone who has all the skills and attributes required to meet those future needs as well as your needs right now.
- Structure Your Interviews
Before you start interviewing, you should draw up a rigid structure for the whole process. Why do you need to do this? Because it makes things fair and that makes it easier for you to judge the people you see. If candidates are interviewed by exactly the same people in exactly the same way, you really can judge them against one another and see how they measure up, whereas if even one element in the process is changed for one candidate, it will be much more difficult to get an accurate assessment of them all.
- Ask Them Behavioral Questions
Behavioral questions are a cornerstone in the hiring process, operating on the principle that past behavior is the best predictor of future performance. By asking candidates to provide specific examples of how they’ve navigated challenges, solved problems, or achieved success in their previous roles, interviewers can gain deep insights into their skills, work ethic, and adaptability.
These narratives allow you to peek behind the curtain of a resume’s bullet points, offering a glimpse into the candidate’s decision-making process, interpersonal skills, and resilience. Crafting questions that require candidates to recount real-life scenarios helps employers better understand how these individuals might perform, react to stress, collaborate with teams, and fit into the company culture when faced with similar situations in your organization.
- Check They’re a Cultural Fit
Unless you are hiring for a highly niche role within your business, then it is likely you can find a bunch of people who have the technical skills you are looking for, but people who fit in with the existing company culture and rub along with everyone just fine? Well, that can be a little more difficult to achieve.
Does it really after? Yes, it really does. No one wants to work with someone who makes life harder for them and it can really affect productivity and staff morale when someone who has very different ideas about things and very different ways of working, joins a company.
So, it really is of the utmost importance that you take the time to check they’re a good cultural fit before you hire them. How do you do this? By questioning them about their values, so you can see if they align with your own. It’s as simple as that.
- Involve the Team
If you are able to do so, it is a good idea to involve your existing team in the hiring process in some way. You might think you are the boss and it is up to you, and maybe HR who you hire, and you might be right, but if you want to get your choice right, then it is smart to see what the people you employ think, not only because you are more likely to hire someone who is a good cultural fit, but because the candidate’s potential new colleagues are well placed to evaluate how much they actually know about the job because they are the ones who are doing it every day right?
- Check References Thoroughly
When checking references, it’s crucial to dive deeper than merely confirming employment dates and positions held by the candidate. Engaging in a thorough discussion about the candidate’s work ethic, problem-solving abilities, and teamwork skills provides a more comprehensive view of their potential fit within your organization.
By asking detailed questions, you can uncover insights into the candidate’s reliability, how they approach challenges, their ability to work under pressure, and their capacity for collaboration. This process helps to paint a fuller picture of the candidate, revealing not just what they’ve done, but how they’ve done it, and how they interact with others. These conversations can highlight strengths and identify any red flags that might not be apparent from a resume or interview, enabling a more informed hiring decision.
- Look for Learners
Candidates who show that they are willing to learn are invaluable for any business to have, because let’s face it, these days, things change so fast and if we do not change and adapt right along with them our companies will get left behind. Candidates who have done a lot of personal and professional development in the past are, then, good people to have around because you know that they will always be up for taking that course in new manufacturing techniques or how to incorporate AI into the office space, for example.
- Value Soft Skills
Okay, so soft skills might not be quite as important as the technical skills you need your candidates to have in order to do the job effectively, but they are still pretty important, and if you can find a candidate who has both, then you are on to a real winner.
Communication, teamwork, and leadership often outweigh technical skills in the long run, so you are going to want to assess these through behavioral questions or group interview activities, as best you can, when you are next hiring. You won’t regret doing so.
- Diversity Hiring
Diversity hiring is not just a gimmick or a virtue signal; it is an important part of ensuring that your business is as effective and robust as possible. When you hire people from a host of different backgrounds with a host of different experiences, your company gets more competitive as a result. When everyone is the same, so are their ideas, so do not be afraid to use diversity policies in the hiring process – they will benefit your company more than you imagine.
Hiring is never an easy task, but if you implement as many of the above processes as you can, it will get a whole lot easier and you will get the right person for the job every time.
