The recruitment trend articles written in early 2020 could never have predicted the unprecedented number of applications entering the marketplace. For those laid-off, furloughed, or terminated, it is not a career decision, it is a financial one. For you, however, the decision who to hire is just as important as ever.
True ‘fit’ is key.
When overwhelmed, the impulse is to hire quickly. Thus, the title of this blog…. But, how do you fill a position without spending hours going through each application? And make that right decision?
Due to recent global events, 2020 trending articles were off on some of their predictions. Three priorities stay constant when considering the ‘I wish I’d known’ factor:
- Competencies Match/Job Fit
- Type Fit
- Backgrounding
Competencies Match/Job Fit
There is more to a position than the skills and education. Take the time to figure out the ‘type’ of person for the job. Who had success in the role before and why? Who wasn’t successful and why? Was that success skill-based or ‘type’ related? There are innumerable assessments in the marketplace designed to discover ‘who’ a person is below the surface. This premise is important as an interview is a small glimmer into who the person is – or at least, who they want you to see.
Our solutions include pre-hire and post-hire tools – designed to add objectivity to the subjective interview process. Standalone or integrated with our Applicant Tracking System (ATS), these
solutions support your gut instinct, your interview notes, and can be used for team building and coaching in the future.
Type Fit
A schoolyard rejection hurts! Regardless of your demographic,
fitting in is important. The right hire fits with the leadership, colleagues, your customer base, and business pace, plus the right skill set and experience. My boss coins the phrase ‘bowling buddy’ – is it the ‘type’ of person that would connect with the team outside of work? In most cases, a ‘
type hire’ is more important than skills – you can train a skill.
Pre-Hire Backgrounding
Well-done professional reference checks, preferably when completed by a neutral third-party, supply honest, deep, and thorough information about a candidate’s work and behavioural traits. I am not talking about employment verification – I am referring to questions that legally drill down to both the candidate’s ability to interact with individuals and their work ethic and abilities. Not sure what to ask, let us help!
What Do You Need to Know Before Day 89?
The mentality was “Hire Fast; Fire Slow” historically, it then transitioned to “Hire Slow; Fire Fast”.
Whether day 90 or 3900, having the right person in place works. Before you even start advertising, take the time to truly know what ‘type’ of person you require in addition to the skills – and stick to that. Know what has worked in the past, what hasn’t worked, and focus on the right ‘fit’. The investment you made in the pre-hire process (before you even start looking) will have high returns when making that hiring decision.
The cost of a new hire adds up. Complete thorough backgrounding and use assessments to define Competencies Match/Job Fit and Type Fit. Forget Firing – Move to “Hire Smart – Retain”
