Avoid hit-or-miss hiring.

A systematic approach can increase your odds of making successful hiring decisions.

If your company were investing in a $150,000 piece of capital equipment with a five-year useful life, your managers would probably spend considerable time and effort to ensure a high level of value for their investment. So why aren't employers equally vigilant when it comes to making investments in human capital?

Think of it this way: An entry-level employee who costs your organization $30,000 in wages and benefits represents a potential investment of more than $150,000 over the next five years-and that's not even counting training and development costs.

Despite this formidable investment, many organizations lack a formal requisition process for managers to follow when filling job vacancies. In some cases, whatever formal process exists consists of little more than a discussion and verbal approval.

Instead of this unstructured approach, employers should develop a system for filling vacancies. Each time a newly created or recently vacated position becomes available, the manager or supervisor should complete a requisition covering the following:

* The title of the position.

* The reason the position needs to be filled.

* The justification for the position. (Is it to meet customer requirements? Operate machinery? Clean the production areas? Attend to patient needs?)

* The priority of the need for the employee.

* The hire date desired.

* Any special qualifications that may be required.

Management must insist that the same process be used to fill all positions. While such a system may appear to reduce the authority and autonomy of the hiring manager, its purpose is to prompt managers into thinking about the job vacancy in more detail, rather than hiring someone in a knee-jerk reaction to a resignation or an increase in business activity.

Describing the position

Is the job new? If so, a job description needs to be created. if a job description already exists, it should be reviewed for possible changes. This sounds like commonsense advice, but it does get ignored. In my career, I have seen 20-year-old job descriptions that bore no resemblance to the qualifications of the current incumbent or the work performed.

A job description should reflect the essential duties of the position, the conditions under which the duties are carried out and any special qualifications needed to successfully perform those duties. The job description should also comply with discrimination laws such as the Americans With Disabilities Act.