Yesterday we began to explore the topic of quality of hire. Today we’ll look at finding good sources of talent and making sure you ask the right questions.
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Find Your Best Sources
Don’t put all your eggs in one basket, but don’t waste any in the baskets that fail you. Use metrics to find your best channel. What attracts the most applicants? What source brings you the best fits?
Your best source might be right under your nose. Enlist the help of your staff to make referrals. Hiring managers should be involved in creating a robust employee referral program. Also, consider offering advancement opportunities and professional development to your best players. Make sure your hiring team knows how to evaluate and assess internal applicants. The 2015 Talent Mobility Research Report by Lee Hecht Harrison found that only 42% of companies understand their employees’ unique skills and experience. HR should be conducting surveys and performing assessments to find out how each person works and what they’re best at.
Once hiring managers know each employee’s strengths, they can align projects employees can succeed at but also push them to improve on their weaknesses, giving them a chance for growth and advancement when a promotion opportunity opens. This way, your hiring team can start building its talent pipeline.
Know What to Ask
Help your hiring team find out exactly what it needs to know from the interview.
- Interviewers need to ask questions that are specific to the role and the duties involved. Situational questions encourage the applicant to share how he or she applies his or her skills and experience in a real-world context.
- Teach your hiring team to inquire about how candidates deal with failures, what they’re proud of, and how they fit with the company. Hiring managers must ensure the candidate not only fits the role but also the company culture. Make sure your interviewers learn how to actively listen and gauge how the interviewee stands up to the candidate profile.
- It all starts with measuring. You can’t improve what you don’t measure. Provide your hiring team with the tools and resources it needs to track key information and to best evaluate and develop new hires.
How is your hiring team improving the quality of hire?
| Andre Lavoie is the CEO of ClearCompany, the talent management solution that helps companies identify, hire, and retain more A-players. You can connect with him and the ClearCompany team on Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter. |