Everyone has heard the stories of a company hiring someone who they thought was "perfect" and six months later realize, "it just didn't work out." Invaluable time and money have just been wasted causing distress in the organization. The following are some common mistakes that companies make when hiring someone and how those errors can be corrected.
Not seeing hiring as a strategic opportunity.
The first two hiring mistakes involve rushing to fill an opening without taking the time to strategize short and long-term needs.
As companies grow and develop, they meet challenges and solve problems at the same time as changing situations create new problems and challenges. An opening, particularly for a key position, presents an opportunity to identify present and potential problems and hire someone with the competence to get the company on top of the situation.
During the recruiting process, you must involve the right people and devote enough time to creating a "wish list" of ways the company can be stronger should the right person be hired. Here are some questions that may be asked in the process:
- What are you doing to meet changing business needs?
- What is working? What is not working?
- If you could wave a magic wand, what would you like to be different?
Not writing a position description.
A concise, clear statement of the function and goals of the position, as well as the training and background experience necessary to achieve the objectives of the position is necessary. Putting it in writing is a good tool for mental discipline and clear thinking.
The position description also:
- Allows clearer dialogue between interested parties to further the thinking process and ensure that the target hiring profile is accurate before the search begins.
- Gives guidance to individuals who screen or present candidates, saving you time in the recruiting process.
- Ensures that all involved in the evaluation process are using the same criteria in rating candidates.
Not taking the time to recruit a pool of candidates so that the company can exercise choice.
Recruiting candidates is generally the most time consuming part of the hiring process, and therefore, offers temptation for short-cuts. The tactics that are generally used to get candidates include:
- searching company files
- soliciting referrals
- placing newspaper ads
- inviting contingency agencies to submit candidates
- hiring a retained search consultant to locate the best candidates.
The more qualified candidates you meet, the more likely you are to make a good choice. This often means relying on more than one source. Committing resources to an outside agency may be your best move because you are certain that several candidates will be considered.
In cases where the search must be completed quickly, or there are limited time resources, contingency agencies that specialize in candidates from the field your are seeking, may be effective in identifying qualified candidates quickly. If the agency has a good database, you are choosing to pay a fee for the right person to save time. If you don't take short-cuts with other parts of the process, this can be a good value.
Although some search consultants are more timely than others, their value is also measured by the amount of support they provide. Good firms will systematically search for the best candidates and consult with you to help you avoid hiring mistakes.
The recruiting method you use should meet your economic and time parameters. Whatever method you use, remember:
One function of the position description is to help you manage time. Do not let anyone providing candidates persuade you to spend time interviewing anyone who does not match the specific qualifications. In most cases, there will be plenty of qualified ones. So ask recruiters for several qualified candidates. You will be in a better position
if you have two or more qualified candidates to evaluate simultaneously than one at a time.
Not interviewing to understand likes, dislikes and motives.
If you have done a good job using your position description for screening and you have invested time or money to locate qualified candidates, you are spending your time seeing only qualified people. It may seem as though any of the candidates are able to do the job.
There are three levels of discovery in interviewing:
- Is the person qualified? What can the person do?
- Would the person fit in our organization?
- Does the person like to do what we need done and would that person be motivated to get it done in our situation?
The first two questions are fairly easy to answer as qualifications are highlighted on resumes and intelligent probing reveals what a person can do. The second question is one of chemistry. It is fairly easy to determine if you like the person and if you think his/her style is right for your company.
At this stage, the third issue is the most critical. You want to hire a person who can do the job and would be motivated to get the results you want.
Selection errors are commonly made when not enough information is gathered and improper assumptions are made in this area.
Good interviewers have learned to ask a series of open-ended questions about a person's goals, likes, dislikes and motives. They can also help you avoid selection mistakes. These interviews can help you learn whether the person is motivated to do the job you want done.
Not using tests.
Tests give objective measures of personality, needs, styles, preferences, management aptitudes and other relevant factors. Some methodologies also highlight the fact that the different jobs require different sets of characteristics to make a job-person match. There are many excellent testing programs from which to choose.
Tests are objective and can raise "red flags." However, it is a result of the person and the test, not the urgency of the hiring situation. Tests can raise issues that need to be considered before hiring and they help keep everyone honest and objective.
Not using references.
The single best way to predict what a person will accomplish and the style or method they will use to accomplish the objectives, is to learn what he did in previous situations. The purpose of interviews and tests is to make confident predictions.
Good references, which go to the source, can yield a tremendous amount of information that is crucial to the evaluation process. Ask for the names of all supervisors and a representative group of peers and subordinates. For people in sales roles, customers also give insight. Use a systematic and uniform approach to references. Use the same questions for each reference check and customize by probing into areas of special concern.
Making decisions too quickly.
In statistics, we learn about Type I and Type II errors. Type I errors are accepting something that should have been rejected. Type II errors are rejecting something that should have been accepted. The most important advice is: when in doubt, do not hire. The cost of rejecting someone who might do the job are minimal as compared to the cost of hiring the wrong person. Remember, in hiring, patience is always rewarded.
Paying improperly for the job and situation.
Compensation should be considered throughout the recruiting process, so all parties understand expectations. Neither party should feel uncomfortable finalizing employment arrangements.
At the start, use surveys to find out what the position commands in the marketplace so clients are realistic about disparities between what they want to pay and the market rates. Offering less than the job or person's value can cause turnover unless a person is moved ahead quickly.
It is just as dangerous to pay more than needs to be paid to fill a position, and rationalize this with reference to the perceived virtues of the particular candidate. Ending up with an expensive hire often is a sign that steps were skipped in the recruiting process. Paying more than is required can strain the budget and may lead to unrealistic expectations.
There is no better investment than a strong, motivated and skilled employee in a critical position. More knowledge and skill will increase your luck in hiring situations.