Hiring The Unbeatable Workforce

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.