Wouldn’t it be nice if every hire was a good hire? If the candidates you chose made meaningful contributions to the organization and stayed with the company over the long haul? Unfortunately, bad hires are all too common. They often come from a rushed hiring process or desperate need for candidates, or from a candidate who interviews well – but isn’t a truly good hire. Use these strategies to help weed out the good interviewees from the good hires.
Know What You’re Searching For
Many hiring managers fly blind when crafting job postings. They may use an outdated job description and receive little, if any, feedback from managers. When a position opens, sit down with that position’s direct supervisor to discuss the precise soft skills, hard skills, experience and qualifications that a successful hire should have. An easy way to drill down this information is to ask the manager about the types of people who have been successful and unsuccessful in the past.
Utilize Pre-Screening
Since many internal hiring teams are overworked, prescreening can often be neglected. Skipping this step, however, often allows poor matches to make it to the first interview. Always build non-negotiable time for phone screening to help whittle down your list to the most qualified matches.
Don’t Neglect Reference Checks
In addition to screening, reference checks are often glossed over in an effort to speed up the hiring process. However, references are the best way to determine how a candidate has performed in the past and to spot potential red flags that you may have overlooked in the interview process. A candidate might seem great in the hot seat, but you can learn a host of relevant details by talking to previous employers.
Build Relationships With Passive Candidates
It would be nice if the best and the brightest were knocking down your door, but the truth is, talented people are already employed and most aren’t actively looking for a job. In order to connect with these people, you must build relationships with them and stay connected so that you are top-of-mind when they are ready to take the leap.
Put An Expert On Your Team
Internal HR teams are stretched to their limit. Unfortunately, building an effective hiring strategy that prevents bad hiring decisions takes a lot of time and resources. A simple solution that eases the stress and instantly improves hiring processes is a partnership with an expert recruiting firm. The right partner can shorten your time to hire while improving the quality of each new employee, virtually eliminating hiring risks.
If you are looking to improve your hiring processes and find top talent, work with Buffalo’s premier recruiting team. The experts at Systems Personnel can match you with professionals who have what it takes to succeed with your organization. Contact us today to learn more about the ways in which we can help you achieve your recruiting goals.
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