Knowing you need the right people on your team and finding them are two different things. That’s why one of the toughest challenges for businesses is to recruit qualified candidates. You need a solid hiring process in place to find (and hire) the best people for the position.
Vanessa Merit Nornberg, founder of Metal Mafia, a wholesale body and costume jewelry company, has learned some tricks about hiring since she opened her business in 2004.
In an article in Inc., she offers tips to refine the hiring process and get more ROI on your recruitment efforts.
Give the Hiring Process Six Months
When you hope to fill an open position by next week (or even next month), it puts you at a disadvantage from the outset. To do things right, Nornberg advises, allow three months to search for and screen applicants, one month for your new hire to give notice to her current employer, and at least two months to train the new person.
Use the Job Post to Describe Your Company
“Believe it or not, you don’t want to emphasize the qualities you need in a candidate in a job description,” Nornberg contends. Instead, use this opportunity to describe your company—what makes it unique, why it’s the right place to work for the right type of candidate—thus upping the odds you’ll hear from people “who are the right cultural fit.”
Build Several Steps Into the Process
Add more than a one-click submission to ensure you’ll hear only from candidates genuinely interested in your position. Lesser-motivated job-seekers will just move on.
Identify Five Essential Qualities
Pick the five most important qualities for the position, and create interview questions to help you determine whether a candidate is actually worth consideration.
Use the Interview for to Ask More Than Questions
The interview is an opportunity to observe the way a candidate handles themselves in situations which can resemble actual workplace experience. “For example, if she will be organizing data for your company, give her data to classify and pay attention to the way she does it,” Nornberg suggests.
Add Others to the Recruiting Process
Any genuinely promising candidates should be evaluated by at least two members of the team (in addition to you). Your gut may tell you this is just the right person, but “having someone to talk about the candidate with can help you get clarity when it matters.”
Customize the Training Program to the Candidate
A training program that accurately reflects the tasks of the new hire will accelerate To accelerate the person’s learning curve, provide a training program that accurately relfects the tasks a new hire will be expected to perform.
Be Honest About the Candidate After the Decision is Made
Sometimes, despite the best efforts, you come to realize the person you hired isn’t right for the position. Nornberg advises swift action: “If you make a hiring mistake, don’t waste precious time and money hoping it will eventually turn out okay. It won’t. Let the candidate go immediately.”
Recruiting takes time and effort, but the pay-off is worth it. When you add great people to the team, your business gains new skills and competencies—and with them, an opportunity to attract new customers.
What are your secrets for hiring the right candidate?
