Yesterday’s Advisor featured six of Susan M. Heathfield’s top eight “rookie” mistakes that even seasoned hiring managers make. Today we’ll cover the final two mistakes plus introduce a unique new training system that helps all your managers avoid expensive miscues.
If you have not identified your critical needs, and how to screen for them, you’ll fail, says Susan M. Heathfield, blogging about hiring mistakes on About.com. Here are two more of her mistakes managers make. (Go here to see the first six).
7. Failure to Differentiate the Critical Job Skills
Everyone has a wish list for their ideal candidate, but you must select the three or four most critical characteristics to focus on. Once you have agreed on these, don’t “settle” on a candidate who does not bring them to your workplace.
And, we’ll add, you need to devise a test or simulation or series of questions that will allow you to determine whether candidates have the skill and qualities you have identified as crucial. Avoid leading questions (Are you good at managing complex projects on budget and on schedule? Who’s going to answer no to that question?), and be sure to probe (How many people, how big a budget, what responsibilities, etc.)
Demo BLR’s unique new Employee Training Center. There’s no cost or obligation.
8. Using Too Small a Candidate Pool
Many managers err by allowing a small candidate pool. If you don’t have to choose from among several qualified candidates, your pool is too small. Don’t settle; it’s better to reopen your search, says Heathfield.
How about your managers? Are they making mistakes? Do they have time to train? Sure, but training’s a hassle—authorizing, planning, delivering, tracking—and it’s easy to let this critical priority slip.
To solve this problem, BLR has created a unique and helpful solution called the Employee Training Center.
This turnkey service requires no set up, no course development time, no software install, and no new hardware. Your employees can self-register, and training can be taken anytime, anywhere (24/7) with nothing but a PC and an Internet connection. Courses take only about 30 minutes to complete.
Just as important, the Employee Training Center automatically documents training. As trainees sign on, their identifications are automatically registered. When the program is completed, the trainee’s score is entered. So, when you want to see who has or hasn’t yet trained on any subject or look at the across-the-board activity of any one employee, it’s all there, instantly available to you, your boss, an inspector—even a plaintiff’s attorney.
These are all motivational, actionable programs—for both employees and supervisors—in such key areas as sexual harassment, FMLA, diversity, communication, USERRA, recruiting, and many more. The courses are kept up to date to reflect federal and state regulatory changes and, what’s more, we add new programs continually.
Unlimited Employee HR (and Safety) training—one low cost. Find out more about BLR’s new Employee Training Center. There’s no cost or obligation.
Course certificates can be automatically generated, and they are automatically retained for recordkeeping purposes.
The Employee Training Center also includes a similar selection of Safety courses—you decide whether you want just the HR courses, the Safety courses, or both the HR and Safety modules.
And, from the standpoint of your CFO (a truly important standpoint in these tight times), you always know exactly what training will cost, no matter how many programs you use or how many times you use them. There’s just one low annual fee for unlimited training, calculated by the size of your workforce. Budget once and you’re done!
If it sounds like we’re excited about this new service, well, we are—and we think you will be, too. We urge you to sign up for a no-obligation demo by visiting the new Employee Training Center. Or feel free to call our customer service people at 866-696-4827.