I will guarantee that at least once in your career as a manager, leader or business owner you have made a hiring mistake. One that in hindsight cost you more than you would have ever anticipated.
There are four areas I would like to discuss when it comes to better hiring and recruiting practices; resumes, references, interviews and personality profiles and then I will ask you to decide which do you feel are the most effective for making wise hiring choices and which ones you are relying on and are they working to your satisfaction? I will keep these short and to the point;
Resumes –
A resume is a balance sheet without the negatives. Its primary purpose is to make the candidate look good or even perfect. Relying on these as a major tool for determining who you will interview or even hire can be a huge mistake. With online applications now dominating the hiring process this can create even greater hazards as candidates can easily manipulate them to suit every potential employer.
The answer – Read between the lines. Ask for details. Look for obvious loopholes. Ask for further explanations where appropriate. Look for inconsistencies. Pay attention to the presentation of the resume – is it professional, too long, too short, too self-serving, etc.
References –
Let me ask you – if you are trying to look good to someone else would you give them a bad or even questionable reference? I doubt it. References can be a valuable tool or resource if you ask the candidate for the right ones and interview the references in the correct way. Otherwise – why bother all you will get are platitudes and often false misrepresentations.
The answer – Ask to speak to previous supervisors, customers, fellow employees or suppliers or vendors. Go back to a former position (before the most current one – where possible) and ask to speak with the same folks as just mentioned. Ask the former supervisor a critical question – would you rehire this person if you could?
Interviews –
The biggest mistakes interviewers make is they – talk too much or give information before they get it. They broadcast in advance what they are looking for and only a fool or idiot as a candidate would respond in the wrong way to these inquiries therefore making them look less than ideal.
The answer – Ask more questions and spend less time talking. Get them talking first. Ask follow-up questions – dig deeper. Observe body language as they answer the questions. Dig deeper (yes I repeated myself). Ask more why and how questions than what or when questions. Take accurate notes – then trash them after they have either been hired or rejected. On follow-up interviews ask them the same questions and compare their answers.
Personality profiles –
There are hundreds of work style and personality profiles on the market today. Some are not worth the cost while others can be incredibly accurate and a valuable selection instrument. The bottom line – using them is one of the best tools you can use to ensure a smart hiring decision. A major publication, Scientific American Mind just verified that using these instruments appropriately is the most important and credible action you can take when trying to wade through all of the information you gain during the hiring process. The results from these instruments when carefully integrated into your hiring decision can guarantee the best possible choice.
I have been a Personality Profile Consultant for over twenty years and many of my clients use these instruments both during the hiring process as well as prior to promoting an employee into a new role or position. If you would like to discuss their use and benefits give me a call.
The answer – Use a profile instrument.
Let me close with the questions;
Now rank the above four areas in terms of your view of their importance in making a smart hiring decision.
-Resumes
-References
-Interviews
-Personality profiles
Now rank them in accordance with how you currently implement these in terms of their importance or use as you go through the hiring process;
-Resumes
-References
-Interviews
-Personality profiles
And your conclusion is? A) You are doing things the right way? B) You need to change in a few areas? C) You need to abandon your current approach/strategies and begin again with a more relevant and effective process?
"Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man with the wrong mental attitude."
Thomas Jefferson
In His Service, Tim