5 Techniques to Make a Great Hire 2 Jan 2018

Hiring the right person for the job every time is crucial. It’s one of HR’s most important functions.

Employee selection methods can vary depending on the size of your company, size of the HR staff, whether you’re working with a recruiter or temp agency, the number of people hired in a typical year, and the resources available to HR. But the basics — screening, interviews, and vetting — are the bedrock of selecting a new employee.

Here are five hiring process steps that will help you make a great hire.

1. Preliminary screening

After putting together a killer job posting and watching the resumes flood in, it’s time to wade through the deluge to weed out the candidates who are clearly unqualified for the job. Then you’re left with a stack of “maybes.” How you choose the people who will go on to the next step is up to your particular recruitment process — minimum number of years of experience, breadth of experience, the cover letter, or something else that makes the applicant stand out. Pick a manageable number of candidates, putting the others in reserve in case your top batch doesn’t pan out, and start notifying people they’ve made the cut into the first round.

2. Phone interviews

Short and sweet, phone interviews determine whether the candidate is still interested in the job and has the desired qualifications, while also giving you a first read on their personality and style. Can they articulate their qualifications and reasons for wanting the job? Whether it’s you as the HR pro or a recruiter, whoever is doing the phone interviews is responsible for narrowing the list to the most promising applicants.

3. Face-to-face interviews

These take time, so this group of applicants should be small. How many face-to-face interviews you schedule in the hiring process is up to you, but they should include an initial interview with HR or a hiring manager, then the applicant’s prospective boss or manager, and, if possible, co-workers.

4. Culture fit determinations

Will the new employee fit in? This is the wild card in hiring, but it’s also crucial to the success and retention of the new hire. Is your office buttoned up and corporate or casual and collaborative? What are your company’s core values? Finding someone who aligns with your company’s values and vibe is vital to their success on the job.

5. Vetting the top candidate

You’ve made your choice. Now’s the time to make a job offer conditional on the candidate agreeing to and passing a background check and, in some companies, a drug test. We can customize employee screenings based on your needs and the position you’re filling. Regardless of the position, however, you’ll likely want to know if your potential new hire has committed a felony, been in prison, or has a problem with drugs.

Now that you’ve screened, interviewed, selected, and vetted the right person for the job, it’s time for onboarding. Get that stellar new hire up to speed!