In Jim Collins’ book Good to Great he devotes some of his writings to getting the right person on the bus and then getting the person in the right seat on the bus. Both of these are very important to the success of the individual and the success of the company. Often we describe this process as getting the right person in the right job with the right relationship. Those of us who make hiring decisions have all made countless mistakes in this area. The real secret is reducing those mistakes, which are not only costly to the company, but also just think what it does to the individual. There are numerous estimates of what a hiring mistake cost the company and most run anywhere from $15,000 on the low side to $60,000 on the high side. No wonder a manager in today’s business environment cannot afford too many of these on his record.
So what is the real secret to finding that one employee, that one special person, the one that is right person – right job? I am convinced that there is no one secret but there is a combination of events that must take place for success in hiring. First you have to have a pool of candidates from which to make the selection. Too often we restrict the number of candidates because of the time involved in the interview process. The more the merrier fits best here. Remember you want the best candidate not the tallest midget. So I recommend that you have a large enough pool from which to pick your best candidate. That number may vary depending on the position but certainly from four to five would be a good start.
The next important element is to conduct a thorough interview with each candidate. I recommend an initial screening interview to see if the individual is a candidate. This can be accomplished in a 20 to 30 minute interview to assess if they are the right person, right job, and have a team fit. The key points to cover in this brief interview are to find out about the educational background, work history, family, and hobbies. By asking questions you can learn a lot in a short time. I do not recommend that you sell your company at this point but they should be selling you. If you feel that the individual is a candidate, then I recommend that you have them compete a psychological profile that will allow you to match the job description to the individual in behavioral, sociability, aggressiveness, motivation, and ability to perform the job requirements.
With results in hand you are now ready to perform a lengthy interview where you really get to know the candidate. This is the selection interview and normally takes 2.5 to 3 hours to complete. The objective is to get the candidates to tell you about themselves but more importantly, break down their inhabitations and allow you to see the real person. You are also looking for someone who has experienced adversity at some point in their life and turned lemons into lemonade. This interview allows you learn things about the candidate that would not be uncovered in a traditional interview and also you discover that the more they trust you, the more they will divulge to you. As you close out this interview you are asking yourself, “Does this person have the can do, will and team fit?” If so then you have a viable candidate to which to make an offer. The final step is to make the offer to the candidate and work out the details of the hire based on the company requirements.
The process has taken time but in the end you will evidently make the best hiring decision and select a candidate that will have staying power with your company. Do not cut the process short and do not cut corners. If you do, you sell your company short and the person that you hire. You now have the confidence that you have made the best hiring decision.
