Where to Begin: 21 Steps to a Successful Hire

by:Barbara Bauer
    Summer 2003

Have you ever hired someone you liked, but who couldn’t do the job? Ever hire someone with nearly every skill you’d ever need listed on the resume, but then they couldn’t get along with your existing team?

What went wrong? They were nice, they were qualified, and they were expensive! When calculating the cost of a bad hire, consider a few things:

The best way to stay focused and have a successful hire is to have a plan and to remain dedicated to working the plan. One way to help you stay focused is to consider this: a bad hire who works 90-180 days costs a minimum of one year’s salary. In other words, a person hired for a $30,000/yr. position who only lasts 3-6 months costs you at least $30,000. And that’s before you advertise, recruit, and interview to replace the position.

If you are like most companies, you don’t have a designated Human Resource department. And, if you are like many managers, hiring is a headache, which is dealt with only on an "as critical" basis. Hiring is risky, there are no guarantees, and people continue to have gray areas that can be unpredictable. We say there are gray areas because of the fact that people are not always consistent. For example, how many factors in an employee’s commute affects their team efforts? After travelling on almost any city highway in the morning, employees can work up quite a case of road rage before they get to the office. Or, what is the impact on a team led by a boss that isn’t terribly social and is not inclined to include the niceties like saying "good morning"? The need for an individual who is comfortable with the work and the workplace is critical.

Obviously, this is a task to consider carefully. The steps below will help you to focus on a successful hire and avoid costly mistakes. While no process is perfect when dealing with human beings, staying on plan definitely gives you the edge you need.

21 Steps to a Successful Hire

Step 1

Develop a new hire checklist. For a starting point, see the print version for a sample.

Step 2

Identify your needs.

Step 3

Identify what doesn’t work.

For example, you won’t want to hire someone who needs a great deal of recognition for an inconspicuous job or someone with a big ego for a job that requires more of a support role. Those who are passive should not be hired for a job that requires cold calling or more aggressive actions.

Step 4

Identify recruiting channels–don’t only seek experienced applicants because that can lead to the "recycling" of unsuccessful, yet "experienced" individuals.

Step 5

Remember, recruiting is not one person’s exclusive responsibility.

Every supervisor/manager should have an ongoing goal that states "through my own networking, during hiring times, I will solicit and present two viable candidates per month." This is especially true for anyone with a private office and a door!

It is easy to get comfortable in your own office but getting out in the community and letting people know you’re looking for talent is wonderful PR. The type of position does not matter. Networking is important whether you’re recruiting an executive assistant for yourself, a sales rep or a manager.

Step 6

Get professional assistance if you use online job boards and/or classified advertising on the Internet or the newspaper. Asking someone unbiased questions about your ad’s content will result in more qualified responses. The more targeted your advertising, the less filtering you’ll have to do.

Step 7

Filter your response using the list of traits identified in step 1. Watch for "date blending" on resumes and resumes that contain only years.

Step 8

Send "not interested" letters to the appropriate candidates. Remember the rule of thumb - disgruntled people reach at least ten others. Happy people tell only one or two. This, like networking, is very inexpensive positive PR.

Step 9

Contact applicants and schedule a five minute phone/screening interview. Explain your process to the candidate.

Step 10

Use a profile service to help you in the screening process.

One option is Omnia Profiles. With Omnia, you can send qualified candidates an Omnia Profile/Omnia 720 Composite password and ask them to log on and complete the profile within the hour. The reason for this urgency is not to have Omnia process more profiles. In fact, you should use the manual profile processing approval button at OmniaGroup.com for this step. Asking candidates to complete their profiles quickly helps alleviate anxiety or input from others. It is also a key indicator of their eagerness to go through the next step with you.

You can also ask the candidate to come in to your office to complete the preliminary application forms - of which the profile can be included.

Step 11

Interview the candidates in person at least two times on two different days. There are many reasons for two interviews: to ensure they arrive on time both days; to ask a couple of duplicate questions to check consistency; to give them a chance to ask additional questions they didn’t think of on their first visit.

Step 12

Interview using both traditional questions, such as "How many hours did you work at XYZ Company?" or "What is your ideal job?" Also ask behavioral questions, such as "Tell me about the last time you had to deal with an irate client" or "Tell me how you ranked competitively among the local sales team for the last quarter."

Step 13

Have at least one additional interviewer meet the applicant.

Step 14

Have the applicant meet with at least one potential peer member.

Step15

Have the applicant do a "job preview." Each applicant should preview the position by sitting, riding, etc. with

someone doing the proposed job for at least 2-4 hours. Job incompatibility is the cause for 50% of employee turnover.

Step 16

If possible, have the applicants prepare and present some sort of presentation or role-play. By this, we don’t mean "sell me the pen." (By the way, there are 3 or 4 great responses to the traditional "sell me this pen" in The Complete Idiot’s Guide to The Perfect Interview.) Instead, while on your premises, ask the applicant to write a short proposal, a business letter or do a mock sales presentation, any of which are tied to your line of work and to the job for which they are applying.

If you’re seeking a sales rep to sell an intangible, asking the person to sell you a Bic is not job relevant, but asking them to review your collateral materials for 15 minutes, then make a presentation based on that is very job relevant.

Step 17

Evaluate all results using an applicant scorecard or Candidate Evaluation. See the print version for a sample of areas you might consider in your post interview analysis.

Step 18

Proceed with a full range of background checks.

Step 19

Write an offer letter outlining the position, expectations, benefits, and compensation (in monthly or weekly increments). Explain in the offer letter that it is not a contractual agreement. The offer letter should begin with "Pending satisfactory background checks."

Step 20

Ensure a proper employee orientation on the first day. You’ve worked hard to get them, it’s important you don’t ignore them. If your company’s busiest day is Monday, consider making Tuesday or Wednesday your "new employee" day.

A sample New Hire Orientation Checklist is available on the print version.

Step 21

Manage them. Use the profile results and your own experience to ensure your new hires get the support, time, and tools they need. Try and be a better boss than the one you answered was your "best boss" when you were interviewed. Remember to learn from your past experience with your own superiors when it comes to timely feedback and semiannual performance reviews.

For more information on hiring, interviewing or The Omnia Profile, please contact Barbara at 813.571.7998 or e-mail her at BBauer@BauerConsulting.net. Non-Omnia clients who mention this ASCnet Quarterly article can request a complimentary profile.

Originally published Summer 2003 in the ASCnet Quarterly.

Barbara Bauer is a Consultant for the Omnia Group, an employee selection and management consulting firm. The Omnia Group, based in Tampa, has nearly 12,000 clients in 15 countries. If you aren't currently using the Omnia Profile®, a complimentary Profile and interpretation will be provided to readers who call Barbara at 1-813-571-7998 and request one.