Should You Have A Hiring Standard?

Sep 6, 2012 9:00:00 PM · by David Kushan

It simply amazes me (and I’m not amazed too often) how bad some people are at hiring or building a team. It's almost as if - and I'm not trying to be sarcastic here - some people are trying to mess things up. Otherwise, I can't imagine how someone in a management role could stop, think, and then still do the things they do.

If you're a manager trying to hire someone, shouldn't it be common sense that if you don’t follow up with someone you interviewed three weeks ago, there’s a pretty good chance they're not going to be interested in working for you if/when you call them back?

So, why start a process looking for a result (in this case your result is to get a good person hired), and then not do things in a way that will lead to the highest likelihood of getting the ideal result?

A saying that comes to mind: The thing about common sense is that it isn’t that common.

Many people have led an interview process and hired someone. They can say they’ve done it. But doing something and doing something well are two different things.

Part of the problem is that there’s no real standard for what constitutes a successful hire. Therefore, when the process is completed and a hire is made, there’s no way to determine whether or not the hiring manager has done a good job.

Has someone done a good job of hiring or filling a position if:

  • The position was filled within a certain amount of time?
  • All the required skills for the position were met?
  • A good cultural fit was found for the organization?
  • The employee has stayed with the company for a period of time?
  • The employee has attained a certain level of production?

Now, everything I listed above is subjective. Each hiring manager should have the ability to determine what skills are best for his or her team. That said, there could be a reasonable discrepancy between one manager and the next. Each may be hiring for a similar position, but this could be within a different department and/or a different organization altogether.

At a minimum, we can agree that a good hiring manager should:

  • Follow a defined hiring process, as opposed to having each hire be a journey of its own.
  • Be consistent in the process used to identify potential candidates.
  • Follow a consistent system of determining whether a person is qualified, as opposed to each interview taking on a life of its own.
  • Consistently articulate why someone would want to join the organization and the team within which the position falls.
  • Have an assigned group of people dedicated to a hiring process who have been prepped as to what they’re trying to accomplish at that stage of the interview process, as opposed to whoever is available at the time of the interview.
  • Follow up with the candidates he or she is interviewing in a timely manner or, at least, at the scheduled follow-up time.

You may also like: What Is Your Sourcing Strategy?

General, Industry News, Hiring, Corporate Culture, Networking, David Kushan

Comments

Sign up for our blog.

Stay connected