Key Elements To Hiring An Employee Worth Keeping
By Gary Kaplan© Pasadena Star-News. Thursday, December 12, 2002.
So the candidate looks good on paper and in person. The person seems to have the right credentials, work experience, and attitude. The salary and benefits package are fair and acceptable. And the individual can start soon.
So what's missing here?
Too often, hiring decision-makers are in a rush to fill the slot and get on with the business at hand. Witness the recent spate of senior executives hired to fill major corporate posts only to find out the recent hire has:
- exaggerated educational credentials;
- fudged work accomplishments;
- has a history of less than ethical (if not illegal) activities;
- and has a modus operandi that clashes with other employees up and down the line.
The sad result? Costly severance, embarrassment (especially for a public company or highly visible organization), and wasted time and effort, not to mention the wear and tear, let alone morale, on those employees who are left to deal with the work situation.
These hiring mistakes slow the company's progress and hinder its effectiveness.
With talent for key positions especially critical in an uncertain, intensely competitive business environment, and even with today's abundance of candidates, prudent companies should first take a few steps back and deeply understand their own staffing needs, not only for the present, but with a long-term view in mind, tested against their organizational business plan and goals.
Hiring people who are "keepers" is only part of the task. Forward-thinking companies also look for candidates who have the potential, beyond what's needed for the immediate position, eventually to fill management ranks.
This management depth assurance minimizes the amount of time and money spent recruiting when an executive position opens up. Given that the talent pool of the next generation is thin (by comparison to the baby boomers), hiring for retention and executive potential is a valuable strategic planning tool.
First, evaluate human capital wants and needs
Before embarking on an employee search, hiring decision-makers should know what is really wanted in a candidate. Beyond technical capabilities, experience levels, and successful track record requirements, adding qualities of leadership and vision to the mix broadens a company's own outlook in human resource planning.
This leads to the question of what is really needed in a candidate for the organization's benefit. Broaden horizons by looking beyond the current position and intangible requirements to see where the organization is heading and what skills will be needed to lead or contribute to that growth or change.
"What talents maybe required in the next five years?" These may include an ability for adaptation or capacity for increasing responsibilities, up to and including top management positions. Every potential candidate should be viewed as to how that person will contribute to an organization's management depth, now and in the years ahead.
Think strategically, regardless of the management level position, by taking an objective look at the current depth of and possible gaps in the company's "bench strength" and develop the hiring plan accordingly.
Identify possibilities: internal and external
Armed with this big picture backdrop, the next step in seeking possible candidates is to tap into the existing talent pool and networks.
Healthy organizations promote from within. Grooming in-house talent signals opportunity for current staff as well as being a morale-booster and cost-saver. Where in-house personnel lack the skills, leadership qualities, or capacity to grow into positions of increasing responsibility, gather recommendations from external sources including the board of directors, trade and professional associations and alumni groups
A thin layer of a promotable internal talent base and the need for fresh thinking are cues to look externally. Bear in mind that while a new staffer opens up the organization to new learning and expanded possibilities, it also means the organization needs to adapt to the new person's thinking so as to allow him or her to make an impact on its progress. Similarly, the new staff member must be able to bridge the gap between the existing organization and leading its future.
When internal reach is exhausted, plan your strategy for using outside resources. Beyond referrals from internal and networking sources, advertising and Internet job postings are better suited for mid-level management positions. Finding and securing key senior people will require the services of an expert in recruiting to tap into and screen the wider field of passive candidates.
Those who are already employed elsewhere could be the very ones who would fill the strategic build-out of management strength. Senior people tend to be more open to a third party approach, preferring the cachet of an executive recruiter to stimulate a serious look at the opportunity, even when the company or position are not named initially.
Minimize the risk
Although there are no ironclad guarantees that a new hire will succeed, there are proven approaches to handling candidate selection that reduce the possibility of problems later on.
One of the most serious threats to successful new hire with retention in mind is not paying attention to screening candidates effectively. Thorough fact-checking of educational credentials and work experience, objective formal and informal references from trusted sources, and a thoughtful analysis of the candidates' potential for advancement are essential exercises in evaluating a selection.
In interviewing internal or external candidates, hiring managers often are too hasty in the interview process by neglecting to ascertain the underlying human issues that may turn out to be a detriment to accepting the position, performing well in it, and moving up in the organization.
Family constraints; personal, geographic and travel preferences; flexibility and learning capacity; and work ethic may come into conflict with the company's management team plan and culture. Detecting the candidate's inability to align personal, goals with the organization's business plans, work approach, and vision signals the potential for one who will not stay long.
A deft behavioral interview can reveal much, but as telling area variety of formal and informal meetings, in and away from the work setting. Taking the time upfront to know your final cut candidates as individuals, rather than selecting a body to do the job, lessens the risk of a mismatch and resulting business disruption later on.
The retention mind-set advantage
Smart companies weigh their candidates with their human capital needs in mind. The hiring and training process for open positions, as well as the dollar and psychic costs of turnover, is too expensive not to hire with retention in mind. A worthy candidate who is invested in the future of the company is more likely to become a long-term employee, even more so when the person has the ability to see personal growth within the organization and possesses the leadership skills to accomplish that goal.
By the same token, the company has a responsibility to hire the candidate with a defined career path in mind. Retaining a desirable employee also means retaining interest in the person's progress through education, training, coaching, mentoring, and predictable advancement.
Without question, the search for and placement of talent with retention in mind stabilizes a company's work force and contributes to its progress. Doing the job well does more than fill the position successfully. An effective hiring process is an opportunity for a company to build its bench strength and position its future.
