Tips
List your "top five" in job ads.
Don't overwhelm potential applicants with a foot-long list of qualifications when you're writing your job ad. Choose the top four or five must-have skills, avoiding personality traits and other information you can discover during the interview.
Create a pipeline of leaders.
Don't wait until one of your top managers leaves to think about who can fill his/her shoes. Evaluating junior staff and their skills can help you determine those likely to succeed in a senior role -- and offer a quick resource to turn to if a senior manager quits.
"Sponsor" new employees.
Create a buddy system so new employees have go-to people at the company, even before they start. This will make them feel more welcome and will offer them clear contacts for questions and concerns before and during their first few months with the company.
It takes more than money.
Employees expect great working environments these days. Exhibiting as part of your culture an emphasis on teamwork and community involvement, as well as social networking opportunities with peers and company leaders can go a long way in attracting great talent.
Attract employees with mentors.
Use a strong mentoring program to show new employees and potential candidates your commitment to their professional development within your company.
Audit your efforts.
When was the last time you evaluated the ROI of your recruiting efforts? Take a look at what you spent over the last year on advertising job openings, leveraging recruitment agencies, etc., and refocus your efforts this year where they will really pay off.
Get the paperwork out of the way.
Send administrative paperwork to your new employee before his first day. The job will feel more real to him and will reassure him that he's made the right decision.
From Temp to Full Time
Many temporary placement agencies have temp-to-hire programs that allow you to "test drive" an employee, while getting the work you need done, before making the big commitment.
Hook the Candidate
Make sure you have a marketing message that will grab their attention to learn more about your opportunity when you call prospective candidates.
Blue-Sky Thinking
While creative employees need to stay focused on the task at hand, allowing them to occasionally take creative leaps keeps their juices flowing, and could lead to big rewards for your company.
Business Closing = Opportunity
If a competitor closes an office in a region, you might want to consider opening one there. Its ex-employees could turn into your next star hitters.
Recruiting Through Agencies
Leverage recruitment agencies only for the critical positions in your firm that you find hard to fill. And be sure the agency has specific skills in your industry, and a track record of success.
Get the Truth
Don't just talk to the candidate's previous boss when checking references. You'll often get more honest answers from peers and "outsiders," such as previous customers and suppliers.
Leverage Your Website
Create a "Join the Team" area on your website to highlight the positive reasons why someone would want to work for you including your company vision and why people enjoy working there.
Use Your Network
Your best resource for new employees just might be the people you already work with. Ask customers, employees, colleagues and vendors for referrals to uncover possible candidates.
Don't Discriminate
Know what you can, and cannot, ask before you interview. Sounds simple, but even a seemingly innocuous question such as "Where did you learn to speak Spanish?" could be construed as discriminatory.
Tag Team
When possible have a candidate meet with multiple employees during an interview. It will help him get a sense of your culture -- and help you gain valuable perspective on how he would fit in your company.
Don't Be So Negative
Don't look for ways to shoot holes in a person's resume. Remember, you want to examine ways to hire the person--not eliminate them from consideration.
Mine Their Knowledge
Before your Baby Boomers retire, be sure they've transferred their knowledge to managers at your company. Without it your new recruits will be lost.
Screening Employees
To streamline the process, categorize your screening criteria into personality / cultural fit, skills / knowledge, and education / experience categories. By doing this, you'll stay organized and focused during the phone screening process.
Control the Interview
You don't want to be rigid, but you should guide the interview to some extent. Interviews without direction are sure to become meandering and meaningless.
Ask for E-Mail Updates
Keep track of a new employee's workload and perception of his/her new job by asking for weekly e-mail updates during the first 90 days. It will help you nip problems in the bud and ensure a positive experience for the new employee.
Give Them a Second Chance
If a candidate doesn't come across well during the interview, give him the opportunity to type up "minutes" after the interview. It will help him show off those attributes you had hoped he'd possess.
Keep It Casual
Create an interview environment that is conducive to conversation. Sit at a table with the candidate, pour him a drink of water, and begin the interview with casual talk. It will help put the candidate at ease and likely inspire a more honest interview.
Hiring the "Nice" Guy
Don't let a great personality and good conversation cloud the fact that your candidate also needs to be skilled. Be sure to balance your perception of the candidate's personality with the very real and immediate needs of the position you're hiring for.
Interview During Off Hours
A candidate who sneaks out of a current position to interview for yours likely will be more stressed about the interview. Offer to meet the person before or after work, or even on the weekend, to alleviate anxiety and gain a more relaxed representation of what the candidate might be like as a worker.
