10 steps to hire the right person — the first time

Drake Editorial Team

Don’t Put Your Reputation on the Line with Bad Hires

Hiring an employee is like making an important investment decision, with the candidate representing the capital: human capital. Like any investment decision, you want to make the right choice — the first time. In the hiring, onboarding, and retention process, either you are going to yield a great return for your company, or your actions and processes may result in costly mistakes and turnover. Within most organizations, the human resources function historically was seen as an administrative and supportive role. Today, best-of-class organizations view it as a strategic business partner, with the expectation that HR professionals will deliver value by positively affecting a company’s strategy and earnings. With globalization, market volatility, and heightened corporate competitiveness, hiring people who are the right fit for the organization and who can drive performance is more critical than ever, as well as a vital element for business success. To improve the financial payoff and reduce the risk, HR professionals need to ensure they have the right hiring and retention strategies in place to effectively manage each step of the recruitment process. Effective talent acquisition is a complex process involving a number of steps all focused on one objective — hiring the right people who will outperform for your organization. By following these 10 key steps, you can help drive corporate performance and deliver the results your organization needs to compete and succeed.

Step 1 – Know what you are looking for

Sourcing and recruiting talent cannot start until you have a clear understanding of the skills, knowledge, and abilities required for the position, and the company. Many candidates may appear similar. Their qualifications all include the ‘must have’ criteria. However, it is how they will perform on the job that makes the critical difference.

Profiling Top Performers

The most effective way to understand the behaviours required for success on the job is to analyze the personality traits of your top performers in that role. This is accomplished by administering a behavioural assessment, or profile. Profiling is important because behaviour on the job is influenced by personality, and personality traits make up a significant 20% to 30% of a successful hiring decision. For example, consider the top performers on your sales team. What are their personality traits that contribute to job success and satisfaction? In addition to their skills, knowledge, and ability, how do they think and make decisions? Putting a new hire into a role without a clear understanding of how they will behave in the position, and how they will fit into your organizational culture, is a recipe for turnover. Once you have assessed the profiles of your top performers in a particular role, you can develop a benchmark personality profile. When your short- listed candidates are interviewed, their individual personality traits can be compared to the benchmark. This will enable you to identify and match the best candidates for the position — candidates with the right skills and traits required for success in that role. Remember that a personality profile/assessment is not a test. A personality trait is simply a tendency to behave instinctively one way or another. There are no right or wrong answers when it comes to analyzing personalities, and no judgment of right or wrong. You are who you are.

When The Position Is New

Sometimes there are no top performers in a position, because the position is new, or because there are no employees currently excelling in the role. To determine what ideal traits are required, you can survey the direct manager and other job experts within the company to determine what traits they believe would lead to success in the particular role. Then analyze their responses to construct a composite profile of the ideal candidate.

Personality fit is the main reason for turnover, particularly within the first three months.

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