The staffing philosophy and decisions of
an organisation deliver an undisputable fillip to its performance. Hiring is
considered more an art than a science and
most hiring managers are likely to err while taking staffing decisions due to
poor preparation.
Preparation for the interview and
following a uniform program across the
firm makes the process more precise. The
whole procedure begins with resume reviews followed by first-round interviews. The second round of interviews are more conclusive and
are often followed by reference checks and hiring offers if a job fit occurs.
The success rate is more optimistic when firms follow standardised
“correct ”way of hiring rather than no standard procedure allowing employees to
make their personal“ hit and trial journeys.
Standardising eliminates the risk of
errors and provides a loopback mechanism to review hiring “rights” and
“wrongs”. It all boils down to firms ensuring that every interview is done in a uniform way, organisation wide.
The team approach for the hiring
process also has numerous benefits. Firstly and
very simply it saves time as it translates into two managers interviewing the
prospect together rather than separately for an hour each. It promotes better
listening for the interviewer and also makes way for the wise philosophy that
two heads are better than one.
Reviewing the resume
with precision is a rewarding exercise and if done well eliminates the risk
of errors. The job application, cover letter, email conversation all should be
taken into account while reviewing. While reviewing, the hiring manager should
make note of the employment gaps and trajectory paths shown by the applicant.
Even simple tasks such as interview logistics involving venue and ambience have
a telling effect.
Stepping into the interview, the interviewer should avoid
forming quick “First Impressions”. These can be wrong and biased and thus best
avoided objectively. Communicate the interview format and schedule to the
interviewee and then start with queries. Queries should focus on resume gaps,
education, professional experience, competencies, and compensation. The second
interview invitation has to be communicated if the first round goes well. This
one paves the way for a deeper, more focused questioning on determining the fit
between the position the prospect. The hiring decision is usually made here and
should be guided by facts, keep aside personal predilections. In his book “
performance based Hiring”, Lou Adler has quoted, “To me, the
worst is to hire people with the same
kind of experience and the same kind of job in
the same industry. While this story is easy to do and logical, you will
continue to under hire. People who are willing to do the same old things over
and over again are just cruising along. They are not top performers.” A
well-performed reference checking both reinforces the interviewing verdict and
acts as a safeguard.
