The Solution
Your objective is to find a person who has the skills and aptitudes to do the work you need done, and someone whose personal goals and objectives mesh well with your organization so that they are motivated to help you succeed. The steps from here to there include the following:
- Assess your needs
- Communicate those needs to an audience of likely candidates
- Evaluate as many as possible within your time constraints
- Select the most appropriate candidate
- Bring that person onboard in a manner that is the best balance between his or her needs and the needs of the company
Easier said than done, of course, but we'll start
at the beginning.
Assess Your Needs
Many people jump ahead to looking for candidates to fill a position before they accurately determine what that "position" is or should be: Whether you are replacing a person, handling an overload of work, or finding a skill set not currently resident on your staff, you should evaluate your alternatives carefully.
Replacing A Position
If you are replacing someone, does that position need to be replaced with a carbon copy? What in your company, your competition, your marketplace, and your technology has changed since that person has been with you? What do you project for the next five years? Rather than a filling a receptionist or clerical position, you may want to look into new technology that may provide your clients with better service at lower cost.
Would it be more cost-effective to outsource the work you need done?
Has the skill set required for that job changed over the last few years, or is it something that you expect to change?
Handling an Overload of Work
When your present staff can handle 500 widgets per month, and you have just received an order for 600 widgets, congratulations, you have a capacity planning opportunity. (Or crisis, depending on how you look at the situation!) Questions you should ask (and answer):
Is the backlog seasonal or temporary, or is there sufficient growth in your industry to justify the expense of hiring and training a permanent person? In this case, temporary help may be a better option.
Could your present staff handle this if they had different tools, a more efficient process, or obstacles removed? If this is the case, you may come out ahead by consulting an expert in the tools, processes or obstacles involved. (Software designers, process engineers or project managers, or regulatory and tax specialists might fit into this category.)
Needing Additional Skills
If your current situation dictates a need for a skill set you don't have on staff, you may want to consider these alternatives:
Is anyone on your current staff interested in learning the skill and "moving up?" If this is the case, you improve morale by helping an employee along a career path, you get a more senior person who is familiar with your culture and processes doing more advanced work, and you will have a built-in, motivated "trainer" for a less- skilled resource to backfill the person you've promoted. Of course, this only works if you have sufficient time for the person to learn the new skill, and to hire and train a new person to do the "old job."
On a similar note, could you hire a consultant that could do the job temporarily while training your employees? (Similar benefits to the option above, with less time involved, but consultants can be more costly in the short run.)
If you are still convinced that you need to hire an employee after evaluating your alternatives, you are in a better situation to communicate WHY you need to hire someone, and WHAT you need that person to do, and what you're willing to pay for it.
Communicate Your Needs
No matter what means you use to communicate your message, be sure that you are able to articulate it clearly and concisely. Whatever your medium, the more clear and specific your message is, the more qualified candidates (and the fewer time-wasters) you will encounter .
The important thing to remember here is audience. Where are you likely to find an audience of likely candidates to fill your position? Are you looking for new college graduates? People of a particular trade or profession? People that currently live in the area? Characterize the person you are trying to reach and put the message where he or she is likely to respond to it.
Your Current Employees
You can start with your own people. Many companies offer an incentive to employees that refer a candidate to fill a position. This has a number of advantages. Your own people are familiar with the culture and processes of your company, and are likely to be good judges of people that would fit well in that environment. Your current employees are also, hopefully, motivated to see the company succeed and will bring candidates who will fit that interest, as well as the best interests of the candidate.
Colleges, Trade Schools, Etc.
If you're looking for new graduates, contact the institutions that have the best-ranked programs for the skill or background you're looking for. Many of them have recruiting fairs, or at least placement counselors that would be happy to help you find the ideal candidates.
Unions, Professional Organizations and Associations
People in a particular trade or profession often belong to unions, professional organizations or associations that may post your position in their regular publications or communications to their members.
The World Wide Web
The World Wide Web is also an excellent resource, both for advertising positions and for combing databases of résumé's that meet your requirements. Some job/candidate hunting sites operate by charging a fee to either the candidates or to the "seekers" or candidates. Others are supported by the advertising they carry. It is helpful to understand the "ground rules" of the site you've selected before using them.
