Frequently Asked Questions – About Hiring
- Q: What is the cost of hiring the wrong person?
- The positive impacts of hiring an outstanding employee are far reaching and should compel organizations to put in the effort to recruit and hire the best. The benefits you reap and the costs you will avoid are worth the extra time and effort it takes to select the best person possible. For example, an outstanding hire avoids horrendous turnover costs that result when people are fired due to incompetence, unmanageability, poor attitude or a variety of other reasons that should have been uncovered during the selection process. These turnover costs include time and money spent to:
- process the separation;
- advertise the unexpected opening;
- pay an employment agency;
- train the new hire; and
- occasionally, defend the company against law suits.
- A company can easily spend more than one year's salary for the affected position going through the firing and rehiring process. It's just not worth rushing the hiring decision. You need to find and hire the right person the first time. For additional information on hiring the best people, click here to purchase the Harkcon Hiring Guide.
- The positive impacts of hiring an outstanding employee are far reaching and should compel organizations to put in the effort to recruit and hire the best. The benefits you reap and the costs you will avoid are worth the extra time and effort it takes to select the best person possible. For example, an outstanding hire avoids horrendous turnover costs that result when people are fired due to incompetence, unmanageability, poor attitude or a variety of other reasons that should have been uncovered during the selection process. These turnover costs include time and money spent to:
- Q: What should you look for in a new employee?
- At Harkcon, we believe there are three key areas to consider when going through the selection process:
- Is the person ready? "Ready" means that personal circumstances indicate that now is the right time for this person to be hired into the open position.
- Is the person willing? "Willing" means attitude! What is the person's attitude toward your company, toward the job, toward other people? What degree of motivation, desire and demonstrated work ethic to succeed does the person have? Will the person be manageable and do they have a personality and values that will fit into the corporate culture of your organization?
- Is the person able to do the job? "Able" means the person has the skills, education and experience necessary to do the job.
- Among the three areas to consider, attitude is the most important, by far!
A good attitude can overcome a multitude of skill, experience and personal circumstance deficiencies. The best hires are those who make a strong showing in all three areas, and your goal in hiring should be to find those people. But if you find one person who has a superior attitude, hire that person despite deficiencies in other areas. A person with a superior attitude will quickly overcome the deficiencies and will pay off in the long run.
For additional information on selecting the best people, click here to purchase the Harkcon Hiring Guide.
- At Harkcon, we believe there are three key areas to consider when going through the selection process:
- Q: How do I write an effective job advertisement?
- Once you've developed a recruitment plan and know where you're planning to advertising your job opening, you need to develop the advertisement itself.
The purpose of the Job Advertisement is to attract talented, qualified candidates. If you've taken the time to determine the position's essential competencies, education level, and experience requirements, and use that information to craft your advertisement, you're much more likely to effectively communicate your message and attract the kind of people you're looking for.
While each advertisement must be crafted to take advantage of the medium used, the best advertisements ALWAYS grab the reader's attention, pique their interest, and leave them wanting a job in your office.
- Grab the reader's attention. With all the job advertisements out there, you need to find a way to attract potential candidates' attention to yours. Bold, exciting job titles, graphics, and a positive lead sentence will help catch their attention.
- Keep their interest. Once you've got their attention, you need to keep it. Explain the details of the job and the job requirements, and let potential candidates know how taking this job will both challenge and reward them.
- Leave them wanting a job in your office. Outline the benefits of working for your company, and let applicants know what's in it for them. Tell them how they can benefit both personally and professionally by joining your company.
- Finish the advertisement with a motivational sentence to get your potential candidates to apply. You'd be amazed at how well it works! Other tips to writing the perfect job advertisement include:
- Keep it simple;
- use short sentences;
- use bulleted lists when possible; and
- keep the message upbeat and positive!
- For additional information on creating effective job advertisements, click here to purchase the Harkcon Hiring Guide.
- Once you've developed a recruitment plan and know where you're planning to advertising your job opening, you need to develop the advertisement itself.
- Q: What the most efficient way to screen job applicants?
- Web-based job candidate screening is a growing trend in modern online hiring. Companies can integrate screening into the application process to ensure candidates meet minimum qualification requirements.
- Job screening services help employers develop complete on-line job-based tests and, once the tests are developed, allow employers to email the link to all applicants. Applicants just click on the link embedded in the email and take the test.
- Test results are provided to the employer, who then has an objective measure of each candidate's knowledge and skill in specific job-related areas.
- Job screening tools can help you find the best candidates faster, and help fill your job vacancies with people who have the skills they need to successfully perform the job.
- To learn more about screening job candidates, click here for the Harkcon Screening Tool.
- Q: What do I need to know about conducting interviews?
- Planning an interview is important - trying to conduct interviews "off the cuff" will only lead to future problems, especially if you ever have to prove the job selection process was full and fair. Additionally, the person you select will have an impact on your business, so you need to make the right choice the first time.
- The more you prepare for the interview, the better the outcome.
- Decide on the type of interview. The initial interview may be held individually or in a group setting, as outlined below.
- Decide where and when you will conduct the interview(s). For one-on-one interviews, find a quiet spot where you will not be interrupted so you can focus all of your attention on the applicant during the interview. If conducting a group interview, find a larger, more suitable space that will easily accommodate 10-15 people. Give yourself plenty of time for each interview, and if conducting more than one, allot plenty of time between interviews.
- Review your Job Selection Worksheet, especially the job-specific competencies, and develop relevant questions.
- Practice asking your questions until you feel comfortable on their order and sequence.
- Before each interview, carefully review each applicant's resume and job application, so you do not have to constantly refer to them during your meeting.
- To learn more about the different types of interviews and for additional information on hiring the best people, click here to purchase the Harkcon Hiring Guide. Learn when it's best to use:
- Group Interviews
- One-On-One Interviews
- Panel Interviews
- Serial Interviews