.png)
Hiring employees can seem like a daunting task. If you want your company to thrive you have to have the right people on your team. It can be overwhelming and intimidating sifting through applicants and conducting interview after interview. You want to find the best of the best but you aren’t quite sure just how to find it. Most people tend to put their best foot forward during an interview so it can be difficult to determine if they are truly the right fit for your company. Don’t get stressed. Here are 5 effective strategies for hiring great employees.
#1 – Know What You Are Looking for
Everyone wants to hire hard working employees that are honest and wear a huge smile each day. But, the right fit for your company may be different than that of the next. It’s important to really think about the job expectations and the qualities that the employee will need in order to thrive in the position that you are posting.
Some questions you may want to consider are: What’s most important for this job? What duties or stresses will the employee need to be able to take on? Take a deep look at your top employees. What qualities do they share? Is precision or speed more important? Will the person need to be technical or will it be more important to show empathy for their customers?
Make a list of what you are looking for when hiring employees, and prioritize that list. You’ll have a much better chance of finding the right fit if you know what exactly what shape you are looking for.
#2 – Interview Outside the Box
Break away from the standard interview process and really get to know your candidates. You’ll see a lot more of the qualities that you are looking for in an applicant if you get creative with your process. One way to assess many candidates at once is to have them complete an exercise together as a group activity. This allows you to observe how well they work with others, if they are a leader or a follower, if they tend to be more positive or negative, and if there are any standout qualities or red flags.
If possible, have the candidate or candidates perform some or all job duties as a test run. This will depend on your company set up of course, but it’s a great way to see how they will function day to day. Try having a more relaxed interview and make sure that you get the candidate talking about themselves and their experiences instead of just answering questions with one word or one line.
It’s also a good idea to have more than one interview and ensure that some or all of those are face to face. With the demand for more virtual and off-site positions that may be difficult to do, but there are many other ways to get face time with your candidate. You can use Skype, FaceTime for iPhone, or any number of messenger or video apps.
Having multiple interviews, when hiring employees, sets the tone that you are serious about finding the right candidate and it gives you more time with your potential employee. Look for online situational tests that relate to the position or your company, try using personality quizzes, ask your candidate about their hobbies, and always make sure that you are listening more than speaking.
#3 – Ask the Tough Questions
Ask the questions that you really want to know. What are they currently working to improve? What kind of morals and values do they expect a company to have, that they work for? Do those values align with your company values? Don’t stick to a list of standardized questions. Ask questions about real-life situations that you or your colleagues have experienced and find out how the candidate will react in the same situation.
Using real work examples, when hiring employees, not only gives the candidate an idea of what happens on the job but it also gives you insight on how they will deal with real situations that arise. Dig into work history and ask questions. Most people will be surprisingly honest during an interview.
#4 – Cast a Wide Net
Make sure that you are taking advantage of the largest pool possible. If you want the best employees, you have to make sure they know there is a position available. Use different platforms such as newspaper ads, flyers, social media, and radio to get the word out. There are online sites such as Monster and FlexJobs that you can use to help increase your visibility.
You can also offer an employee incentive program and ask your current employees to refer friends, acquaintances, or former colleagues. Your own employees know the job well and would be a great asset in determining if someone is a good fit.
#5 – Be Real When Hiring Employees
When posting a position for hiring employees, make sure that you provide as much detail as you can. The person applying should have a solid idea of what they would be doing and what the expectations are. During the interview process be sure to go through a “day in the life” with the candidate and ask for honest feedback about how they feel they could cope, what their expectations are, and if they feel that they are a good fit. Let them ask questions about the company. The questions they ask may give you more of an insight on what kind of employee they will be than any of the questions you are asking them.
What are they most focused on? Asking questions about schedules and the number of sick days available may be a red flag. Set realistic expectations about any goals, quotas, or nonnegotiables that they will need to meet or maintain. Be open about what their work schedule will be and how important promptness is. Being honest and detailed about the position should illuminate not only its perks but the pressures as well. Pay attention to how the candidate reacts and keep an open dialog.
Milrich Virtual Professionals are committed to providing excellent service! Come and see how hiring a virtual assistant can work for your business here!