Tips for Hiring the Right Employees
As a consultant I am dedicated to matching employees with the right positions in the marketplace by coaching companies as well as candidates. From an employee perspective today’s marketplace is one of little demand and high supply. Depending on who you ask and which factors are included in the evaluation, unemployment is between nine and fifteen percent. The latest numbers released in Arizona have indicated a dip below nine percent; that’s a number we haven’t seen here in a long time.
Companies are receiving thousands of resumes and applications daily. As a business owner, hiring manager or recruiter what are steps that can be taken to identify and hire the right employees?
Here are tips for hiring the right employees:
Create a comprehensive job description: Clearly define the duties, skills and experience required and then go one step further. Explain how the position contributes to the overall goals of the organization and what sets your business apart from others in the same industry. Include perks like half day Friday that illustrate a commitment to a healthy work/life balance and corporate culture.
Why include information about corporate culture? People will weed themselves out of the running before you ever see their resume. A health and wellness based company may not be for everyone. A faith based organization isn’t for everyone either. By including that information in the description you will detract the wrong candidates and increase the chances of attracting the right candidate.
Compensation packages must be clear in the initial offer. As the employer you also need an understanding of which items are negotiable and which are not. Salary is typically not negotiable and vacation time is negotiable, for example.
Be realistic in the timeline: Hiring isn’t an exact science and you don’t want to hire the wrong employee just because there is a deadline or project on the horizon. You want to hire someone who embraces the culture and stays for a while. It costs money to recruit, hire and train so take your time through the process.
Marketing the open position: Gone are the days of placing ads in the newspaper. Recruiters and Hiring Managers are using social media to identify prospective candidates. Networking is great for job seekers and for hiring professionals. These venues allow for relationship building and an understanding of the candidate’s needs as well as the candidate understanding the company without the formality of the interview process.
Follow-up with prospective candidates: Internal hiring managers can ask a candidate return for a second or third interview; include employees from the department for which the candidate is being interviewed. They will have a great stake in your decision and also a fresh perspective on the candidate. If you’ve done your job well then this should be a formality and if not you can learn and move on to the next candidate.
Here’s to you finding the employees of your dreams!
Jessica Pierce is Founder and President of Accelerated Team Dynamics, LLC (ATD) a company dedicated to getting employees placed in the right positions in the marketplace by coaching companies as well as candidates. She is also Executive Director of Career Connectors, a community outreach program dedicated to connecting Real People to Real Careers. She is a known speaker, trainer and career transition expert.
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Thanks for the tips! I am a new business owner and don’t have any formal business training. Most of what I have learned has resulted form trial and error. Unfortunately I made the mistake of hiring the wrong employees as I set unrealistic deadlines. Although it didn’t cost my business a great deal of money it did consume a great deal of my time having to continuously interview new candidates. Form this experience I have realized how important it is to hire the right people.