How to Make the Right Hire the First Time
Making a bad hire can be incredibly expensive—not only do you end up spending recruiting and training money on someone who’s not going to work out over the long haul, but it’s also expensive when you think about the opportunity cost.
What could you have been doing with your time had you not been investing it in an employee who wasn’t a good fit for you and your organization?
That’s why it’s so essential to make the right hire the first time.
This is arguably one of the most important things you can do for your organization.
Imagine having staff on hand who will not just get the job done, but will also surprise you by doing the job better than you would have done it yourself? That’s every manager’s dream. But how do you make the right hire?
Making the Right Hire
In an article in Inc.com Christina Desmarais outlines a seven-step process shared by Tom Gimbel of the staffing company The LaSalle Network. The process is all about ensuring that every hire is the perfect hire. A few steps in particular stand out to me as great ways to get the right people in the door:
Always be Interviewing
This tip is about more than just networking. The idea is to “keep your hand in the talent pool” at all times so that if something changes, say, if you get an influx of new business or someone who’s currently on your team leaves, you can act quickly.
Take Your Time With the Interview Process
Decisiveness in business is certainly a useful trait, but in hiring, it’s always wise to get many opinions. “I think to hire somebody on one interview is crazy,” Gimbel says in the inc.com article. “You need to vet people out and gauge their interest.”
He also points out that it gives your candidate a better chance to know you, a courtesy to your prospective employee that shouldn’t be underestimated.
Hire According to Your Core Values
What really matters to you? Gimbel gives the example: If you want to know how a candidate treats people who aren’t necessarily on the decision-making team, have someone else to “accidentally” go into the conference room where your applicant is waiting, shake their hand, and introduce themselves.
That’s one example, but there are many more. If business ethics is one of your core values, then be sure to incorporate questions that deal with ethical dilemmas – “What would you do if …” questions can be excellent ways to learn about your applicants, and increase your chances of making the right hire.
What do you think? What steps do you take to assure that you’ve made a good hire?