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Great Tips for Hiring Managers - I heard a tip from someone the other day: Hire slow and fire fast! My experience has been that many managers hire fast and fire slow.
BY HOLLY HERMAN I heard a tip from someone the other day: Hire slow and fire fast! My experience has been that many managers hire fast and fire slow. There?s a lot of pressure to quickly fill a position when you?re short staffed. When managers act too quickly, they can hire someone who is not a good fit: The new hire doesn?t have the right job skills, enough experience to handle the job, or they simply don?t work well with existing staff. �The wrong hire ends up costing you time, money and patience! Here are a few tips for finding the right person.Tip 1: �Job description.��When someone leaves a position, take the time to examine what that person actually did versus what you wanted him to do. Compare your findings with the written job description and make sure what is written down is exactly what you want done. �Job descriptions should be as specific as possible in identifying the tasks and responsibilities you want performed as well as the precise skills you are looking for in the right candidate. �Job descriptions date quickly; take out anything that no longer applies.
Tip 2: �Skills.��The advertisement you write will reflect the description. Think about which skills?out of all you?re looking for?are most important, the ones you can?t live without. �The more specific you can be, the better your chances are that a perfect match will apply.
Tip 3: �Reading Resumes.��Job applicants tend to act a bit like people throwing spaghetti against the wall: they just want to see what might stick. It?s incredible how many resumes you?ll get that have nothing to do with the candidate you?re looking for. If a resume doesn?t grab you once you?ve read the first twenty-five per cent, put it into the ?no? pile.
Tip 4: �Telephone.��Phone interviews can save lots of time.�Prepare a worksheet with a list of the three to five questions you?re going to ask for each candidate and use the worksheet to winnow out those ?must haves? in each candidate before you talk on the telephone. Let the interviewee know that the phone conversation is a preliminary interview and should take between 15 to 30 minutes and take notes as you talk and review your written comments as soon as you get off the phone. Sorting through your thoughts right away will help clarify your thinking.
Tip 5: �Be Selective.��Someone who seems just OK is a no. �Ask those who wow you to come in for an interview. And remember, hiring people who are more talented than you only makes you better.
Tip 6: Get a Second Opinion.�Ask other staff members to interview your final candidates. They may pick up on skills or warnings you?ve missed. While the final decision must be yours, one or more additional opinions help clarify your decision-making.
Tip 7: �Prepare a Writing Test.��Create a written test designed to highlight the skills you?re looking for. One of my clients interviewed two candidates?one wowed everyone and the other was pretty good. The wow candidate took three hours to complete the test, which revealed that he couldn?t perform simple math, spell or write, while the pretty good candidate completed the test in one hour with perfect math, grammar, and spelling skills. She got the job.
Tip 8:��Spot Check Facts.�Verify everything that?s on the resume: schools, old jobs, etc. I once almost hired someone who said they had a degree, when they didn?t. �Sadly, they didn?t need a degree for the job and were otherwise a perfect candidate. I might have hired him had he not lied.
Tip 9: �Use Social media.�You can find out a lot about a person by checking them out on You-Tube, Facebook and Twitter. One candidate left an interview and twittered about how ?lame? the interviewer was.�Not a great way to win friends or get a job!
Taking your time to find the right person will save you time and prevent headaches later on. Holly Herman�is an Achievement Coach helping individuals and organizations.