As summer starts to wind down, hiring begins to ramp up before fourth quarter for many companies. Before you dive into recruitment, take this time to first review your hiring process.
The more consistent you can be when moving candidates through the interview process, the more accurate you will be when making a final hiring decision.
Also, studies estimate the cost of a bad hire at 30% of a person’s first-year total earnings. That can cost upwards of $50,000 for some positions.
These numbers don’t even take into account the indirect costs of a bad hire like damaged company morale, harmed client relationships, and decreased sales.
When evaluating your current hiring process for consistency, you should focus on three stages: before the interview, the interview, and post-interview discussions. Keep reading to learn what specific actions you should take during these stages to increase your consistency and your chances of making the right hire the first time.
Interview Preparation
When you begin recruiting for a new position, it’s important to establish a search timeline to stay on track and save time. First, start by setting a target interview date and determine how many candidates will be attending the interview.
Next, choose a varied group of interviewers for the panel interview, with a minimum of three people. For example, include an executive, department head, and someone who will be working closely with the candidate.
When there is no established interview date, it’s easy to overschedule interviews and waste the interviewers and candidates time. If an Executive has to interview 10 different people for 3 hours each all spread out on different days, then that is a lot of time spent that could be spent elsewhere in the business. If you limit it to the top 4 candidates and one interview day, then the interviewers know to schedule one day in advance for interviews.
The Interview
After choosing a panel of interviewers, you should then assign them each a specific, targeted dimension on a
selection systems matrix. The selection systems matrix is a tool that lets you objectively compare a candidate’s qualifications to the open position’s requirements, and even lets you compare the candidate’s to one another based on the established criteria.
Once the targeted dimensions are assigned, each interviewer is responsible for asking questions related to their dimension. For a sales position, for example, you might have Targeted Dimensions like Goal Oriented, Self Management, Learning-Centered, Adaptable, and Character. And remember to use the same interview questions for each candidate in order to accurately compare them to one another.
One of the perks of having multiple interviewers during an interview is that it provides different perspectives and helps to eliminate biases. Part of making your hiring process more consistent is making sure each candidate is interviewed by at least three interviewers. Adding this step will help ensure you find a candidate who is a perfect fit for your position.
Post Interview
Finally, after the interview there should be a group discussion about each candidate. Make sure interviewers have all filled out the same evaluation form to ensure the consistency in how each candidate is scored. Interviewers should fill out the forms directly after the interviews to make sure any important details or comments are not forgotten.
Interviewers should be prepared to back up their recommendations with specific examples and notes from the interview. This time should be used to discuss next steps for moving forward in the process and when a hiring decision will be made. Don’t forget to let the candidates know when they should hear from you or when a decision will be made. Keeping them informed will help make sure they don’t accept another opportunity while a decision is being made.
Having a consistent hiring process not only saves time and money, but it ensures you make the right hiring decision. Take some time to evaluate your current hiring process and see where you can become more consistent and efficient.
