It’s no secret that the success of a business relies on the people within it. They make immeasurable decisions and actions resulting in one final outcome - a positive, or negative monthly, quarterly and annual report.
It therefore stands to reason that the hiring process is one of the most important aspects for a business to get right. It is no wonder that some of the strongest performing businesses I work with place a strong emphasis on their hiring processes. Every correctly appointed, well looked after and nurtured new employee has the potential to bring new unique ideas, abilities and positive action, increasing the effectiveness and success of the company as a whole.
“Success in business is all about people, people, people. Whatever industry a company is in, its employees are its biggest competitive advantage” Richard Branson
We should therefore expect that all hiring processes would be extensively researched and refined. The candidate would be welcomed and sold the merits of working in the business, the culture, the team, and the expectations of the role. The process would be laid out from the beginning to manage the candidate’s expectations of timeframes, as well as who they will be meeting throughout. They will then be asked questions that test their technical knowledge along with their ability to integrate into the immediate team and the wider business, and then offered the time to ask questions of their own. Regardless of the outcome, both the employer and candidate would reflect on a well-run process.
For some reading the previous paragraph, a smile may have emerged. This is most likely due to a personal experience having either managed a complex recruitment process previously, or alternatively having been the unwilling victim of a process gone wrong. With internal pressures, conflicting diary appointments, last-minute meetings and important deadlines looming, a process can be delayed or not be as efficient as first hoped. However, getting the essentials right means this is far less likely.
- Whilst remaining open minded, have a good idea of who you need
At the start of any process, have a detailed idea of what it is you are looking for. What skills would an individual need to excel at their job? What behaviours would they need to possess in order to thrive in the environment? It may be an idea to consult with others in similar roles should they exist, and then those in other roles to discern some of the cultural elements required. This may take more time, but in the long run getting it wrong is sure to cost you more time and money.
You will then have formulated a consistent idea of the role throughout the entire process, meaning you will go into the interview prepared and able to not only outline the company, goals, culture and role, but also to test if the candidate is indeed the individual you are looking for. Writing this plan down will also help you to form the job description for the role.
- Stay consistent throughout
Try to remain consistent to your original formula in terms of process and criteria and evaluate each candidate by it.
- What are you looking for?
- When should applications be in by? (market and sector specific)
- When would you ideally like to complete the process?
- How many stages will there be and who will join you in interviews?
Forward planning and diary management is essential to ensure that a hiring process is run smoothly. In a competitive fast paced market, this is especially pertinent. The business that has a refined process has an immediate edge over the competition in securing the best candidates. Can you pre-emptively book time out of the diary for all concerned in the process to ensure it stays on track?
- Involve others
Do you rely on other teams? Is business partnering and building internal relationships an important aspect of the role? If so, is there anyone in another team whose opinion you respect and value enough to sit in on part of the process alongside you? Additional perspectives increase the chances of finding the right candidate for your business.
Whilst the value of other people’s opinions are important, also try to think about how to integrate this into as few interviews as possible with certainly no more than three. Markets can move fast and drawn out processes make it harder to secure the best candidates. This may mean pre-empting certain individuals to be available on certain days.
- Avoid asking unusual questions in the hope to delve into their psyche and ability to perform.
Is there anything more awkward in an interview than the silence and lacklustre response that follows a question like ‘would you rather dance in the rain, ride on a train or feel no pain?’ Perhaps it’s the interviewer pretending to write down an observation based on the response and then attempting to resume a sensible interview. All the while, the candidate wonders whether their love of trains above dancing in the rain has cost them the position.
Stick to questions that focus on whether they can actually do the job. Get to know them, their experience, their technical aptitude and situational judgement. This will be a much more reliable indicator of whether they will be successful in the position.
- Not sure what you are looking for is out there? Ask.
If you have an in-house recruitment function, it may well be that they can provide some detail around what they have seen in the market. They have a broad coverage but may well have done candidate profiling in the area you are looking for. If you are instructing an external agent, it may well be that they have specific market insight as they are actively recruiting in your niche area of the market. They may be able to indicate what is obtainable and what is not. However, always be comfortable to challenge them. Ask them how long they have recruited in that market, what they know of it and the candidates within it.
Summary
- Focus your attentions on what an individual will need to be like and accomplish in order to be successful in the position and use the interview process to establish who fits that model.
- Refine the process and try to remain consistent to your agenda throughout and try to evaluate each candidate by the same model.
- Try to include another in your team and/or another team for additional insight. Forward planning and diary management is essential to ensuring the process stays on track.
- During the interview, ask questions that enable you to discern whether they have the skills, abilities and behaviours to perform well.
- If you want some additional insight to discern whether what you are looking for is in the market, then ask someone experienced in recruiting within that market.
If you have any questions or alternatively are thinking of starting a hiring process, please feel free to get in touch with Oliver Jones, Senior Consultant with Michael Page Legal.
Oliver Jones
T: 0118 955 9050