Hire the Right Job Candidate, Not the Best Job Seeker
Q. What are some ways to guarantee that I'm hiring a qualified employee?
Susan-Says: If had an absolute answer to your question, I'd be a billionaire! Unfortunately for you and me, I don't.
There is never any guarantee when you are hiring a new employee. Even the hiring experts get fooled occasionally. However, there are a number of things you can do to limit your risk of being tricked into hiring the most talented job seeker instead of choosing the most talented person for the job. Some people really know how to "stage" themselves for job interviews, but it doesn't necessarily reflect their true ability to do the job.
As I am sure you are aware, there are staffing agencies that specialize in finding qualified job applicants. They have assessment tools to analyze the skills and qualifications of job applicants to help you make a well-informed decision. However, I'm making the assumption for purposes of answering this question that you are planning to manage the hiring process yourself.
The first thing you should do is create a job description for the position you are trying to fill. Sounds obvious, doesn't it? But small business owners often have difficulty with defining the job requirements because the job most likely didn't exist previously. You'll have a tough time trying to find the right employee when you aren't even sure yourself what you're looking for.
Secondly, I recommend you ask qualified candidates, the ones you are really seriously considering, to participate in a situational interview. Research data shows situational interviews are approximately 50 percent more effective than traditional question and answer type interviews. A situational interview allows you to get an idea of how the candidate will perform on the actual job. For example, a public relations firm might ask a potential employee to role play a client meeting or write a press release. You could create a case study of an actual situation the employee might encounter on the job and ask what steps he/she would take to manage it.
Make sure the framework you use for the situational interview closely matches the exact job requirements. To the best of your ability, establish objective judging criteria in advance to review the results. If you have other staff members who'll be working with the new employee, ask them to meet the candidate and provide input too. Finally, keep in mind the importance of making sure the employee fits well with your company culture. Skills can be taught, but an employee that's a bad fit can cause serious problems.
Whenever you hire an employee there are always legal issues to be concerned with, so I advise you to consult with an attorney, a human resource professional or review materials provided by the EEOC - Equal Employment Opportunity Council.
