One of the best things you can do for your company is to hire the right people. 2012 might the turn around year for our economy, so having the right people on board is very important for growth. The national unemployment rate also decreased from 9.8% in November of 2010 to 8.6% in November 2011. The downward unemployment trend and increase in job growth seems to be providing encouragement to the business community.
There are at least three things you can do to hire effectively.
1. Have a clear job description and classifications of all staff- A job description can prevent hiring, promotion and dismissal decisions based on biased the wrong criteria. Start with the end in mind. If you know what you need then hire to the skills needed.
2. Screen applicants- Screening tools are a vital piece of the hiring process that should not be overlooked. look for:
Frequent job changes
Professional goals stated and how applicable are they to the position and company
Gaps in employment dates or vague dates noted on their resume/application.
Reasons for leaving jobs
Incomplete applications- move on wrong person
3. Ask behavioral based questions- here are a few examples:
Tell us about a time when you had to go above and beyond the call of duty in order to get a job done.
Tell us about a time when a job had to be completed and you were able to focus your attention and efforts to get it done.
Tell us about a time when you were particularly effective on prioritizing tasks and completing a project on schedule.
Have you ever worked in a situation where the rules and guidelines were not clear? Tell me about it. How did you feel about it? How did you react?
Have you ever had to “sell” an idea to your co-workers or group? How did you do it? Did they “buy” it?
Have you had to “sell” an idea to your co-workers, classmates or group? How did you do it? Did they “buy” it?
How do you keep subordinates informed about information that affects their jobs?
How do you keep your manager informed about what is being done in your work area?
