How to hire the right candidate?

We all understand the struggles of hiring a new employee; you dedicate time, effort, and resources into finding the perfect candidate for the job. But sometimes, they’re not a right fit or not as qualified and this can cause a huge dent in your business revenue. Forbes states that a bad hire is at least 30% of that employee’s first-year earnings.

This won’t only cost your business money, but time too! It can overall affect the workflow and outcome, especially if it’s a vital role. An applicant’s resume or application is not enough to judge if this candidate is good enough for the job or not. And sometimes, neither is an interview. So how do you find the perfect hire?   

Here are a few tips to consider BEFORE hiring:

1.   Pre-screening, phone interview:

After putting together a list of applicants you think would make good candidates, there’s the pre-screening process. Conducting phone interviews before in-person interviews will help you better understand the applicant when you meet them. But it also saves time as you go over the initial info like work culture, previous jobs, the expected salary, and so on.

You’ll be able to better decide if you want to personally meet the applicant or not after a phone interview.

2.   Ask subjective & technical questions:

During interviews, it is important to make the applicant feel comfortable and get them to talk freely. Remember, you’re judging their personality too, not just the technical fit into your team. Asking a list of questions like what’s your biggest strength or your five-year goal is only going to give you pre-prepared answers. Start off with a few personality questions to get an idea of who they are then you can slowly direct it to business. Ask them about their accomplishments, challenges they’ve faced, work deliverable for tasks, how they’d handle certain situations.

Don’t be shy to get into details about their previous positions like their thoughts on the workplace, assigned tasks, work culture, etc. and dig into their roles; this will help you understand their personality, work ethic, and capabilities.

3.   Check work performance through a short test:

There are many people that lie or exaggerate on their resumes, and shortly after hiring you realize you’ve made a mistake. To filter the bad apples from the good, you can set a short test or trial for applicants to display their abilities.

For example, if you’re hiring for a customer service position, have a mock phone call or if you’re hiring a designer, have them design a small snippet of a banner, logo, and compare their previous work to your current needs. If you’re hiring a writer, have them write you a short copy for a product or service. This won’t fully show what they’re capable of but it’ll give you a good idea.

4.   Don’t overlook references:

Many employers ask applicants for references but never go through the trouble of reaching out and asking about the applicant. This may seem like an insignificant step but hearing from past employers or references will make a big difference when deciding on an applicant.

You can find out more about their personality, work performance, if you’re a team player, or even complaints. Don’t just ask about their work and forget to ask about their sense of humor or people skills. This will help you decide if they’re a good fit for your company culture or not.

5.   Set a trial period:

A trial period is like a test run for the applicant; it can be a few weeks and can last up to 3 months if needed. This trial will help you and the applicant figure out if you’re the right fit for each other. Many companies do this and can easily let go of the employee if they didn’t live up to the standard or convert them to a full-time employee if they’re good.

This period gives the employee and employer time to better know each other; it’s like a paid internship before committing to anything.  

6.   Don’t rush hires:

Sometimes when we’re hiring for an important role that needs to be filled in a timely manner, we find ourselves forgetting details like asking for references or setting a test trial. The rush of needing someone can make us hire the wrong candidate and regret it later.

Take your time with making your choice and carefully look into all your options to avoid wasting time and money in the future.

7.   Conduct an employment background check:

Most importantly, after you’ve narrowed down your options, it is time to conduct a background check on your preferred applicant(s). A background check is a clearance done by the government checking the applicant’s criminal, financial, education record and verifies employment history. It can be a state or a federal clearance, depending on your needs.  

A criminal background check will ensure you maintain a safe work environment for the office your employees, and customers; it also protects you from legal and liability issues in the future. You can get this done through a live scan service provider; they’re available in multiple cities nationwide.

Conclusion:   

Don’t fall into the mistake of hiring the wrong candidate and struggling to fix it later. With these simple and few tips, you’ll be able to conduct a seamless hiring process and find the perfect candidate, the first time around.

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