6 Steps for Hiring the Right Person

6 Steps for Hiring the Right Person

Landing a great new hire is truly an art form. And an elusive one, at that. What’s the secret? Does anyone actually know? That’s up for debate, but we can at least offer you a few key tips to get you well on your way.

Call Bluffs ASAP

People tweak their resume, even lie on their resume, like it’s no big deal. So use their references, especially any previous management referrals, and always complete background checks. Run your candidates through a TransUnion pre-employment background check and you will know with total confidence where they actually stand. After your reference checks and background checks come through, use the information to weed out any candidates that don’t meet your standard qualifications, or don’t quite seem to be who they advertise. Quick and simple.

Seek Diversity

A common pitfall for hiring managers is that they always hire people like them, and it leads to having too many cooks in the kitchen. You need to distance yourself from the evolutionary phenomena that draw you to people similar to you; it used to mean “safety,” now it just means “closed-minded.” Once you’ve taken diversity to heart, look for it in all ways: diversity of thought, opinion, looks, background, schooling, experience, everything. You will broaden the perspective of your company and therefore will be increasing the potential for new ideas and fresh outlooks.

Hire the Person, Not the Skills

Yes, they should be qualified, but you’re still going to train them on the exact skills you want them to have. You can’t train them to have the desired personality for the job, though. There’s a lot of research out there about how hiring a newbie with a strong work ethic and team mentality may be a better long-term choice than the perfectly qualified candidate with a sour attitude and a tendency to cut corners and clock out early.

6 Steps for Hiring the Right Person

Run Tests

On your end, you’re doing background and reference checks. But on their end, give them homework! Make them prove to you that they are the best for the job. Make your top candidates put their money where their resume is, and ask them to complete a skill test for hiring with eSkill. This will vary wildly depending on the job listing. Give them a realistic “test” to be completed and delivered to you prior to an in-person interview. Doing so will give you a standardized tool for you to compare all candidates evenly, on an even plane directly related to the job at hand.

Hire Unanimously

At the very least, get a second and third opinion on your choices, regardless of the overall leadership dynamic. If you’ve got a whole team of people eager to hire the same person, you know that’s a great sign. Chances are you’ve successfully identified the perfect diverse applicant with a great balance of personality and experience. Your colleagues all agree, so go ahead and pull the trigger! However, if you get a bunch of mixed signals and different opinions, don’t be too quick to dismiss them. Take their concerns to heart. Is it so impossible that there might be some oversight? Have you missed something? Why is this specific candidate up for debate between you and your trusted colleagues, who are all on the same team?

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Sweeten the Pot

All-star job candidates know exactly what they’re worth, and they won’t settle for anything less. Sure, you’ll be able to secure a decent hire for decent pay (in job listings, this translates to “competitive”)—make sure your pay rates are competitive with Salary.com. But if you want the perfect hire, that person is going to be looking for the perfect fit for themselves, too. It makes sense when you think about it: if you’re expecting nothing short of awesomeness from your employees, they’re going to expect the same from their employer. Good employees will settle for “good” pay. Amazing employees will not.

With these mindful fresh tips in your toolkit, there’s no doubt that you’ll be bringing in all-stars by the dozen. Trust your gut, trust your colleagues, do your homework, and make sure your offers are impossible for the right person to refuse.

 

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