Lucas Biewald, founder and CEO of CrowdFlower, the San Francisco-based crowdsourcing start-up, recommends that when technical skills are involved, tagging on a quick example programming task to the interview process can show more about an applicant than answers to a dozen specific interview questions.
"In terms of interviews, we've found that there's no substitute for having someone complete a short programming task," he says. "We used to feel embarrassed to ask experienced developers to do a simple exercise, but we've found that enough of them can't complete it that it's necessary."
A growing line of study in business academia is organizational culture and company social networking – and researchers in that field suggest considering social factors during the interview process as well.
"Find people whose values are the same as the values of the company," says Adam M. Kleinbaum, an assistant professor at Dartmouth University's Tuck School of Business. "When people's values differ, they might not be accepted as well or as happy."
Another subtle thing you'll want to consider in hiring certain positions – such as sales, marketing or public relations – is what social capital, whether within the field or the community, the candidate is bringing to the table.
"I think it's especially important for small companies, as they're thinking about what are the kind of resources a company would need as they move forward, to think about the potential hire's existing network," he says.
Dig Deeper: Tailor Questions to Your Company
Improving Hiring Practices: Mastering the Follow-Through
Great candidates should naturally follow-up on an interview with a call or e-mail, making it easy for you to invite them back for a second meeting. Do so, and allow other managers to meet with potential candidates on their second interview before making an offer. A second or third opinion is valuable.
Also, check references thoroughly – every time. This is the most overlooked part of the hiring practice, but experts say it is absolutely essential. Many employers also ask that applicants agree to credit-history checks and pre-employment drug screenings, but those are optional, and in certain states their legality can depend on vocation.
Of three references, have a phone conversation with at least two, and pay attention to the tone of their recommendation, not just its content. It's not necessarily legal to hamper future employment for a past employee, so savvy references won't say anything negative. As an out, they'll say very little at all. Some human resources experts recommend checking a reference that's not recommended: hunt down a person at the applicant's most recent workplace who knew them well, and ask their opinion as well.
Dig Deeper: A Pre-Hiring Reference Check
Improving Hiring Practices: Other Tips to Remember
Set up a program that rewards current employees for referring apt job candidates. People within the organization can recognize others who would fit in well, and are unlikely to choose someone who wouldn't pull their weight.
In both job listing and interview, pose only legal obligations and ask only legal questions. As an employer, you are not permitted to ask questions about a person's age, race, creed, sexual orientation or marital status. Do not hire on the spot. Take time to review all candidates interviewed.
Dig Deeper: Legal Hiring Practices FAQ
Improving Hiring Practices: On-Boarding the New Hire
The buzz-word right now is "on-boarding" for making sure a new employee is up-to-speed and productive as quickly as possible.
"When you work in these small companies, you are always understaffed, you never have time," Rudnick says. "But it's really important to take the time you don't have to get a new employee up to speed."
One thing that helps is to have complete company policy, including employee guidelines and procedures in place. Even if you don't have an HR department, having solid human-resources policies is essential from day one, experts say. It will not only ease the transition into the new job for employees, who will know what's expected (it's never fun to have to ask a new boss "what's the vacation policy?" on the first day), but also protect your company from potential future legal trouble. Consider including expected work hours, presence in the office, and acceptable personal use of company electronics and space. Binding it in a guidebook, or having an online employee guide that's always available to staff is your best bet.
Especially if your company lacks an HR department or a formal training program, managers should make it a priority to schedule face-time with a new employee within the first day or two. Making it a point to give detailed instructions on tasks at hand, coupled with pointed questions about how the new hire is feeling and what they think would help them out in their job are keys to making them feel comfortable and useful.
Looking ahead, a company intent on keeping its new employees should schedule regular check-ins. Matuson suggests a manager checking in with a hire after 30, 60 and 90 days, just to ask what changes they might suggest and allow them to ask any lingering questions in a pressure-free way.
If clear expectations are in place, the on-boarding process should be a painless adjustment to a great fit for both employer and employee. Moreover, do it right, and you'll retain your new hire for years to come, fulfilling both short-term and long-term goals for yourself and your company.
Dig Deeper: Get the Most out of Training Employees
