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Hiring can be overwhelming. There are so many factors to consider. Without a well-developed plan, it is easy to make decisions based on unrelated factors or to fall prey to confirmation bias.

For example, after a grueling day of interviews, the person in charge of hiring may think, “Wow! There are so many candidates who all seem mostly qualified. That last one seemed nice, and she has two cats. I like cats. Maybe she is the best one for the job?” This scenario may sound extreme; unfortunately, it can and does happen.

So, what can your company do to make hiring more objective?

Define Your Perfect Candidate

Examine Your “A” Players

Every organization has top players, but what works for one corporation or occupation does not necessarily work for another. Do you know what makes the most successful people in your company so successful? Is it their flexible approach, their attention to detail, or their technical skill set? Compare your employees and try to pinpoint what makes the most productive workers so valuable. You should see patterns emerge.

Create a Skills Checklist

Once you have identified both the technical and the soft skills that are important for the position, write them down. Include them in the job description. Then, put together a checklist for the interview, or write standardized interview questions that directly address the qualities you want

candidates to have. Although it can be difficult to evaluate skills such as problem-solving in a traditional interview process, at least you will have a more concrete method to compare potential employees.

Interview Smarter

Define Your Process

Avoid improvised and unfocused interviews. You can get to know more about your interviewee’s personal life later. First and foremost, you need to make sure they are qualified for the job. If you decide to use a structured interview format, ask all candidates the same questions in the same order. At a minimum, try to keep the basic process similar for all.

Consider Other Assessments

Research suggests that the traditional interview is not the best predictor of future success on the job. In fact, unstructured interviews can explain only 14% of an employee’s performance, while work sample tests and tests of cognitive ability rank higher at 29% and 26% respectively. Combining techniques often leads to the best results. (Work Rules, Laszlo Bock) Of course, if your company is committed to instituting a more formal approach, there will be additional costs involved. It takes time to develop and execute work sample tests. And with over 2500 cognitive and personality tests on the market, your organization will have to choose appropriate and cost-effective assessments for your hiring needs.

Hire Better with Less Effort

Are you struggling to find candidates with the right skill set? Does the hiring process drain your time and resources? Let the professional recruiters as Priority One put our expertise to work for you. We custom-design screening and testing procedures to quickly find the right people for your organization. Request an Employee today!


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