If you are running a business or a team, you already know that hiring is one of the most important, yet difficult tasks that you will be faced with.
Whilst there are no foolproof methods to ensure that you will get the perfect hire, every time, there are a lot of things we can do to minimise the risk of “hiring gone bad”.
So before you go out to the market and try to find the perfect candidate ( though we would seriously recommend you to outsource that to us, but yes, we are biased, we know. Maybe you like living on the edge and want to rock it out yourself. ) have a look at these tips, which we have learned by being in business for over a decade, but to be honest, most of it, we have learned through making mistakes.
You know what they say – a wise man learns from the mistakes of others and an idiot through their own mistakes. So, be a wise man and read through
Rule Number 1
Have a clearly defined outcome of the role: what is the company trying to achieve with this role? What skills are needed? How is success measured in this role?
Often, companies go through, on average, 3 recruitment cycles, to fully agree on what it is that they want precisely. This results in frustrated professionals, management, and hiring managers, directly reducing potential interest and creating an ever-growing hole in your corporate pocket.
Imagine you are looking to hire a CFO. When drafting the job specification, bear in mind, whether you want this person to be technically led or commercial finance-focused – some CFOs’ are both, most are either one or the other.
Imagine interviewing 10 candidates, offering 3, all rejecting because they want a commercial financed focused role, and you need a technical iron hand.
You would have wasted at least one month of reviewing, profiling, and interviewing, all at the same time, whilst your potential best fits, have moved jobs.
Rule Number 2
Have a clearly defined interview process: who will conduct the interviews? How will the interviews be structured? How will the interviews be conducted? Are there any case studies involved in the interview process? Is the interview process refined, optimized?
In certain situations, the interview process is prolonged unnecessarily and sometimes, with way too many stakeholders involved: having a 4 stage interview process spread over 10 weeks reduces your competitiveness (certain roles, especially C Level, are excluded, however, one can argue strongly the efficiency point and have them structured over a period of 4 weeks, rather than 8+ ).
In addition to this, qualifying at every stage is crucial – before advancing individuals through interview stages, ensure that the basics are met skills, fit, interest, and budget.
Imagine conducting 3 interviews and putting forward an offer that is below expectations and it gets rejected. You would have wasted not only time but access to potential candidates who could have been a better fit for you.
Rule Number 3
Presenting yourself the way you would like your customers to perceive you
Interviewees are clients – whether directly or indirectly. Treating them as such, educating them on your company, ambitions, plans (as you would in a business pitch), helps you, not only engage your prospective employees beyond the traditional interview format but can contribute to turning them into your brand ambassadors in the market.
Just imagine this:
“Hey, I interviewed at this company X. We didn’t progress further, but they were amazing. If you’d be looking for a job, have a look at them”
Versus
“Hey, I interviewed at this company X. Super long process, going back and forth on job specifications. Have no idea what they want. Not sure I want to work there”
Position yourself strongly from the beginning – you will not go wrong with this strategy.
There are more, but these are good starting points for you to consider. Trust us, it will save a lot of trouble along the way.
We will share more hiring best practice tips with you on this page , so stay tuned and if you want us to help you, all you need to do is reach out