When you hire a new employee, you not only want to avoid a bad hire, you want to make a good one – the first time around. This means selecting the candidate who will add the most overall value, starting just as soon as they become acclimated to your company and its culture.
And therein lies the key to hiring based on value: Look beyond skills and experience and find the right cultural alignment. Moreover, never disregard an individual’s character or integrity. Keep these goals in mind, even before you begin to sift through that initial stack of resumes.
Start by Assessing Your Culture
You can’t hire for cultural fit unless you know what your culture looks like. An accurate culture assessment can range from conducting an intensive organization-wide review to simply sitting down with high performers and decision makers to determine the types of people who have succeeded at your company in the past.
- Have your staff develop a list of core values. Once this is done, you can think about whether you want your new employee to contribute to your existing culture or be part of changing it for the better.
- Question your team about best practices. How does your organization most effectively get work done – collaboratively or independently? Are decisions consensus-driven or authoritative? How do you communicate- verbally or in written form, directly or indirectly, via voice mail, email or in person? How do you reward people who do well? What types of people do best – those who are proactive or more responsive?
- Create a specific inventory of what you’re looking for. Define the types of personalities and work styles that best fit your organizational goals.
Be Confident in Finding the Right Employee
By proactively developing a list of ideal fit characteristics that go beyond your basic job description, you’ll have greater confidence in your hiring process. Take it a step further by learning as much as you can about each individual applicant through formal and informal interactions.
- Use a 360-degree approach. Have candidates meet with not only the people they may report to, but also those who might be their peers or report to them. Get feedback afterwards from everyone who meets a candidate, starting with the receptionist at the front desk.
- Ask good interview questions. In order to properly assess fit, ask questions such as, “What did you enjoy most about the last place you worked?” or “What are you looking for in a boss or coworkers?” The responses you hear will help define whether or not a candidate’s favorite experiences match your work environment and personalities.
Never Compromise
If you can’t trust a person to do the right thing, it doesn’t matter how likable, passionate or talented they are. Never compromise when it comes to a candidate’s character or integrity.
- Stay committed to values-based hiring. If you’re going to probe something, probe for character. In the long run, this will enhance performance, collaboration and morale while creating a more stable culture and minimizing staff turnover.
The recruitment experts at PrideStaff Fresno can collaborate with you to ensure that every hire you make adds optimal value and drives your organizational goals forward, even in today’s competitive job marketplace. Contact us today to learn more.