You have found candidates, review their profiles, and invited a few to come in for an interview. If you think you are ready to hire, hold up a minute. As a manager, your expertise is in running your business – maybe not so much in the intricacies of human resources. Making a mistake could cause you to lose on a great candidate or chunk of change.
According to the U.S. Department of Labour, a bad hiring decision can cost a company as much as 30% of the employee’s annual salary. For a position that pays $75,000, that’s $22,500 walking out your door.
Before you make an offer, make sure you are not making one of these common mistakes.
1. Rushing the Process
Whether you have created a brand new position or experienced a vacancy, it’s common to want to fill it right away. You have a business to run, right? Instead of hiring the first person you find, slow down and make the right hire.
TIP: If you haven’t found a candidate after 6 onsite interviews, you may need to revisit the job description. Perhaps what you initially thought you wanted isn’t what you’re currently looking for?
2. Postponing the Hire
The flipside of rushing the process is postponing it. This mistake will eventually put you in dire need to fill the role and you’ll be tempted to hire the first person you interview.
TIP: Create a hiring plan and a talent pipeline. Anticipate the roles you and your team will need, and put your plan into action, carving out an hour or two each week to focus on hiring.
3. Relying on your Gut
Growing businesses (and teams) are often led by entrepreneurial-minded people who trust their gut when comes to making business decisions, but it’s important to do your due diligence.
TIP: Make sure you follow up on references and ask probing questions.
4. Not Screening for Culture Fit
While a resume can tell you a lot about a candidate’s experience and skillset, it’s not enough. Every employee should be a good fit for the company culture, as well.
TIP: Have several members of your team talk to the candidate. Don’t make the hire until you find the person with the right credentials and the right attitude.
5. Conducting just One Interview
Try not to make snap decision about hiring someone after one great interview.
TIP: Take a few opportunities to get to know candidates. Start with the phone interview. Then invite them onsite. And be sure the candidate talks to at least two people in your organisation, so you can compare notes and make the best decision.
6. Holding too Many Interviews
When it comes to the right amount of interviews, find a happy medium.
TIP: Start with the phone interview – don’t skip this step! Then identify two or three key decision makers in your company and have each person sit down with the candidate onsite. If needed, narrow down your candidate pool to the top two and hold a third and final interview.
7. Talking and Not Listening
You’ve got good candidates and you definitely want to impress them, but don’t make the mistake of talking too much.
TIP: Stick to your list of questions, and try not to veer off the script – it can you in trouble. For example, it’s not alright to ask about marital status, children or pregnancy. While these questions may seem like a casual icebreaker, they’re also illegal. The best thing to do is to ask questions that require a lengthy and thoughtful response.
8. Use an Evaluation Form
When evaluating candidates, it’s important to give yourself and other interviewers a structured way to document feedback. Use a scorecard that outlines all the key criteria important for the role and company culture and rank the candidate on each factor. It gives you an easy way to compare, especially if you’re torn between two great options at the end of the interview process.
TIP: Use a Candidate Evaluation Scorecard.
