The Hiring Process - Part I

If you want to have the best employees, you need to have a good hiring process. With most business owners, the process starts when the candidate walks in the door for a job interview. Unfortunately, that is too late. The hiring process must start long before that. It must start before you even start advertising that the job is available.

Clearly Define The Job: You can't hire the right employee and the best employee if you haven't CLEARLY defined the job. What are the tasks the employee needs to perform? What are his or her responsibilities going to be? How much authority will he or she have? I'll bet you are saying right now, "But with MY business, things change all of the time. Everyone has to wear many hats." You think that makes your business different? It doesn't. Every business faces changing times, changing regulations, changing products, suppliers, etc. Nevertheless, you have to plan. That plan includes the jobs to be performed and the employees who perform them.

That is another reason for hiring the BEST. When you hire the best, they can be flexible. And you need to build that feature into your requirements. What do you forecast as future tasks, responsibilities and authority as your business grows?

Define the Rewards: What is the starting compensation? When will I give salary and benefit increases? What promotions are available? Is a share of ownership a possibility?

Define the Requirements: What skills, education, and experience are required to meet the requirements of the job. PLEASE NOTE: If you use terms like "good communications skills, works well in a high-energy environment, good people skills," you are in a great deal of trouble.

What does "good communication skills" mean? I see it all of the time in employment ads. Does it mean you can write good reports? Does it mean you make good presentations? Does it mean your fellow employees like to talk to you? Have you ever met anyone who said that he did not have "good communication skills?" If you need someone who can write good reports, define the requirement as such.

What is a "high-energy environment?" (or other similar terms I see in ads to describe what the owner considers to be a busy - if not chaotic - environment). Define what specific requirements are really needed.

Define the Good and the Bad: No job is perfect. Be honest. What is the downside to the job? I have always been completely honest with candidates and told them what I consider to be the downside of the job. Why? I don't want them taking a job and then being surprised. That will result in poor productivity, distrust of my word, and an employee who will probably start looking for another job. All of that is bad. What is the upside to the job? Be honest as well. You're not going to try to sell the job to the candidate, but you will want them to know the advantages of working for your company.

Now you may be sitting there saying, "But I am not hiring a COO, I am hiring a janitor." Okay. How to you think it will reflect upon your company if a customer uses your restroom and it wasn't cleaned properly ... or your sidewalk wasn't completely cleared of snow and ice after the snowstorm .... or the dust is piled high on the bookshelves in your waiting room .... etc.? Whether you are hiring someone at the top of the organization or the bottom, you want to hire the best. To hire the best, you need the right hiring process.

Our next posting will discuss the pre-interview screening process. Please submit your comments and suggestions. They are always welcome.