The Paper
The tried-and-true ad in the local newspaper method still carries some appeal, and can be very effective. The success factors for this method are even more important, since newspapers are so widely distributed. Make sure your ad is specific enough to weed out unsuitable candidates, so you don't spend a lot of time interviewing with a broad brush. Make sure that the newspaper(s) carrying your ad are those that that cater to the audience you're looking for (most newspaper ad agencies can supply demographics of their readers on request.)
Evaluating Candidates
If your communications were successful, you may find yourself with two or more promising candidates. Ensuring that you get the most qualified depends on your judgement of some limited contact with the candidates- on paper and in person.
On Paper
Most likely, you have the candidate fill out an application and/or supply a resume'. Your application could be fairly standard, or fairly specific. For legal reasons, you may want to use a standard form or have an attorney look over any "custom" form you develop to ensure that all of the questions are legal and proper.
Depending on the nature of the job, you may take the content at face value, or you may want to 'read between the lines' for additional information supplied. You can generally tell a lot about a candidate's writing skills, attention to detail, motivation to find a good position, or even self- image from their paperwork.
- Did they complete the form, or leave parts out?
- Is the resume' professional-looking, on high-quality paper (assuming you receive a physical paper copy)
- Do they use color and style appropriately for the job? (Artistic or creative jobs generally allow more latitude, resumes for conservative jobs like banking and law are generally more traditional and formal.)
- Do they show good writing skills by presenting information in a clear, understandable way?
In Person
For legal reasons as well as practical ones, it's a good idea to compose a list of standard questions so that you can use interview time wisely, and so that you give each candidate a consistent or "fair" experience. Be sure none of your questions relate to age, gender, or handicap, which can be tricky when evaluating whether a person has the ability to do the job. These laws tend change frequently. If in doubt, consult an attorney about your question-list.
You are more likely to get an accurate picture of the candidates skills and personality if you meet the candidate on friendly terms. Don't position yourself behind a big desk or put them in a smaller or lower chair than yourself. Be as friendly and pleasant as you naturally can. This is an "employee's market," and turning off a potentially valuable candidate is a risk you don't want to take.
What is the best environment to evaluate the desired characteristics of the people you're looking for?
Southwest Airlines determined that friendly, personable people are their best prospects to contribute to their success as a business. In order to evaluate whether candidates have those skills, they interview people in groups and observe their interactions, not only with the interviewer(s), but with one another. They ask each candidate to introduce him or herself to the group and relate a little bit about themselves. During this time, they are observing not only the candidate and how he presents himself, but the other candidates. Are they listening to the presentation, nodding, smiling, laughing at jokes and perhaps asking questions? Or are they busy preparing their own presentations?
Consider the following: Does the person present him or herself with an image you would be comfortable with representing your company? (This is not just for sales jobs but for any position with the possibility of customer contact.)
- Is the person's dress and demeanor appropriate for the environment of your company?
- Do they seem comfortable with technical questions related to the job?
- Does the candidate seem open and honest, or does his or her answers seem "rehearsed?"
- How does he or she interact with other people when introduced or when conducting related business?
Hiring Your Candidate
Once you have selected the ideal candidate, don't keep them waiting! Skilled people are often in greater demand than you realize, and if he or she is the positive, active person you're probably looking for, that's all the more reason he or she is not home waiting for the phone to ring!
Make the formal offer in person, if possible, so that you can better assess the candidate's reaction and address whatever concerns they may have.
Items to address:
- Job Description. Although this was probably addressed in the advertisements and interview, be sure you both confirm an understanding of the expectations before you finalize the offer.
- Salary
- Benefits, including vacation, etc.
- Standards of conduct (you have them documented, of course, so that the candidate can take them home, read and sign them.)
- Legal items (such as citizenship or resident alien status, etc.)
- Timing and arrangements, including notice to previous jobs, relocation, etc.
Conclusion
Finding the right person to join your company is an opportunity to communicate to many groups of people who may not be familiar with your company. It should be an educational process for everyone involved. You can make the most of it by evaluating your needs carefully, communicating those needs to the appropriate audience, selecting the best candidate, and getting them started off on the right foot with your company. If done correctly, you will have gained much more than the best candidate for the position. You will also have learned a great deal about that skill set, about the market, and about people. These are all valuable pieces of information to your business.
