Unemployment is the lowest it’s been in decades. Finding good candidates is a challenge. Making bad hires is a real occurrence. Here are 5 steps to hire the right candidate in 2018:
- Have a Hiring Profile, a Job Description Isn’t Enough
A lot of companies can’t keep up with updating all of their job descriptions, but when you have a position open, you need to work off of a current job description. In addition to the job description you need a list of hard and soft skills that a successful candidate would have. HR and the hiring manager or staffing partner need to be aligned on the traits and characteristics needed in a successful candidate. Creating a hiring profile for departments that includes cultural match traits, as well as, department specific needs, will help streamline the process and provide you better chances for a successful hire.
- Resume and Candidate Screening
Interviewing candidates can be expensive if you’re wasting time bringing in candidates that aren’t a true fit for your company. Take the time for phone interviews or Skype calls to assess a candidate’s skills and experience before bringing them in for a face to face interview. Time spent screening candidates up front, will save managers time better spent with longer interviews for the better candidates.
- Employer Brand is Key in 2018
Glassdoor has compiled helpful statistics that show that 79 percent of job seekers use social media in their job search. And 69% of job seekers would not take a job with a company with a bad reputation. So, check out your employer brand and make sure it is truly reflective of your environment and culture. Address negative comments on social sites. Make sure your social channels reflect your environment so as to attract top talent to your organization.
- Behavioral Interview Questions
People get intimidated by behavioral interviewing questions, because they’re a bit harder to come up with but they will give you more insight into the candidate you’re considering and how they handle different situations on the job. “Give me an example of a goal you reached and the steps you took to achieve it” or “Describe a stressful situation on the job and how you handled it”.
- Don’t Forget On-Boarding
You found a great person,. You vetted them and everyone is excited. Don’t give a bad impression by not having a formal On-Boarding process. If you don’t have a program yet, 2018 is the year to put one into place. You want that new employee to feel good when they start work. Give them a tour, introduce them to everyone, do a team lunch their first day, provide some company swag. You want them to go home and tell their family about the warm welcome they got when they started and as they’re getting up to speed in their new role.
What other tips do you have to Hire the Right Candidates in 2018? Share your thoughts.
