Are Your Hiring Practices Outdated?

Should we reevaluate the interview process?  Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electric, initially struggled with interviewing and took time to improve.  But not everyone has that luxury.  Do we really need multiple interviewers?  It can be costly and lead to biased decisions, like rejecting an applicant for an innocuous pronoun.  This wastes time and resources, potentially missing out on great hires.

Why does it matter?

In a competitive talent market, finding suitable people is challenging.  Attracting and retaining the right talent often takes a backseat.  Some companies adopt a “hire anyone available” approach, offering short-term solutions but creating long-term problems.  Conversely, companies that prioritize their employees, understand them, and care for them thrive.  For example, Patagonia maintains a low attrition rate of 5%, while the US average prior to the pandemic was 42%, recently rising to 47.2%.  Surprisingly, 33% of surveyed employees quit within the first 90 days.

A survey in 2018 found that nearly 500 individuals quit within three months of starting a new job.  About half of them cited a mismatch between the job and their interview expectations.

Our aim is to help companies make better hiring decisions.  In one case, a client requested an evaluation of a candidate for a specific role.  We found the candidate adequate but not exceptional.  After a few months, the client expressed dissatisfaction with the employee’s performance.  Upon investigation, we discovered a discrepancy between the client’s requirements and the actual needs due to a poorly defined job description.  We offered to mediate with the employee, and it became clear that the employee was unaware of the job expectations.  Eventually, the employee chose to quit upon realizing the misalignment.  This situation raises the question of why the employee was unaware of the expectations. 

The hiring process should focus on specifying talent requirements and assessing fit.  Specifying talent is straightforward and can be easily validated.  Fit assessment is more challenging and often leads to hiring failures.  Relying solely on interviews, a subjective process, for fit assessment is inadequate.

Resumes help assess education, skills, and experience, but applicants often exaggerate or lie to some extent.  Fit assessment is where the process often breaks down.  An impressive resume may mislead and lead to biased decisions. 

So, what can we do?

Using validated assessments is a step in the right direction.  Choosing appropriate assessments and interpreting them correctly is crucial.  Clear job descriptions that outline expectations and success metrics are essential.  Creating benchmarks to measure candidates against is important but requires effort.  This approach makes the process faster and more accurate.

Data plays a crucial role.  Gathering relevant data before interviews and objectively prioritizing the best candidate can significantly improve outcomes.  Save the interview for the final stage, eliminating the need for a screening interview.  Reserve it for your best interviewer, focusing on talent and fit.  Building effective teams relies on talent, fit, analysis, and training. 

All of the above is encompassed in HireSense.  Screening for fit saves time, reduces costs, and yields better results.  It requires attention to detail.

How about a no-risk, no-cost option to give it a try?  Schedule a short demo at https://calendly.com/michael-579/60min

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