Top Three 'How to Tips' of Smart Hiring

Whether a new contract or a staff resignationHere are some tips to get down to business:
brings "hiring" to the top of your task list, it may· Clear your calendar for the interview.
be more expensive than you expected. AccordingYou don't want to be rushed, and you want to
to Staffing.org the average cost of recruiting ishave a clear head. · Prepare your
12.4% of the employee's annual salary. This is onequestions. Be sure you have behavioral event
hat you dread having to ever put on.interview questions in mind which will encourage
While a standard two-week notice of resignationthe interviewee to tell you how they handle
may be offered, most times it takes much longerspecific situations. For example: "Tell me about a
to find the perfect replacement. Plus, your newdifficult situation you've had with an employer and
employee may offer their current employer ahow you handled it.", will bring about a much more
two-week notice. And you know that in order toinformative answer than, "Have you ever had a
meet deadlines and control costs, they need todifficult situation with your employer?" ·
be hired and trained as quickly as possible. That'sStart with small-talk. This will make the candidate
why it's imperative that the interview andmore comfortable and more apt to be honest
selection process be quick yet thorough.with their responses. · Find out why they
There are three primary steps fromare looking for a new job. This may be the
pre-screening to hiring, each one just as importanttale-tell answer that will make or break your
as the others:decision on this person. · Take notes.
1. Pre-screening3. Post-Interview
Sifting through resumes and applications is aClear some time to go over your notes and the
daunting task. Here are some guidelines that willresumes before deciding. If you have access to a
help you "weed-out" candidates that are not rightPre-Employment Personality Assessment, you
for the task:may want to decide which candidates you want
- Set aside resumes that are difficult to read.to bring back in for this. If you have not begun to
Poor formatting issues, more than two or threeutilize these assessments, you may want to look
pages (unless the position is executive-level),into it. Some companies that provide
photos of themselves, and personal bios are allPre-Employment Personality Assessments are:
indicators that the candidate may not be as- Wonderlic
professional as you require.- PSI
- With the remaining resumes, focus on longevity.- Gallup Organization's Strengths Finder survey is a
If the last few positions lasted less than two orGood source to find out if the candidate has the
three years, you may be looking at a futureaptitude for your position. This can also be utilized
employee resignation. Set those aside as well.before you schedule the interview. Gallup will want
- Look at the candidates' previous titles in theiryou to buy their Strengths Finder book. They
past positions. Make sure they have experiencecleverly include a single survey access code in
that qualifies them.each copy. After you've made your selection and
- Next, review their computer proficiency, which isbefore your new employee starts, be sure you
now normally included on resumes. Also look athave someone in mind who is experienced to
job duties in previous positions. Their title maytrain them. Your time to your business is valuable
relate to what your company is looking for, butand assigning someone else to assist you in
their duties may differ.training will allow you to focus on your deadlines.
- Call the remaining candidates and have a shortCheck the training regularly, but don't get
telephone conversation. Don't offer them anwrapped up in it. According to Forbes, the
interview unless you feel comfortable with themcompanies with the top 10 training programs
at the end of the call.spend 2.3%-13.1% in employee training as a
- If you're left with 15 resumes, go through thepercentage of payroll. While training is costly, the
process again. Your goal is to interview four orhiring process is more crucial because if the right
five candidates.person isn't selected, your hiring and training costs
2. Interviewingwill double.
Some employers interview applicants for two orYour company's most valuable assets are your
more hours. You may not have time for that.employees. Invest wisely.