Avoid Employee Churn
Help ensure your employees stay for the long term by creating a long-range career path for each of them. Employees who can see clear progression will likely stick around--and appreciate the attention you've given to their professional future.
Reveal Hidden Talents
Yes, your resume might speak volumes to your professional accomplishments, but sharing what you do in terms of volunteering and professional society work could reveal other talents relevant to the job to which you are applying.
Executive for Hire
If you can't afford the CFO your growing company desperately needs, then rent him. Renting needed talent on a short-term basis, even at the executive level, can offer you the help and direction your company needs without having to make an expensive, long-term commitment.
Polish Your Technique
If you're afraid that your interviewing techniques leave a bit to be desired, then audiotape yourself giving an interview. The candidate is likely to answer more honestly because he knows he is being recorded, and you'll gain valuable insight on your skills.
Sponsor New Hires
Get a new employee up to speed faster by assigning her a sponsor. Charge the sponsor with making introductions, rounding up office supplies, giving instruction using standard office procedures, and generally introducing her to the company's culture to assist in her in her new position.
Hire Apprentices
Finding skilled workers, especially in a tight labor market, can be difficult. Establishing an apprenticeship program and tapping local schools for part-time student workers can help you build a skilled full-time labor force.
Give 'Em a Break
Offer respite from busy workdays by creating a stress-free zone. Forbid talk about work in the area, and supply stress-relieving activities, such as a dartboard or ping pong table, to help employees renew themselves.
Buying Time
Sometimes a small company can't offer a promising job candidate the salary he or she wants. One solution: Offer a lower salary, but throw in the prospect of a salary review that will take place sooner than the typical 12-month interval.
Work Assessment
Assess a candidate's ability to perform a job, by having him or her do it. Ask the candidate to present a presentation if he's interviewing for a marketing position, or to find problems with some HTML code if she's a Web developer. The candidate's willingness to be "put to the test" will help you uncover a qualified new employee.
Beware a Candidate's Credentials
Resist the seduction of the golden resume. Too often employers become starry-eyed over an Ivy League education and multimillion-dollar accounts. You should be asking questions that will explain how specific goals were met, with what resources, etc., and be careful not to take things at face value.
Give Them the Big Picture
Help new employees understand your company's culture by offering them the big picture. Discuss long-term strategies and goals, how and when people are promoted, even how current projects are progressing. This can help the new employee see where he fits in and help him better understand your business's plans and culture.
What They're Really Worth
Smaller companies often can't afford to pay what larger companies do. That's why it's important to tell employees how much their full packages are worth. Besides salary, let them know the value of health insurance, 401(k), worker's comp, etc. With the big picture, employees might realize your deal isn't so bad.
Have Applicants Check Up on You
Have serious job candidates call company references to inquire about your company and how it is to work with. A candidate's initiative to call and ask intelligent questions will reveal the strength of his or her interest, and his or her willingness to take directions.
Hiring Disabled Employees
If you're considering hiring a disabled employee, be sure to have people around you -- and the employee -- who can provide adequate support. The commitment of an employee's caregiver and/or family members influences your new hire's success at the job, as does a manager on staff who is accustomed to working with people with disabilities.
Be Thorough
To be sure your candidate will be the right fit, make the interview process an all-team effort. Screen the candidate over the phone first. Then, invite him or her in for an interview with employees from the division that has the opening. Lastly, if he or she is promising, invite him or her in one last time to interview with teams of two or three employees. Exposing the potential new hire to so many employees will help ensure you make the right choice.
Interview After the Interview
If you're after more information on applicants or don't feel they showed their true colors, ask them to write up "minutes" after initial interviews. Candidates who didn't come off well in the face-to-face have a second chance to show-off their attributes. Those that describe the job markedly different could alert you to potential communication problems.
Keep a Paper Trail
Never throw away the resume of a promising individual. Keep prospects resumes on file or in a database, and every two years, touch base with them. Catch up on professional development, current location, salary range, references. Most important, get the names of a contact people, so you can find the prospects when you need them.
What Motivates Them
When interviewing, pinpoint a candidate's motivation by asking, "On a project, how do you know when you are doing a good job?" Those who say they know it inherently are self-directed. Thos who cite boss or co-worker feedback require input from the outside. Either may be a desirable worker in the right job.
Virtual Hires
When hiring remote workers, how can you identify those best-suited to a virtual work environment? Key points to consider include: strong communication skills, the likelihood to initiate communication, problem-solving abilities, loyalty, work ethic, sense of humor, and, importantly, how comfort the candidate is with technology.
