Hiring a new employee to join the business is an important task that shouldn’t be taken lightly.
Employers should scout out talent in the same way that a good salesman hunts for new clients. Many employers enter the selection process unprepared and end up settling for a candidate who is not suitable for the job.
Employers should take time to find out whether the candidate really has the character and credentials to fit the position.
Hiring the wrong employee can end up costing an employer a lot of time and money through reduced sales, poor morale, lost productivity and interview costs.
Here are a few tips to help employers find the right employee:
Screen for organisational fit
Successful businesses believe that having a candidate fit into the organisational culture is more important than the candidate’s skills. This is because employers can teach job skills, however, they cannot teach character.
Although “organisational fit” is more subjective than job skills, it is still able to be determined. First an employer needs to understand their own culture and decide on the characteristics and personality required by a new employee to fit in.
Questions should be asked in the interview to reveal the candidates character and how they like to work. For example, “talk about the most difficult culture you have worked in and how you dealt with it”
Screen for the right job skills
It is also important to screen candidates to determine if they have the necessary job skills. Employers should avoid screening candidates on outdated or generic job descriptions as candidates will be prepared for the standard interview questions, such as their strengths and weaknesses.
The best predictor of success is a candidate’s past behaviour and results not their interview expertise. Ask about the candidate’s successes at past jobs and what they achieved after six months, one year and there years.
Verify credentials
A key step in hiring a new employee is to verify their credentials and ensure they have achieved what they are claiming.
It is important to spend the time and money performing background checks and assessments as it will only cost more in the long term if the candidate is not the right fit.
