Every employer dreads the details of the hiring process, but finding the best fit for a position is crucial every business’ success. Hiring the wrong person not only affects the productivity of the company, but the process of finding and training that person can be costly only to have to repeat the process. At Genera Energy, it’s important that we hire the right person the first time. To do so, certain components need to be included in the hiring process.
The first step is a clearly written job description. Not only should this description include the skills required, but education, experience, physical capabilities, and interpersonal skills. The hiring manager should consult with employees that will have the most interaction with this position as well as Human Resources.
Getting the word out is also critical. Make sure that various recruiting sources are used. Recruiters, industry publications, social media and web job boards are some popular avenues. A good position description is also critical to helping the recruiter or job posting to be successful. An often overlooked route is to hire internally (promote from within). This would be beneficial in that it would include lower recruiting costs, existing position/company knowledge and faster integration.
When narrowing the pool of applicants, only interview those who meet at least the minimum requirements established for the job. If there are too few qualified applicants, consider broadening your search and recruitment sources.
A standardized list of job-related questions for the interview process should be created by the hiring manager and Human Resources. This ensures all applicants are asked the same questions and can be rated accordingly. Multiple persons need to be involved in the interview process. This might include the hiring manager, colleagues, superiors and Human Resources.
Just as important as preparing the interviewers is preparing the applicant. Briefly take a few minutes at the beginning of the interview to educate the applicant on the position and company.
It’s important to base your decision on factors related to the position only. You should easily be able to justify your selection. It’s easy to be swayed by what is comfortable and to overlook a more qualified candidate. But in the end, differences in style and perspective may be more beneficial to the company.
By Lisa Osborne, Human Resources Coordinator
