As the unemployment rate continues to drop throughout 2017, most hiring managers will admit it is increasingly difficult to find the right person for a job. It is a nice thought that a top-talent employee will magically appear with little to no effort. But as Laszlo Bock, the former SVP of People Operations at Google points out, “Hiring is the most important people function you have, and most of us aren’t as good at it as we think.”
Here are three ideas for improving an organization’s success rate.
Look for Candidates Currently in the Workforce
When faced with a job opening, it is everyone’s first instinct to post a “Help Wanted” ad on a job board or on the organization’s website. This makes sense. Right? Match an empty position with someone who is seeking work. Here is the problem: This model does not account for those who are currently employed, perhaps considering a change, but not yet actively seeking new opportunities. What is the solution? Throw the net wider. Advertise the opening on social media, encourage referrals and use networking to generate a greater number of qualified applicants.
Ditch the Traditional Interview Process
Would you ever hire anyone based on a one-minute interview? Probably not. However, in a 2000 study, two psychology students at the University of Toledo reported that judgments made in the first 10 seconds of an unstructured interview could predict the outcome. That is right. It was 10 seconds. Not surprisingly then, conversational interviews predict future performance only 14 percent of the time. A more accurate option is the structured interview where candidates are presented the same set of questions by the same group of people and are graded using a rubric. Work samples (29 percent) and tests of general cognitive ability (26 percent) are good predictors also. Using combinations of any of the three methods listed above produces the best results. (Wired, 2015)
Take Your Time
Especially when someone leaves an organization unexpectedly, it is tempting to fill the position as quickly as possible with a “good enough” candidate. This can be a mistake. If the person is not the right fit or they lack the appropriate skills, a company will find themselves right back in the original position. Only, now the organization has incurred months of unnecessary training costs and additional paperwork. Obviously, work needs to get done. This is where a staffing firm can help. A temp agency can bring in a qualified worker to fill in while a company focuses their time and energy on finding the perfect fit.
Have you ever considered using an employment agency? United Talent Staffing Services has offices in the tri-state area and throughout West Virginia. Visit our website and learn more about covering vacancies with temporary help.
