Finding and Hiring the “A” Players
As the economy continues its slow recovery, many small and medium-size businesses are facing a situation they haven't seen for some time: having access to a large pool of apparently well-qualified candidates for jobs they want to fill. That may sound like a great opportunity—and it is, if it's handled properly—but it's important to keep in mind that all employees are not created equal.
Finding and hiring the "A" players in the new economy requires the right techniques and hiring processes. SMBs should start by creating a model of their ideal employee, then identifying candidates with those attributes, and developing strategies to recruit them, suggests Robert Morgan, chief marketing officer at SHLPreVisor, a provider of pre-employment screening tests and employee assessment solutions.
In creating a model of the ideal employee for your business, start with the end in mind, Morgan says. "Before you even begin to look for potential candidates, decide what you want their performance to look like and what you hope to achieve when it comes to results." That will enable you to identify the behaviors and skills needed to achieve those results and craft the right job profile to attract appropriate candidates. For example, if you're hiring employees for an inbound call center, you might look for traits such as strong attention to detail, good listening and problem-resolution skills, ability to deal with conflict, data entry competency, and the ability to multitask. For outbound call center employees, clear communication skills and an outgoing personality might be more important.
Morgan warns against falling into the trap of preconceived notions, (i.e., what you "think" you want in an ideal employee without first determining what traits spell success for a specific position). "Make sure you're truly examining the competencies needed and identifying traits that drive performance, then look for a person who fits within those parameters," he says.
Identifying an "A" player generally starts with a résumé review, but that only provides a brief glimpse of past and potential performance. Some type of scientifically valid, objective assessment is needed to provide a fuller picture. Whatever assessment you choose, be sure it examines performance alongside demonstrated behaviors and potential fit for a position, which are reliable predictors of how well a candidate will perform in a job. Morgan stresses that it's important to focus on potential, whether you're hiring externally or from within—perhaps even more so in the latter situation.
Once you've identified what you really need in a specific position, you should put in place a process to sift out and select the candidates most likely to succeed. Providing likely prospects with a realistic and relevant preview of the job is a key part of the recruiting process that too many SMBs skip, Morgan says. Such a preview may result in some candidates self-selecting out of consideration, a decidedly less costly option for a business than hiring the wrong person.
Inc. Resource: The Business Owners 2011 Hiring Toolkit
This Inc. toolkit features everything you need to turn that promising new recruit into a star employee. It offers comprehensive coverage of hiring and screening, onboarding, and orientation, training and education, and setting performance goals.
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