Pay for Play
Wouldn't it be great if you could quantify each employee's performance before handing out money? Some entrepreneurs try to get a handle on how much individuals are contributing to the business - as well as encouraging increased employee performance -- by developing incentive pay plans that vary by job category or department.
If you want people to work together well...
...you'd better involve the team in choosing candidates. Teams need skills such as the ability to handle confrontations. The payoff is that, once new people "bond" with the team, they're part of an intense social group - one that is productive and, often, optimistic.
By the Letter
Letters of reference provide valuable insights, but they are no substitute for an in-depth telephone conference with a reference. In fact, most reputable executive search firms refuse to present candidates until they have verified at least three references by phone. You should do the same. Don't hesitate to call.
The Firing Drill
Are you hiring the right people? Think about the people you've fired. What behavior ultimately made these people unsuccessful? First, consider three broad categories: an employee's job aptitude, work attitude, and fit with colleagues. Then, be specific. This list of terminal problems can help you unearth the problem behavior - or a predictor of it - during the hiring process.
Testing 1, 2, 3
Few tests work in all situations. If you are considering using psychological tests, get references from others in your industry, professional associations, or similar. Ask the publisher for validation studies and, importantly, ask whether the test has ever been challenged in court.
Shoestring Training
When big companies offer training programs, they may lavish millions on everything from interactive computer education to specially equipped training facilities. But small-company CEOs need to leverage their resources. Save on training costs by developing a buddy system, use books instead of multimedia presentations, join forces with other companies, and build a career track.
Skills for Success
When hiring managers, look for three key skills that will help your organization go far: diplomacy - the ability to manage relations among teams; monkey managing - not allowing someone else's problem, or monkey, to jump on one's back; and innovation triage - knowing how to say yes to the right projects and no to the time-wasters.
The Training Evolution
Don't let your training program go stale. As your company grows, remember to add components to your program so that employees are sure to learn every aspect of your business. Distribute a skills checklist to make sure they're gaining all the knowledge they'll need.
The Follow-Up Test
Conclude interviews by telling candidates to go home and call after they've thought it over. Tell them you'll do the same. About half never work up the nerve to call back, or they just aren't interested. If you're looking for someone with more tenacity, this test will be telling.
Cross-Training
The better everyone knows everyone else's job, the better your company may run. To foster that kind of flexibility, try this: put each new employee through two months of intensive training in all job functions. The result: employees who can sell, help customers, and aren't indispensable.
No Train, No Gain
Maybe you've had this thought: Training is a great idea, and it's essential to your company's success, but who has the time for it? Here's one time-saving tip for training: Hold on-site training minisessions every two weeks or so for 15 minutes, run by employees. Save the more extensive training for the annual three-day retreat. And keep relevant info always at hand on the company intranet.
Put on the Pressure
Putting on the pressure doesn't mean coercion or strong-arm tactics. It means keeping the process moving by developing deadlines for each stage of the recruitment process. If time is built into the process and deadlines adhered to, there will be more time to reflect on each candidate's qualifications and to interview additional candidates if needed.
Forget the want ads.
Other forms of advertising can get results by reaching people who don't read the classifieds. And even at $10,000 to $15,000 per month, a billboard can be a bargain: An ad in a major metropolitan newspaper can cost just as much, but only run for a day. A billboard stays up for a month.
In a tight labor market, it pays to act quickly - and sometimes, aggressively.
When you hear about a particularly good candidate, try to get as much information about that person as you can and look for opportunities to become acquainted. By building a relationship early on, the hiring process will be that much shorter when the time comes.
Do you find screening and interviewing job candidates an overwhelming time drain?
One proven strategy involves screening as many as a dozen promising candidates in less than two hours. Potential hires may be invited to a 20-minute presentation about your company, followed by a question-and-answer period. Then, each candidate may meet with a senior staff member for five to seven minutes. The strongest candidates may be invited back for more in-depth interviews.
Don't hire anyone unless it improves the average of the company.
It's not uncommon for growing companies to begin by hiring 8s and 9s and 10s, on a scale of 1 to 10. But too often, as the business matures, hires are made who are 6s and 7s. This leads to hiring 4s and 5s. Set this simple hiring rule for maintaining the strength that launched your business.
Let your clients choose your next hire
If your business relies on a lot of one-on-one time between clients and employees, have your clients get in on your recruiting process by inviting them to help choose the best candidate. That way, you're sure to choose someone they can work with.
Consider everyone you meet a potential staff member.
One company hired as many as eight people this way -- including a taxi driver who helped the CEO when his car broke down.