How to improve your hiring practices

Wednesday, October 29, 2003

Colle Davis, http://www.mycoach.com

There is an bad joke (that is really not-so-funny) that floats around management circles that goes like this, "We hire employees and then PEOPLE show up." What is so tragic about this bad joke is that even though it’s said in jest, it is so true. When a person is a prospective hire, their credentials, training, background, test scores and a couple of hours of interview time are carefully weighed by people who (in most cases) will never have to work with them.

The newly hired person that shows up for work is the combination of their stated qualifications - plus the total sum of their life experiences. Their true skills often have nothing to do with their job description and may not even be a good fit for the needs of the company. They were hired under false pretenses, by design. How is that possible?

Because the people who will be working with the new hire (and, who have a vested interest in their success) are seldom involved in the hiring process. They may have been asked to help in writing the job description, but are almost never included in the interviews or hiring decisions. What a waste of human resources! Think how different the hiring process would be for your company, when the people (notice I did not say employees) who would potentially work with the new person were deeply involved in the entire hiring process.

What? Did your hands go up as you shouted, “We couldn't possibly do that with every hire, it takes too much time.” Whose time? How would your company and your time be different if the turnover rate was less than half what it is today? Then would you have the time?

The next time there is an opening, I'd like you to consider going about your hiring process differently:
· First, make sure that the group of people the new hire will be working with are consulted and involved in writing the new hire’s job description.
· Then, have this same group review the resumes and applications (preferably all at the same time) in one sitting, a bit like reviewing college applications.
· Next, allow these workers to select the candidates and interview them.
· Then allow them to select the finalists
· Finally, give your employees the power and authority to be involved in the actual hiring and indoctrination of the new employee. Yes, HR and some incredibly self important senior staff member can bless the decision to make everyone happy, but make this only a formality.

Your company will hire much more qualified employees who will stay longer, work harder, be better team members, and be much more loyal and be happier by using this process. Then you can say that you have great employees and mean that you have great people doing their best for your company because the people who work for your company are deeply involved in every facet of making your company great.

For more tips and techniques on how to improve your hiring practices or your company’s effectiveness, contact me. The longer you wait, the more you and your people will suffer.
- Coach Colle

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