Whether a new contract or a staff resignation brings "hiring" to the top of your task list, it may be more expensive than you expected. According to Staffing.org the average cost of recruiting is 12.4% of the employee's annual salary. This is one hat you dread having to ever put on.
While a standard two-week notice of resignation may be offered, most times it takes much longer to find the perfect replacement. Plus, your new employee may offer their current employer a two-week notice. And you know that in order to meet deadlines and control costs, they need to be hired and trained as quickly as possible. That's why it's imperative that the interview and selection process be quick yet thorough.
There are three primary steps from pre-screening to hiring, each one just as important as the others:
1. Pre-screening
Sifting through resumes and applications is a daunting task. Here are some guidelines that will help you "weed-out" candidates that are not right for the task:
- Set aside resumes that are difficult to read. Poor formatting issues, more than two or three pages (unless the position is executive-level), photos of themselves, and personal bios are all indicators that the candidate may not be as professional as you require.
- With the remaining resumes, focus on longevity. If the last few positions lasted less than two or three years, you may be looking at a future employee resignation. Set those aside as well.
- Look at the candidates' previous titles in their past positions. Make sure they have experience that qualifies them.
- Next, review their computer proficiency, which is now normally included on resumes. Also look at job duties in previous positions. Their title may relate to what your company is looking for, but their duties may differ.
- Call the remaining candidates and have a short telephone conversation. Don't offer them an interview unless you feel comfortable with them at the end of the call.
- If you're left with 15 resumes, go through the process again. Your goal is to interview four or five candidates.
2. Interviewing
Some employers interview applicants for two or more hours. You may not have time for that. Here are some tips to get down to business:
· Clear your calendar for the interview. You don't want to be rushed, and you want to have a clear head. · Prepare your questions. Be sure you have behavioral event interview questions in mind which will encourage the interviewee to tell you how they handle specific situations. For example: "Tell me about a difficult situation you've had with an employer and how you handled it.", will bring about a much more informative answer than, "Have you ever had a difficult situation with your employer?" · Start with small-talk. This will make the candidate more comfortable and more apt to be honest with their responses. · Find out why they are looking for a new job. This may be the tale-tell answer that will make or break your decision on this person. · Take notes.
3. Post-Interview
Clear some time to go over your notes and the resumes before deciding. If you have access to a Pre-Employment Personality Assessment, you may want to decide which candidates you want to bring back in for this. If you have not begun to utilize these assessments, you may want to look into it. Some companies that provide Pre-Employment Personality Assessments are:
- Wonderlic
- PSI
- Gallup Organization's Strengths Finder survey is a Good source to find out if the candidate has the aptitude for your position. This can also be utilized before you schedule the interview. Gallup will want you to buy their Strengths Finder book. They cleverly include a single survey access code in each copy.
After you've made your selection and before your new employee starts, be sure you have someone in mind who is experienced to train them. Your time to your business is valuable and assigning someone else to assist you in training will allow you to focus on your deadlines. Check the training regularly, but don't get wrapped up in it. According to Forbes, the companies with the top 10 training programs spend 2.3%-13.1% in employee training as a percentage of payroll. While training is costly, the hiring process is more crucial because if the right person isn't selected, your hiring and training costs will double.
Your company's most valuable assets are your employees. Invest wisely.
