Hire TOP Talent from the Start
Hire TOP Talent from the Start. Managers… think back to the last time you recruited someone. Were you absolutely confident at the time that you had selected the right person for the job? And has that person turned out to be a real winner?
Here are ten key considerations to help you with your selection process:
1. Get the job description right
Examine the current job description thoroughly. Is it still appropriate? HR should Consult with the position’s immediate supervisor, even the present incumbent, and then revise the requirements in terms of title, the purpose of the job, key responsibilities and duties, skills, limits of authority, job relationships, unique demands, and conditions of employment.
2. Create a picture of the ideal person
Review and itemize the job description, personal attributes, and the specific expectations of the person sought to fill the position. The list, which could be over 30 items in length, would include educational and professional qualifications, experience, unique attributes and skills, ability to communicate, interpersonal skills, organizational skills, motivation, and so on. This will create a picture of the ideal person – although such a person rarely exists. Therefore, break the list of requirements into three levels: Must-have, Should-have, and Like-to-have.
3. Devise a standard evaluation form
A standard data collection form for interviewers should be prepared to collect for each candidate as much high-quality information relating to credentials, experience, skills, and behavior as possible, together with the interviewer’s interpretative comments. This will later assist in reviewing the relevant merits of candidates.
4. Generate a battery of relevant questions
A range of search questions should be drafted in preparation for interviews. These are designed to collect as much information as possible on the behavioral specifications and personal attributes you have already targeted
5. Begin the search
Attracting suitable candidates is rarely a problem if you use advertisements, employment agencies, selection and search consultants, people you know, the grapevine, and your network, to spread the word. Compile a list of five to six interviewees on the basis of your screening or resumes received, and send a thank you letter to the remainder.
6. Conduct first-round interviews
Interviews are used to assess a candidate’s compatibility and suitability in relation to future job performance. They enable you to gather and interpret the facts to compare all candidates with your picture of the ideal person.
7. Conduct interviews with short-listed candidates
The first round of interviews identifies the most suitable candidates. Advise and thank unsuccessful interviewees. Follow-up interviews with a short list of the three most promising people permit in-depth questioning about specifics. Do not accept a candidate’s accomplishments at face value since probing questions can reveal much more than a resume or initial interview can disclose.
8. Consider replacing ‘gut feel’ with a screening test
Hiring someone whose personality fits your work culture and environment and complements the personality of others they’ll be working with is essential. “Gut feel’ has traditionally been the measuring tool, but these days, psychometric testing procedures can be used to do this scientifically.
9. Review all data
Analyze all the information collected on your shortlisted candidates and assess individual strengths and weaknesses. Conduct thorough checks of qualifications and references. If possible, talk to former bosses, peers, subordinates, and customers or clients.
10. Make a decision – and an offer
After following the rigorous steps outlined above, you should be able to select the best person for the job. Confirm with the candidate the package on offer and follow up with official documentation within forty-eight hours and, where required, make arrangements to sign an employment contract. Write and thank the unsuccessful short-listed candidates, remembering that they may be worth considering for positions elsewhere in your organisation. Prepare an induction program for your new member of staff.
It’s far better to hire right than to hire fast and hope that training makes someone suitable for the job. Training is expensive; it takes time, years in some cases, to develop the person you want. Hiring the right person can take a matter of a few hours or days. Hire smart.
Your talent partner,
Asenath van den Berg
Director – ASIE Personnel
Placing winners since 2006. “Passionate about enhancing lives and growing companies”.
Need assistance? Get in touch T: 011 312 7260 | E: info@asie.co.za