10 Tips To Get The Best Applicant
Making a commitment to a new employee can best be compared to marriage. If either of those relationships don’t work out, the separation can be nasty. In today’s workforce, it is just as important for the employer to be on their best behavior as it is for the applicant. The best applicants don’t spend long on their job search. Following are a few common mistakes employers make in the hiring process.
Postponing the Interview
Interviewing, like dating, requires a time commitment. Our businesses today run leaner than ever before, and interviewing that candidate often doesn’t seem to be at the top of our priority list. In those situations, hiring that new employee is even more important. You obviously need help. A candidate might be discouraged if he senses that this position is not important. Build redundancy into your interview process, if one team-member is pulled away, continue the process with other team members.
Lack of Hospitality
Make that applicant feel welcome in your business. Impress them. Ensure that your receptionist is expecting the applicant before the interview so she gets a warm reception. The best applicants have choices, and they’ll go where they feel most comfortable.
Interviewers Don’t Know Role
It is pointless for several team members to interview a candidate and ask many of the same questions. One method is to have the human resource manager or supervisor conduct one in-depth interview followed by several brief interviews with others. Another method would be to divide up interviewers by topic. A third alternative is to do a group interview to evaluate a candidate’s ability to think on their feet.
Critical Information
There is no excuse for poor planning. If no one on the interview team is told to ask about a certain topic, then it probably won’t happen and you’ve wasted an opportunity.
Lack of Hiring System
Does everyone on the interview team know what you are looking for before going into the interview? Have you clearly outlined the job description and the skills or experience required? Do you have a means of objectively grading the applicants? Without an effective system you might later question if you got the best person for the job.
No One Sold the Job
It bears repeating that the best candidates are going to have choices. You’ve got to convince them your company is the best fit for them. If you are recruiting someone from another city, don’t forget to sell the community also. Point out how your town fits in with their interests.
Conflicting Actions/Appearances
Don’t tell the candidate about your great teamwork if they are going to see closed office doors and little camaraderie during their tour of the building.
Negotiating Too Soon
Don’t make the same mistake of many salespeople by rushing to close the deal. Sell the applicant on the job, your company and the community completely before you mention price. You are less likely to scare off a good applicant and you might find yourself in a better negotiating position later.
Unanswered Questions
The opposite problem of having no hiring system is having too stringent a system. Give applicants plenty of opportunity to ask their own questions; this isn’t an interrogation. Lingering questions are going to frustrate the applicant, you won’t be able to judge their responses to those issues, and you are likely to lose them to another offer. Also, beware of the applicant with no questions. Those questions allow you to gauge their intellectual curiosity and problem-solving skills.
No Post-Interview Plan
You just finished interviewing a fabulous candidate. Now what? Demonstrate to the candidate that you are a professional organization by explaining the post-interview plan before they leave. Let them know the timetable they can expect to hear back from you.
A little thought and pre-planning to develop a hiring plan will ensure success for your organization. When you marry that new employee, you’ll have many years of employment bliss.
