The Most Common Hiring
Mistake and How to Avoid It
Susan Rochester: Balance at Work
Imagine you need to employ a new staff
member...
What's the first thing you do? Write an ad?
Call HR? Brief an agency?
You've just made the most common mistake of
managers who decide to hire: Missing the
first step.
Allow me to explain...
Have you ever found yourself interviewing a
job applicant and thinking "This is a total
waste of time"?
Usually, you've come to this conclusion
within a few seconds. Unfortunately, you're
committed to carry on the interview until a
reasonable time has elapsed for the
candidate to believe they have had a fair
hearing.
Why was this person, so clearly unsuited to
the role, even sitting in front of you?
They were there because they had submitted
an impressive application in response to an
advertisement.
Clearly something was wrong in the
process. Either
1. the advertisement was not specific enough
about the requirements or
2. the application was not adequately
scrutinised for a match to the specific
requirements of the role.
Start your recruitment process with one
simple question and I guarantee it will be
much faster, easier and more productive:
"What would it take for someone to be an
outstanding performer in this role?"
(Because you only want to hire outstanding
performers, don't you?)
Here are three simple steps to help you
define what you're looking for in your ideal
candidate:
1. List all your requirements for the role
(=success factors). Include
- Skills
- Qualifications
- Work Experience
- Values
- Attitudes
- Motivation
- Interpersonal skills
- Task and work environment preferences
- Interests
2. Now decide which of these you must
have (=essential criteria) and those which
would be nice to have (=desirable criteria).
3. Are there any personal characteristics
which you definitely don't want (= traits to
avoid)? For example, you might wish to avoid
employing someone who has a strong desire
for money while lacking the personal drive
required to earn it.
Now - and not before - you are ready to 'go
to the market' with your requirements.
Then:
Get ready to receive applications that are
more relevant and targeted;
Stick to your wish list;
Evaluate the success of your recruitment
campaign by the quality of the candidates,
not by the number of applicants; and
Avoid wasting time in interviews that should
never have been scheduled!
Tip: Review your job descriptions to include
success factors for more efficient and
effective recruiting next time round.
Susan Rochester is a specialist in talent
assessment, training and people management
in the financial services sector. As a
consultant, facilitator and coach with
experience in designing and implementing
practical people-management solutions across
a range of industries, Susan understands in
detail the challenges faced by advisers,
business owners and practice managers in
financial services firms.
Source:
Balance At Work
/
Article
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