4 Tips for Hiring a Better Job Fit

Do you think you’ve hired a superstar and a dud shows up to work? How does this happen? Sometimes, you may ignore the information you have because the candidate assures you, they are a good fit for the job. Sometimes you fail to do all the upfront work necessary to ensure a good job fit and attract a superstar. Sometimes even candidates can be good “sales” people and you fall for the “hype.”  Sometimes you’re desperate to fill a position so you don’ have to do the job and you hire a warm body. How can your organization prevent these hiring faux pas and always hire the best fit for the job at hand?

Hiring involves more than one element and every organization regardless of size needs a good hiring system to compete in the hiring game to ensure a good job fit, attract, and win over superstars. A good hiring system only works if every hiring manager buys into and uses the system for every hire at every level. A good hiring system and all its components are non-negotiables. Here are some elements a good hiring system contains.

Strategic Plan

Before creating a job, ask: “Will this job fit into and help move our strategic plan forward?” if a job isn’t adding value to organizational goals, it needs to go away or do not create one to add your portfolio of jobs.

Position Descriptions

When creating position descriptions, let the job talk. Let the job tell you what it requires to operate at its optimal level. The way to accomplish this is through benchmarking. A Benchmark is a specialized report you create to identify the behaviors, motivators and skills required to be successful in the job. You have the resources to begin this process by benchmarking your current top performers to a candidate.

Interviewing

The interviewing process is an important component in your hiring system. Be sure that managers understand legal and illegal questions, that they ask questions relevant to the job for the are interviewing, and that they understand interviewing techniques such as behavioral interviewing. 

Review All Pertinent Documents

Another important part is the review of documents involving a candidate’s hire. Examples include: the application, assessment reports, examples of projects the candidate may bring to the interview, references, and resumes. There may be others specific to your organization or industry. All of these can help give you a clearer picture whether the candidate will be a good fit for the job.

Summary

It behooves all organizations and hiring managers to ensure there is a good fit for every job. A good fit helps ensure you are indeed hiring that star performer you seek. However, keep in mind that you are not seeking perfection as that is a myth. Every candidate has strengths and weaknesses, yes even the best fit and star performers. The question to ask is: “Can I train to improve the weaknesses?” If, however, there are character flaws, then that is an entirely different kettle of fish and not a good fit for any job in any industry in any organization. If you would like to discuss how your organization can have better hiring practices call me at 404-320-7834, or email me at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit www.performstrat.com

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