Having successfully recruited for small, medium and large-sized businesses, I can say that there is no such thing as a
'one size fits all'
recruitment plan. Interviewing and recruiting is an art, and by asking
the right questions, knowing exactly what you want, and following a
structured process, you can avoid or minimise the chances of hiring the
wrong person for your business. This is particularly important for those
less experienced in the recruitment process, for instance in start-ups
or small-businesses. In this article we will discuss some of the common
mistakes to avoid when hiring employees.
When
you recruit your first employee, your level of knowledge and experience
in the hiring process may not be as great as you would like. As such,
you may be unsure how to select and shortlist resumes, you might not
know the right questions to ask your candidates during the interview
process, and you may not have experience in knowing how to negotiate
salary and employment offers effectively.
The points above are
generally skills which you can improve upon with time and experience.
However, there are some other important steps that are sometimes
overlooked in the recruitment process altogether. It is a mistake to not
complete these tasks, as they are relatively quick and easy to perform,
and, by not doing them, you increase the risk of hiring someone who is
not optimal.
Listed below are some mistakes to avoid when hiring employees:
- Failing to do a complete background or employment check
When
you recruit someone to help you in your business, you are placing an
element of trust in them, in that they will act and perform to the level
that was outlined in their resume and discussed in their interviews.
They were hired to perform work for you efficiently and diligently. You
may be placing your day-to-day operations in their hands, trusting that
they will operate it in an ethical manner. You need them to portray your
company in the best possible light to your customers. But have you
thoroughly researched your employees to ensure that they can be trusted
and relied upon?
It might surprise you that almost half of the
candidates who submit an application with you will provide you with an
'embellished' resume. And as someone who is responsible for the
day-to-day operations of the business, don't you think you need to find
out what they may be hiding or what they have exaggerated? Therefore,
you need to do a complete background check of any potential new recruits
so that you have confidence that you are not being fooled by
well-rehearsed answers to interview questions or professional grooming.
- Failing to be up front about your expectations and rules
I
have heard many small business owners comment about employees doing
silly or irresponsible things when they first join a company. However,
upon questioning the business owner or manager further about the new
employee's behaviour, it was discovered that management had often failed
to discuss the rules, expectations and operational standards of the
organisation with the new starter upon them joining. They put it down to
not having the time or not believing it to be necessary, so they left
such conduct up to the employee to decide upon. The new recruit had
assumed that what was acceptable at their past employer would be the
same in their new position, when in actual fact it had a very different
way of operating. This is such a common mistake businesses make when
hiring employees, but by spending time explaining such standards,
operational procedures and expected outcomes of the role with the new
candidate during their first few days of joining the company, everyone
will have a good understanding of expectations, reducing the likelihood
of issues arising in the future.
Remember that what makes sense to
you might not make sense or be common knowledge to your employees and
vice versa. Let employees know up front what your expectations are,
prepare the rules in writing and make sure both parties review and sign a
copy each for your records and theirs. It is advisable to review this
information from time to time with your employees, during staff meetings
or half-yearly reviews, so as to make sure everybody stays on the same
page.
- Failing to have your candidates demonstrate they are really qualified for the position
Failing
to have the candidate prove his or her qualifications for the job is
another mistake to avoid when hiring. Any person can say that they know
how to do something, but how do you determine if they truly can? You may
wish to invite the candidate to do a task or presentation, or work in
the business for a day, as then you will see for yourself. Their
performance and interaction with other employees will then either
support what was recently stated by the candidate in the interview
process, or it will highlight inconsistencies in their knowledge or
skills. Give this person a task to do that will be similar to what they
are being hired to do, and monitor closely. At this point, of course, he
or she may not be perfect; you have to take into consideration that
they will be new to certain things, such as tools, processes, working
relationships within the team, etc, but if they have outlined their
experience in the interview and resume, then they should be able to back
it up.
This will give you a much better idea of what you will get
if you decide to hire this person, and how much training may be
required before results can be expected.
Putting a few small
preventive measures into place up-front can help small to medium-sized
business owners and managers avoid some common misunderstandings and
difficulties down the track. These easy to implement strategies are
often overlooked, which can have flow-on effects adversely affecting
businesses of any size.
If hiring a new employee seems like a daunting task, it need not be! Please visit
http://www.recruitmentandhrsecrets.com
to learn more insider tips into successful recruitment practices.
You'll discover proven strategies to master your hiring process,
building a team of motivated employees that will continue to support
your business growth into the future.
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