6 Steps to Hiring the Best Employees for Your Organization
by Rich Allen, author of The Ultimate Business Tune Up
Hiring the best employees is important to any business, but for small business owners it can be even more critical. In a small business, each employee tends to play a larger role and is vital to helping the business grow. Studies quantify the cost of a bad hire at anywhere from $25,000 to $300,000, including retraining, employee morale issues, damaged client relationships and lost sales. These impacts can be deadly for small businesses.
But hiring can be a cumbersome and unpredictable endeavor, with no guarantees of success. To find the best employees for your business, start with committing to using a proven process you can repeat again and again.
Follow these six steps to find the best employees — not just for the position, but for your organization:
- Attract a Large Pool of Candidates. First, craft an engaging job posting to attract the attention of your ideal candidates, then share it everywhere. Don’t base the posting on the job description — It won’t be inspiring, motivating, uplifting or encouraging enough. Instead, start by marketing your company and the future potential you are offering. The goal is to invite job seekers to learn more about this “unique opportunity.” Focus on the attitudes and behaviors you want, need and expect — not the skill requirements, certifications or limitations. Then, spread the news. Post on multiple job boards and social media. Get it to your customers and business networks.
- Implement Multiple Levels of Screening. Job search websites often enable users to auto-apply, resulting in many unqualified applicants. To sort out the top prospects, use different levels of screening, including:
- A standard questionnaire about qualifications for all initial applicants.
- A job hotline inviting selected candidates to call in.
- A group interview to screen multiple good candidates at once.
- A validated individual assessment test for qualified finalists.
- Involve Other Employees in the Process. Having other employees participate in the recruiting and hiring process can be a game-changer for small business owners. Other employees may recognize an issue or flaw with a candidate you overlooked. They understand the benefits of working your business. The more involved they are in the process, the more pride they may take in your business success. They’ll also be more invested in making sure the new hire thrives. It’s also a great form of team-building.
- Use Assessments to Learn About Your Top Candidates. Make the investment to have all of your finalists complete an individual assessment. Do not rely on your ability to identify strengths, weaknesses and preferences. A comprehensive assessment tool will allow you to truly understand how your top candidates are wired — so you can select the individual who is best “wired” to be successful in your open position.
- Don’t Waste Time on Lesser Candidates. Time is valuable. By making sure you’ve attracted a large pool, have recruiting tools to screen them, and other employees are involved in the hiring process, your interview time can be used far more productively. The applicants already know about the position, understand the company, and have met current employees already. Now you can focus on each candidate’s skills, experiences, desires, and aspirations.
- Make the Hire’s First 90 Days Matter. The first 90 days of employment for your new employee are critical to their success in the position. Establish this as the “prove yourself” period, setting clear expectations, and outlining all rules and procedures. Set the bar high to motivate your new employee to learn their position’s responsibilities thoroughly, get up to speed quickly, and try to make a difference right away. Their performance during this phase will solidify their value to you, your customers and your other team members.
Once you’ve got this process down, you can repeat it whenever you have a position to fill. It will give you a significantly stronger chance of hiring success — so you can focus on growing your business with a great team around you.
Contact Rich Allen, at www.tourdeprofit.com for more information.
Rich Allen helps create businesses with solid foundations, unique marketplace positions, reputable processes, high-performance team, and a visionary leader. Prior to becoming an advisor, Rich was VP HR with Texas Instruments then Division President/COO with Pella Corporation. Rich is a proud Rotarian and serves on several boards. He holds an MS in International Business from the University of Texas and hosts a weekly radio show. His iOS App is titled “Ultimate Business Tune Up.” His new book is The Ultimate Business Tune Up: A Simple Yet Powerful Business Model That Will Transform the Lives of Small Business Owners.
Great points on hiring new team members, whether you have a large or small company. I’d also add that, if possible, as you narrow the list down to the final candidates that you ask for business references. We’ve found that talking with people that have been involved in the past with the candidate can give you clues as to how they work and interact with others on a daily basis.
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