Have you ever hired someone based on their resume and initial interview, only to be let down by their performance? Trust me, you’re not alone.
Where’s the breakdown? Typically, it’s a result of the interview process. Let’s face it, hiring a new employee is a painful process that disrupts the daily workings of your business. As a result, most interview processes are rushed, creating only two major areas that you can evaluate, resume and personality. So what are the other attributes that can help you evaluate the character of your candidates? Consider the following;
Are they a go-getter?
Can they follow instruction?
Do they fit our company culture?
To help weed out the bad candidates, I’ve found you must create tests and multiple interviews with different interviewers on your team.
Want a go-getter? End the interview very open, without a clear future.
Example: “We’ll have to think about our options and will get back to you.”
The go-getters will try to nail down an end result or will contact you within a few days.
Want someone who can follow instruction with above average follow through? Give them a task to complete, making them responsible for the follow up.
Example: “Well, Jill. I’m going to pass you along to the next step in our interview process. I want you to do some research to get a better idea of our company. Let’s schedule your second interview for tomorrow at 1P.M with Jay”.
During that second interview, take the opportunity to find out what they’ve learned. Be sure to notate what time they arrived for their interview. Promptness, or lack thereof, can help you gauge their follow through and attention to detail.
Do you want someone who is a good fit for your companies culture? Make sure you have more than one team member engaging with your candidate. The more people who are involved the process, the greater chance red flags can be identified. Also, you want to be sure your team members like the person you could potentially be hiring.
Save yourself the pain of replacing underperforming employees. Create a long interview process with key character tests along the way. Not only will it help you weed out bad candidates, it will also create value to the idea of working for your company.
