Hiring People_ Recruit and Keep the Brightest Stars - Kathy Shwiff [37]
Improving the Hiring Process
In the scramble to hire and retain talent, managers need all the help they can get. To discover what you’re doing right and understand what you could do better, one great tool is the exit interview. That final conversation with human resources in which departing employees speak truthfully about their experiences with the company is a source of valuable information. (In fact, some companies conduct two exit interviews—one on the final day, the other six months later, when employees have a little more distance from the job and feel freer to open up.)
Their frank remarks can guide you as you hire and train their replacements. You may want to ask how the departing employee found his new job—specifically, whether he was recruited or had been actively looking. In addition, ask:
What he liked and didn’t like about his job
What specific skills he felt were needed for the job
Whether his work was fulfilling
What the company could have done to make it more so
How satisfied he was with the compensation, benefits, and learning opportunities offered
How he felt about his supervisors and colleagues
What problems he thinks the company needs to address
Whether he would consider returning to the company in the future
Hiring the Best Helps Your Bottom Line
Any warm body can fill a chair, but why settle for mediocrity? Just as you use mahogany—not pine—to make fine furniture, a company is only as good as its employees. Having top-notch employees will boost your organization’s ability to reach its goals; a high-functioning staff will make your workplace attractive to clients and the general public, including prospective future employees. Having a great work environment with superior workers will help decrease employee turnover and increases efficiency, giving your company the leg-up in the competitive market that it deserves.
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Off and Running
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You are now ready to put what you have learned from this book into practice. Use this section as a review guide.
CHAPTER 1.
STAR SEARCH: ATTRACTING TOP PERFORMERS
Mix it up: A diverse workforce can benefit your company with the competitive edge that comes when diverse approaches to problems are tried.
Do your homework: You won’t know what the most important qualities of an employee are until you’ve sat down and reworked the job description to meet your needs.
Hire from within: Hiring from within helps cut down on turnover and shows your employees that opportunity for growth is available.
Advertise where your ideal candidate might be looking: The majority of college grads or those with higher incomes search the Internet for jobs; consider niche job sites for specialized industries.
Consider candidates who might have the right interests even though they do not possess the ideal experience: Focusing on a candidate’s qualities and skills rather than practical experience might serve you better in the long run.
Build a referral network: Friends of employees and former employees or interns provide a strong field of excellent candidates.
Make three piles: When reviewing resumes, make a pile each for “yes” (must interview), “no” (not interested), and “maybe.” This enables you to get through them quickly.
CHAPTER 2.
INTERVIEWING
It’s okay to prescreen: A telephone interview can help you determine whether or not to ask the candidate in for a face-to-face meeting.
Don’t wing it: Plan your interview so that it goes smoothly.
Keep your questions open-ended: Let the candidate do most of the talking.
Find out about contractual obligations: The ideal candidate is going to do you no good if she comes with a noncompetition clause that prevents her from coming to work for you.
Don’t turn an interview into a social