As any H.R. representative or hiring manager can tell you, there’s a major difference between hiring the person with the best interviewing skills and hiring the person who actually possesses the right skills for the job. Interviewing and hiring candidates can be time-consuming, costly and challenging, so it is key to remember that your goal is to hire the best employee rather than merely the most polished ‘interviewee.’ In today’s fast-paced world of change, it’s important that organizations secure employees that are not only quick-thinking, but also quick on their tasks—capable of and committed to completing projects, assignments and goals within the appropriate amount of time.
Here are some great tips to hiring the right employee:
• Assess Strengths Needed for the Position. Be up-front with what you’re looking for and the strengths successful candidates will need in order to fill the role expected of them. Will they be working in an environment where change is constant? Is there a core team they’ll be expected to work with on a daily/weekly basis? Describe the type of training/mentoring the position calls for and ask questions to determine how they’ve been able to handle similar situations in their past—or if needed, present them with real-life scenario’s of what occurs in your organization and have them describe how they would resolve any issues.
• Can They Learn from Their Mistakes? Have the candidate describe an error they made in any employment situation in their past and listen to hear how they were able to correct it, learn from it, and continue to move forward as a result. Allow them to detail how they were able to create a solution to a problem, or how they were able to make changes in their prior employment history that benefitted the organization overall. Do they speak confidently of their experience, or do they seem to be at a loss in relation to lessons learned and what could’ve been done differently for developing effective improvement strategies?
• Were They Prompt for the Interview? This may seem to be a ‘no-brainer,’ but it still stumps some hiring managers who quickly accept excuses for why a candidate is late for an interview, only to be left wondering why the employee is always ‘running late’ for work thereafter. Ideally, interviewees should arrive at least 10 minutes prior to the actual scheduled time, and after securing employment, should continue that trend throughout their time with the company. During the interviewing process, don’t be afraid to share with the candidate that when a shift begins is when employees should be engaged in fulfilling their work tasks — not getting coffee, socializing around the office with co-workers, or idling in the restroom while others are counting on them to fulfill their duties on-time like a team-player. How an interviewee shows up at the interview is a good indication of how they will show up for work.
Along with the standard interview preparations, these intelligent tips will prove useful in assisting you to develop hiring and interviewing practices that will allow you to grow your company with maximum success by hiring the right team for the job.
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