When you’re facing a sea of qualified candidates, hiring the right person can be an overwhelming process. In 2016, the cost-per-hire averaged $4,425. It can cost up to nine months’ worth of an employee’s salary to replace him or her. Here are four mistakes we see organizations make when they are growing fast and hiring quickly. Avoiding these can help you hire the right person the first time.
1) Not Having Questions Prepared Ahead of Time
This one is essential, and yet when you’re growing fast, it can get overlooked in the hustle. Taking a moment to slow down and prepare questions ahead of time can help you build structure around your hiring process. Not sure where to start? Here’s a list of things you should never ask and the most important question you don’t want to miss.
2) Not Tailoring Your Questions to the Answers You Need
While you’re building that list of questions, think about the type of answers you’re looking for. That’s not to say there needs to be a “right” or “wrong” answer, but you need to tailor your questions to draw out the information you need. We work with our HR Elite clients to analyze the questions they’ve been using and create ones that shed light on what they’re hiring for. For instance, if the position is a leadership one, you need some questions that illuminate a candidate’s leadership experience.
3) Not Using Consistent Questions With Each Interview
As you’re developing your list, make sure you’re using the same questions in each interview. It doesn’t need to be stiff and formal, but asking consistent questions gives you important data to work with later. When every candidate has answered the same question, you can compare answers, i.e., apples to apples.
4) Not Training Everyone in the Hiring Process
Curious about how we create these custom offerings for our HR Elite clients? Learn more about that here.