Stressful people waiting for job interview
While there are no hard and fast rules when it comes to hiring. Yet, despite the fact that it is definitely not an exact science, there are some simple hiring best practices that, if followed, should give you the best chance of bringing some highly productive and talented employees into your organization.
In Gallup’s annual State of the American Workplace report it is cited that upwards of 70 percent of employees today are disengaged. The root cause of this disengagement for a majority of these potential hires is a disconnect between their career expectations and their current position. The job that they were hired for has evolved into something completely different. Many feel that they are not where they should be in their careers. There are also cultural issues that can contribute to disengagement.
Having said that, here are four method’s with which an employer can verify an employee’s engagement level during the hiring process:
- Reference Checks: This is the first and easiest step. Actually contact the previous employer(s) and find out what kind of impression the potential hire left in their last position.
- Resume Review: Resume’s have become so commonplace that they are often overlooked, or ignored completely. Actually review your potential future employee’s previous experiences and training, and try to read between the lines for the good and the bad.
- Require them to speak outside the box: Ask the standard questions off course, but also challenge your candidates to speak about something for which they weren’t ready. Ask them about their goals, and what they want for themselves the most. Sometimes these candid and unrehearsed answers can tell you more about a candidate than resumes or pre-prepared answers could ever hope to.
- Trust your gut: After everything is said and done, sometimes it just comes down to that little voice inside your head. You as a hiring manager may just have to trust your gut at times—sometimes one candidate is the best fit based on experience, yet is not the best fit based on corporate culture, or more specifically your organizations Then there may be another candidate that is the exact opposite. Other times there is a candidate that just clicks. They may not have all of the experience, but they are a hard worker based on references and showed genuine excitement about the company and position. This is where the imperfect science of hiring comes in.
By thinking outside of the box, asking non-traditional questions, and really listening and paying attention when you are interviewing your prospective future employee’s, you may find that you achieve a higher rate of success and employee retention.
Michael Klein is a premier writer and speaker on all aspects of human capital. As VP Operations for KDS Staffing, Inc., he has achieved industry-leading success. Michael was awarded, The New York State Small Business Growth Award; presented by Governor George Pataki. Additionally, Michael has successfully grown and sold multiple firms. If you or your organization would like to discuss hiring needs, contact Michael at 646-350-3015 or michael@kdsstaffing.com.
