To say that hiring is just choosing an applicant from a pile of resumes would be a massive understatement. There’s a lot of work that goes behind the scenes, and it’s not uncommon for recruiters to spend months searching for the right person for the job. You have to sit through dozens of interviews, make hundreds of calls, and read through boxes of resumes. And all your hard work is rewarded with a candidate who will fill the position.
There’s a reason why the selection process can take a long time. Hiring the wrong person can prove disastrous to the company’s resources and reputation. You don’t want to expend time and money on someone who is wrong for the job. At best, you waste a few months on a fruitless search. At worst, the company suffers from the strain of an empty position. That’s why recruiters ensure that their candidate ticks all the boxes and more.
This is especially true for startups and small businesses, where individual people have a greater influence on the company’s culture and trajectory. Here are a few secrets to hiring the right people for your business. Let’s begin.
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Look for someone who can grow within the company
As your company’s needs grow, you need to create new positions so that you can gain access to other people’s skills and perspectives. This is the only way your business can grow. But you shouldn’t just create a cookie-cutter job description for the position you’re hoping to fill. Take some time to think about the growth of the role and how you foresee it evolving as your business expands. Early roles are critical to the long-term growth plan of the company.
You also need to consider that applicants ultimately want to find a place where they have a future. Nobody wants to stay in the same position forever, you need to pay attention to how the role will evolve in the coming years. An ideal job is one that accommodates the employee’s aspirations.
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Check the references
The references list exists for a reason. It’s an incredibly important tool for evaluating a person’s skills, history, and potential. However, with so many resumes to go through, it can be tempting to skip that section and to go straight to the interview stage. But keep in mind that you’re throwing away your one chance at vetting the applicants. You don’t want to end up with someone who wasn’t forthcoming about their history.
References aren’t just for fact-checking. You already know the type of employee you’re looking for, as well as any desired traits and characteristics. It’s just a matter of matching the applicant to your requirements and measuring that against potential performance. For all we know, an impressive employment history could also mask a record of insubordination and questionable work ethic.
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Think about the future
One way to tighten the focus during the hiring process is to center the interview on the bigger picture and to avoid spending too much time on rehashed information. That way, your interviews won’t feel like a giant waste of time and you can gain valuable insight based on the exchange.
Many recruiters spend the first portion of the interview discussing what’s on the resume. But there’s no point in discussing something that’s already been written. Instead, you can ask the applicant clarifying questions about the information provided. Once you’re satisfied with their experience, you can then move on to the most important part of the interview.
Your goal is to ascertain whether the applicant can solve problems they would face if they were to gain the position. It’s not just about whether they have the right credentials, but if they can have the potential to grow in the position.
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Use other tools and strategies
There’s a growing number of recruiters saying that in-person interviews are an unreliable method of evaluating an applicant. While it can be an important component of the hiring process, you shouldn’t rely too much on it. If there’s one key takeaway from a good interview, it’s that the applicant knows how to play the game.
Of course, that doesn’t mean that you should stop conducting interviews. You can supplement the process by using digital tools such as candidate-tracking software and personality tests. Adopting a data-based approach will help you make more objective decisions for your business.
These are just some strategies you can follow to ensure you always hire the right people for your company. Trust the process, even if it’s taking you longer than usual. Your patience will be rewarded by an employee who can serve your business goals.
