Hiring the wrong person results in turnover from the outset.
When HR is doing its job, the right people get sat in the right seats. Recruiting gets done everyday all around the world. The problem is that it is done poorly 50% of the time and another 30% is just getting it done without any significant skill, analysis or thought.
Interviews alone are statistically the worst method of selection.
More scientific methods require more time and higher costs. That, and the sheer ‘that’s how everybody always does it’ carelessness create an endless crapshoot of turnover. Will they or won’t they? It comes down to hope and/or luck in many cases.
It is very difficult to find recruiters who are more psychoanalyst than paper pusher.
Most are in It for the commission or the pursuit of hitting their quotas. Only a very few are trained in the fine art of uncovering motives or more importantly, genuine personality assessment and culture fit. It takes either innate or finely-tuned soft skills to be able to use conversation to draw out a realistic preview of performance indicators. Good recruiters spot inconsistencies, dive deep on important cues, and read non-verbals like a CIA interrogator.
There are tools that help to find the right people for your organization.
The more scientific they are, the more accurate…and the more expensive. Personality inventories, skills tests, and predictive indexes have been proven with scientific methods. They need to be, because any pre-employment test that hasn’t been proven to be reliable, consistent, and non-discriminatory almost always lead to a lawsuit.
So don’t think about creating your own hurdle instrument to hiring unless you plan to spend tens of thousands for studies into their validity for that exact, specific job. We recommend using good ones when it makes sense and has a good track record.
Do The Reference Checking
At the least, you should be doing real background checks and reference checks. Demand work related references and wherever possible, actual supervisors of that person.
Interview Techniques Matter
Another foundational practice is to use behavioral interviewing. That means asking open ended questions based on real life scenarios and experiential answers. Questions in this category draw from their work history and soundlike: ‘Tell me about a time when you had to seal with a [fill in the blank]. How di you handle it and what was the outcome?’
Other best practices in recruitment include:
- Developing a clear job description and candidate profile of must-have qualifications, skills and competencies
- Using multiple methods to source candidates beyond the job ad (e.g. networking, referrals, headhunters, social media outreach)
- Screening for culture fit as well as technical abilities
- Using structured behavioral interviewing focused on competencies and past behaviors, not just credentials
- Incorporating assessments, simulations, skills testing, and portfolio reviews to evaluate talents beyond the interview
- Completing comprehensive reference and background checks
- Extending offers strategically with competitive compensation and sell points on growth
- Setting new hires up for success with prompt acceptance, signing, space/tools and team introductions
Hiring right avoids turnover down the road. Rushing to fill roles leads to problems. Skills can be taught but integrity, work ethic, positivity and core competencies predict performance. Seek candidates already aligned with the culture versus trying to force fit.
Once you select and hire the right person, you need to start the honeymoon, or as you may have heard it called: employee onboarding.
In our next post, we will discuss how to structure an onboarding program that creates loyalty and lowers employee turnover.
Up NEXT -> Get Onboarding Right and Employee Turnover Will Reduce Itself
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Joseph Campagna, SPHR, SHRM-SCP is president and owner of My Virtual HR Director, a human resources outsourcing company serving small and medium sized businesses nationwide. My Virtual HR Director provides an executive level HR advisor to companies that can’t afford or can’t justify hiring a fulltime HR professional on staff.
With twenty years of experience dedicated to the HR profession, Mr. Campagna has honed his skills as an expert in compliance, talent management and employee relations. Bringing human capital management experience from start-ups, IT and biotechnology companies, employee leasing, and fortune 100 behemoths Mr. Campagna has filled his tool belt through generalist work, executive positions, and consulting opportunities with companies such as ADP, Merrill Lynch, and Johnson & Johnson. As Vice President of HR for biotech company Hemo Concepts, as well as the head of HR for the global IT solutions company, the Galaxy Group, Mr. Campagna created rich and successful organizational development and employee engagement programs.
Having worked with a diverse group of companies and clients in a broad spectrum of industries and environments, he brings a unique HR philosophy to every organization he works with. “HR is not the picnic department,” he says “but instead bears the full responsibility and the unlimited potential for a highly productive and efficient workforce. If HR systems are successful, the organization’s revenue should be increased.” From mergers and acquisitions, to IPO’s, to new product development, to divestiture Mr. Campagna has a true business background to support his HR Architecture.
Mr. Campagna is certified as a senior professional through both the Human Resources Certification Institute (HRCI) and the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). The HRCI designation of Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) is an experienced-based examination certification. The SHRM certification is a competency based examination certification. Each is a premier designation in the world of HR and recognized by the Society for Human Resource Management of which Joe is a national member and former chapter president.
Mr. Campagna brings decades of helping small and medium sized businesses create HR structures such as employee handbooks, performance systems, talent management, training programs, and employee engagement. He knows how to deliver business results through HR aligned objectives.
Nearly 30 years of expertise and HR executive authority combined with a group health insurance license and certifications from the Society for Human Resource management and the Human Resources Certification Institute have given Joseph Campagna the guru status that has earned him leadership roles, board of director roles, and speaking engagements related to human resources.