The average employee requires at least three months to get fully adjusted to a new job. To make the hiring, training, and acclimation process as efficient and valuable as possible, companies that are hiring should challenge themselves with a few New Year’s “hiring” resolutions in an overall effort to save resources and time in 2015.
Stop targeting the wrong talent demographic.
Many companies waste time and money posting job descriptions to forums or websites that don’t get enough traffic (or the right type of traffic). Instead of using resources this way, companies should look to maximize the efficiency of their outreach by using a referrals system, as your current employees are often the easiest way to find great candidates. Another option is hiring a staffing agency to ensure that any outreach investment you make will have a return.
Avoid hiring similar employees as a comfortable option.
Although it is easier to picture an employee joining your team when they have a lot in common with the rest of your employees, this can often cause companies to flat line and become less dynamic. Striving to diversify your team’s skill sets, backgrounds, and experiences will only help to generate more creative solutions and make your company stronger overall.
Write better job descriptions.
It may sound simple, but taking the time to generate more specific job descriptions (avoiding generalized statements and skill sets) that cater to what your company most needs in a new employee is easier said than done. In an effort to save time and “get the word out” quickly, too many hiring managers use a worn out template for job descriptions, even though a JD should be updated each time and refined to fit the needs of the role. Along these lines, be sure to remain open minded about some skill sets. Be specific about the most important talent needs, but more open to training when it comes to the rest.
Establish a more effective interview process.
Taking the time to outline an interview process that works effectively and covers as many bases as possible is critical in finding the best possible candidates. Although interviewing for a role is very time consuming, in the long-run, more time is saved when hiring managers and interviewers follow a set plan that incorporates assessment tools. A successful interview process should account for in-person compatibility and culture-fit, an assignment of some kind that pertains to the given role directly, and a meeting opportunity for any team leaders that the individual may end up working with directly. Beyond this, companies should set up a system for “grading” each candidate – and not just by a company-wide voting process.
Whether you’ve been through the hiring process countless times or only a handful, it’s always wise to revisit your process and look for weak spots. Use 2015 as a year to assess what has worked well in the past and what areas provide great opportunities to re-align your hiring strategies with the ever-changing job market. A few simply hiring resolutions could change your whole year.
Start taking more chances with less experienced candidates.
Too often, companies seek out the most ideal candidate without truly understanding what “ideal” can mean in a new employee. Instead of checking off boxes for skill sets that are trainable and teachable, look for the candidate who is most passionate about the goals of the company, most eager to learn, and has the best attitude (along with a few key competencies, of course). The candidate most willing to learn can be a game-changing hire for many companies, and these new hires will often excel rapidly early on in their role.
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