By Alexis De Sela
Having the right team in place can make the difference between an organization that merely survives and one that thrives; people truly create the competitive advantage. That is why when recruiting, selecting, and hiring a new employee, careful attention should be paid to your screening, selection, and onboarding processes. Take your time and do it right.
Typically, the recruitment process begins with creating three important items:
- A job description
- A position analysis
- A list of specific behavior based questions
Make sure you have a job description that is accurate and reflective of the responsibilities of the position. Check with your HR professional or legal counsel to make sure the job description lists the essential duties of the job along with specific requirements including skills, knowledge, and abilities. Job descriptions often end up as evidence in employment-related legal cases, so make sure you have an accurate and compliant description.
Once you have a sound job description, the hiring manager should create a position analysis that includes job, behavior, and organizational culture profiles. When creating a job profile you want to define the key elements of the job: Does the job entail extensive travel? Contacts with city and political leaders? Detailed and high-accuracy work? Analysis and critical thinking?
When creating a behavior profile you want to define the behaviors or attributes of a successful candidate: Should s/he exhibit high energy? Be outgoing? A good listener? Show emotional and professional maturity and/or exhibit high-level leadership skills? Be sure to determine what motivates this individual and if your organization will be able to provide that motivation.
Your next step in the recruitment and selection process is to define the culture of the organization and of the department where the individual will be working. Is it team-based? Laid-back or high-energy? A casual or formal environment? Is sense of humor important? Is team work important or is individual achievement prized?
Take the time to write out the profiles and create a written composite of the position and ideal candidate. Spending the time and effort to do this will help you and the selection team tremendously when interviewing and evaluating candidates. The right hire is as good as your profile.
Finally, and most important, create questions based on your profiles. Write them out in advance; don’t “wing” them during the interview. The behavior-based question is very effective, and begins with “… give us an example of…” or “describe a time when you…” For example, if you need a candidate who needs to have proven success in making significant asks, you might ask the following: “Tell us about a time when you had to prepare for a major individual ask. What did you do to determine the right amount to ask for and what was the outcome?” Use yes or no answers to clarify: Did you get what you asked for?
Don’t short-change yourself or your organization by asking yes or no questions or giving all the information about the job to the candidate up front. You don’t want them to know exactly what you’re looking for and have them tell you what you want to hear. Instead, formulate your questions based on the profiles you’ve created and evaluate their answers against that profile. Be aware of the legality of asking certain questions. Check with your HR department or legal counsel or review the EEOC website for guidance.
Post the job using venues that will reach a wide pool of applicants while staying within your budget. Screen resumes based on your job profile.
Next month we’ll discuss elements of a successful selection process and orienting new hires into your organization. Stay tuned!