Choosing the right job candidates is a gamble, and many employers bet on the wrong people again and again. A study by Leadership IQ found that 46 percent of new hires fail within 18 months, mostly due to poor interpersonal skills or incompatible personalities. High failure rates are a sign your interview process doesn't align with your organizational needs. Fix the flaws in your screening methods to make better hires and cut recruitment costs.
Bad hires cause a ripple effect in your organization, leading to disengaged teams and costly turnover. Every time your recruitment team misses the mark, it forces managers to waste time and resources reassigning work, building fresh relationships and getting new hires up to speed.
The odds of hiring the right job candidate increase the more you define organizational needs. Yet, employers frequently rush into recruiting without setting goals or getting consensus from key stakeholders about the core qualities of an ideal candidate. Bring purpose and structure to your recruiting efforts by focusing on three important factors.
1. Reasons for Hiring
All too often, recruiters compile a lengthy list of job requirements without discussing the value a new hire should bring to the role. Which job duties have the most impact on organizational goals, and what baseline qualifications does a new hire need to meet those goals? What obstacles motivated you to hire someone in the first place? Not all skills and tasks are equally valuable to your organization, so it's essential to give a realistic breakdown of the role in job postings.
2. Ethical Recruiting
Hiring for cultural fit is a great idea in theory, but there's one huge problem. You don't know anything about the candidate sitting across from you, and no interview can provide an accurate picture of a person's character. Both employers and job seekers want to charm their audience, and neither party is honest about their weaknesses and concerns.
To remedy this issue, be upfront about the organizational challenges you're facing. New hires feel tricked and quickly become disenchanted when you misrepresent the company. Instead of glossing over problems, explain what went wrong with past hires and discuss the company's plans for making positive changes. By being honest, you attract candidates who are motivated to work for you because they have the specialized skills to solve your problems and make an impact.
3. Assessment Criteria
Many good candidates slip through the cracks because the interview process is superficial and disorganized. Avoid dumping interviews on employees who don't have a clue what to ask or how to judge the answers. Anyone conducting an interview should have a standardized way to evaluate new hires and a thorough understanding of the job.
And if you ask arbitrary questions, don't be surprised when shallow candidates rise to the top. Job seekers show up prepared and on their best behavior, so your biggest challenge is uncovering lies and exaggerations. Try framing similar questions in different ways, asking for examples each time, to probe for inconsistencies and find out which candidates are truly qualified.
A new hire is a hefty investment, and it's a recruiter's job to find candidates who are worth the expense. Improve your chances of success by adding objectivity to the process wherever possible. HR professionals, what methods do you use to find compatible candidates?
Photo courtesy of reynermedia at Flickr.com
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