There is a lot at stake when it comes to your business hiring the right employee. Hiring the wrong employee can be costly in several ways, and it could negatively affect your staff morale, the work environment, and productivity. The U.S. Department of Labor claims that the expense of a bad hire can cost your business 30 percent of your employee’s first year of earnings.
But when you hire the most suitable employee from your pool of candidates, it rewards your business with heightened productivity and a successful employment relationship. It has a positive impact on your work environment. An ideal candidate could become a stellar employee who improves your company and supports your current employees.
You want to make sure your new hire is a talented and a personal fit for your company. Having a clear and deliberative hiring process is essential to securing the right new employees for your business.
Here are some tips for hiring the best employees for your business.
Evaluate Positions that Need to be Filled
As you begin the process of hiring employees for your company, first be sure to avoid redundancies – hiring people for job duties that already exist. As a hiring officer, it is best to have the mindset of filling needs, not workstations. The search for candidates should aim to look for the best person to fill a particular need in the company, as opposed to hiring someone to take on a poorly defined or generic role.
Establish a Recruitment Strategy
Depending on the size of your company, you may want to consider using a recruitment firm to hire employees. If you would rather not use one, then include on job recruitment forms “no agencies, please,” so you are not bombarded with unsolicited sales calls.
You might encourage your current employees to tap into their networks to find the best candidates for a specific job opening.
Also, keep in mind the subtle difference between identifying the best candidate in the applicant pool as opposed to what you want, which is to find the best candidate for a particular role. For example, you may have interviewed 15 candidates, and none of them fit the role, but you could be pressured to choose the “best candidate.” It is a good idea to rebuff that pressure and return to the hiring pool to find the right candidates for specifically targeted roles in your company.
Advertise on Industry-Specific Sites
You may not experience the most success on general listing sites when setting out to hire employees. So, it is best to use a site relevant to your industry or small business. Ideally, look for industry-specific job boards to make your hiring strategy more effective. This allows you to tap into a pool of applicants who are already interested in your field. Indeed, ZipRecruiter, Facebook, and LinkedIn are several places where you can advertise your job opportunities.
Write the Job Description
Before you even post a job, meet with your team managers and discuss the ideal candidate for the position. Figure out exactly what you need for a specific role to ensure the selected candidate will help your business succeed.
Write a job description that reflects what you are seeking and include details like job requirements, responsibilities, and expectations. You will also want to include information having to do with your business’s core values and the company culture to ensure you identify someone who is the right cultural fit.
You can also use your job description to cite compensation details. You have the option of providing a reference point for salary ranges that reflect the market conditions or are equal to a candidate’s experience. By making sure that your candidates are fully aware of salary parameters at the beginning of the hiring process, you can prevent complicated negotiations down the line. You also initially limit the pool to applicants who are within your pay scale.
Additionally, a job description also enables the candidate you select for the job to clearly understand the expectations for the position, setting that person up for success in your company.
Prescreen Candidates
Early on in the process of hiring employees, it is important to prescreen candidates so you can verify that each candidate has the necessary qualifications for the job, despite looking favorable on paper. During a prescreening interview, you can make sure that their salary expectations are compatible with the job.
What’s more, the interviewer should be able to determine whether a candidate may be a good fit for your culture or not.
Collect Samples of Work From Candidates
If possible, solicit samples of their past work in your specific industry and role from candidates. You also can have candidates, as a pre-hire project, do a short assignment that they must complete to determine their aptitude for the job.
During the interviewing process, be mindful of a candidate’s time, and ask them to complete a task that should take no longer than a couple of hours. If you request a candidate to complete a project that requires a considerable amount of time, they should be compensated for this.
Check Backgrounds and References
When you are getting closer to selecting the right candidate for the job opening, confirm that their credentials, skills, and experiences are valid and presented accurately. The background check needs to include professional references – former supervisors are most important – educational credentials, and jobs they have held.
The background check must also include looking for any potential criminal history.
Hold Your Interviews at Burbity Workspaces
At Burbity Workspaces, we have meeting rooms or private offices that would serve as a perfect setting for interviews or team training for your business. Our meeting rooms can seat as many as 15 people comfortably. Set your business up for success with a professional environment and workspace at Burbity Workspaces.
