The following items are useful when determining if a prospective employee fits the requirements of the business:
- Be Specific - Know What You're Looking For In An Employee;
- Review Resumes Carefully;
- Remember Your Staff - The Applicant Will Form A Team With Your Current Staff;
- Check References - Are The Applicants Credentials Supported;
- Consider Probationary Periods; and
- Listen - Let The Applicant Sell Themselves.
When identifying a role to be filled, it is important you carefully determine the requirements of the role. Know what skills you require, what personality traits will fit best in your business and what you are willing to offer, (both cash and other benefits) to acquire these skills.
The more specific your understanding is of the requirements, the better you will be able to attract, refine and interview applicants. A comprehensive job description will ensure that you attract applicants that better suit your needs. If you know what you are looking for, you will be able to easily short list the applicants and then conduct productive interviews to ascertain if an applicant can fulfil your requirements.
Review Resumes:
Take some time to review resumes before starting the interview process. The resume should inform you of an applicant's skills, knowledge, qualifications and experience as well as their prior employment habits.
Take note of whether or not their education/skill set matches your requirements. Additionally, identify the applicant's ability to stay in roles for lengthened periods.
Take an opportunity to conduct a pre-interview phone call. This will allow you to gauge their interpersonal/communication skills as a pre-cursor to an interview.
Remember Your Staff:
Successful applicants will need to be compatible with existing staff members. It is important that you consider current business dynamics/culture when analysing applicants to ensure that they will provide a suitable fit into the business.
Remember that the incoming staff member will need to work day-to-day with the existing staff base, and as such, they must be able to work together.
It's often useful to use existing staff members in the interview process to assist in the judgement of the personal skills of the applicant.
Check References:
Once your candidates have been short listed, check the references to see that both the employment history, and your thoughts regarding their personal skills are consistent with what previous employers can verify.
At the same time, find out why an employee may have finished their last employment position.
Consider Probationary Periods:
Look to create a win-win strategy for both your business and the applicant. A probationary period can provide a period for both you and the applicant to determine if the employment is stable. At the end of this time, either party can choose not to continue with the employment without a strike against their record, or a suitable arrangement can be discussed to concrete the applicant's status in the workplace. Either way, it is a win-win situation.
Listen:
When given the opportunity; listen to the applicant talk about their skills and competencies. This should serve as an ability to cross reference what they have presented in their resume, as well as to identify their communication skills.
Be cautious not to control the interview - people are willing to talk about themselves as long as you have a little patience and time to listen. Look to seek clarification about their skills and personal skills, but at the same time, provide the applicant with an opportunity to sell themselves.
While the list above is not an exhaustive list of what to do when hiring a new employee, it is hoped that it can provide some issues to consider in the hiring process. Be attentive to ensuring that both parties are clear in the understanding of what a role's requirements are. By clearly identifying these requirements, you can better understand what skills are needed to meet your goals.
As part of the employment strategy, take time to understand what you can offer the employee and what they can offer your business. Understand the role they are likely to play, and ensure that they will work well with your existing team.
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