How to Hire So You Don’t Have to Fire

Posted July 5th, 2010 by admin

Scouting potential employees can be a risky venture. You really never know what you’re going to end up with. You could find that spirited entrepreneur who will work his way up to become the head of the company one day, or you might hire a corporate thief with no scruples or work ethic who performs at minimum capacity and steals company secrets to sell online for a few extra bucks. Most likely, you will end up with someone who is in the middle, an employee who functions to a decent degree, learns what they need to, but ultimately, may not be the best fit for the position. So what can you do to ensure that you find the right person for the job?

Aside from their resumé, which will really only clue you in as to whether or not they’re qualified for the job (supposing they haven’t lied), you need to know if they’re capable and if they will excel. You will have your first crack at learning these essential facts during an interview. The problem for most people who are involved in the hiring process is that they have to follow company policy by asking a series of canned questions. This doesn’t tend to work for a number of reasons. For one thing, the “standardized test” version of hiring is not very intuitive. In other words, it is generalized to the point that it really won’t indicate if someone is good for a particular position, only if they are cut out for corporate hire. Secondly, almost everyone who sits down to an interview has done it before, probably several times, and has an answer prepared for every generic question. All you will really learn is whether or not the applicant is reasonably comfortable spouting rehearsed lines.

The best thing you can do when hiring is to come up with a list of your own questions that specifically pertain to the position you’re hiring for, and all it takes is a little common sense. If you’re looking for someone who sits at a computer all day, try asking them about their hobbies and interests outside the office. If they list off a lot of sports or other physical activities, they may not be suited for cubicle work. Of if you’re looking to fill a management position, devise questions that test their sensibilities when it comes to dealing with subordinates. For example, ask how they would punish a dog that ate their brand new shoes to see how they deal with an underling that makes a mistake. Or find out if they’ve ever had to fire someone and how they went about it.

Try to tailor your questions to garner information that pertains specifically to the requirements of the individual job you are hiring for, and don’t make them too pointed. This way you can avoid premeditated answers and get to the heart of the candidate.

If you feel like you’re not creative enough to come up with questions on your own, you can always consider one of many different test programs created to help employers in the line of hire, such as the (PI) System, which uses behavioral assessment to select likely team members, or a personality test that pinpoints certain traits. These tools are designed to establish whether a prospective employee possesses the qualities that will allow them to succeed in a particular job, and they can help you to determine which interviewees would be ideal for hire. In the long run, a resumé and standard interview can only get you so far. Even an applicant who looks good on paper and seems to have all the right answers may not be the one you’re looking for. So dig a little deeper. You don’t want to hire today only to fire tomorrow.

Breana Orland is a writer for Grants for College. Breana also gives advice on the pursuit of higher education and career options for young adults.