As an employer, hiring the right employees can be one of the most challenging tasks you have to face. From the interview process to vetting potential candidates to interviewing your top contenders, the whole process of onboarding a new employee can be a strain on both your time and your resources.
But what if you didn’t take the time to properly evaluate the employee before hiring him or her and then come to find out that they either aren’t a good match for your company or don’t have the necessary skills to complete their required tasks? If this happens, you’ve just wasted hours and hours of time and hundreds of dollars on nothing. So how do we avoid this?
Avoid the Most Common Hiring Mistakes
Regardless of the industry in which you’re working – whether it’s construction or accounting – there are some very common mistakes everyone makes when it comes to hiring new employees. In fact, according to Nicole Fallon of Business News Daily, there are five very common hiring mistakes that employers or human resources fall victim to relatively often.
Fallon reports that these five common hiring mistakes are hiring friends and family, trusting your first impression of a candidate, asking your candidate the wrong questions, not properly vetting your candidates, and having vague hiring policies and processes. By knowing what these common mistakes are, you can steer clear of them next time you’re looking for a new member to add to your team.
Follow the 7 C’s
Now that you know what NOT to do when hiring someone, what is it that you should do or be on the lookout for? To make this section easier, Alan Hall, a contributor to Forbes.com, recommends following the seven C’s of hiring great employees:
1. Competent
2. Committed
3. Compatible
4. Capable
5. Culture
6. Character
7. Compensation
While interviewing and vetting your potential new hires, keep your questions centered around finding the answer to the questions of the seven C’s. If you find a candidate that you feel is competent, committed, compatible with your team, capable of the work, shares your company culture, has a strong character, and falls into the right compensation category, you can feel confident in your decision to hire them.
Use Their References Thoroughly
While interviewing your candidate will give you a good impression of what her or she is like, nothing can present you with more information than having a real and solid conversation with their references. However, keep in mind that most people only choose references that they feel confident will give them a positive recommendation. But even knowing this, there are some specific questions to ask references to get a better understanding of your candidate.
Heather Huhman, a contributor to Entrepreneur.com, suggests for employers to ask references questions like if the person is rehirable, why they left that position, what it was like working with them and what their strengths and weaknesses are. Hopefully the answers from the reference will be honest and help you get a better idea of if you’d work well with this employee.
Because hiring a new employee is a big deal, it’s vital that you put in the necessary time and effort to ensure you’re getting exactly who you need. By avoiding common hiring mistakes, ensuring certain qualities and characteristics are there, and doing the right research, you can feel much more certain about your decision to hire a new employee.
Originally posted on September 10, 2015 @ 6:16 am