- Create a great ad for the position. Think through the job description, and then get the key points in your ad to attract the right person. Remember, positive wording will attract positive people….keep the ad upbeat and interesting.
- Have a very comprehensive interview plan. Start with a phone interview, then a face to face, then a working interview.
- Call previous employers for references. In the current economy, more people than ever are “enhancing” their resumes, and it’s important that we do our homework. No one likes to say bad things about a previous employee (for both personal and legal reasons), so ask leading questions. Describe the position you have open and ask the previous employer if they feel it’s a good fit for the employee.
- Have prepared questions and plans for the phone, face to face and working interviews. By being prepared, you’ll be comparing all the candidates on a level playing field. Asking the same questions of each interviewee also provides protection against accusations of bias or discrimination, should they arise.
- Make the working interview a real “working interview, rather than a “watching interview”. Discuss with current staff members which tasks you’d all feel comfortable assigning to an interviewee….don’t just toss her in and hope she chooses the tasks she can handle.
- Have a comprehensive orientation and training plan. One of the most often heard complaints from staff who leave an office is that they weren’t properly trained….. then were chastised for not doing the job correctly. Have a written orientation and training plan and be sure tasks get checked off as they’re taught.
Good hiring practices do take time, but so does replacing an employee because we just didn’t get the right one. The old carpenters used to say “measure twice and cut once” regarding their work…..for our current job market “interview 3 times and hire once” should be our mantra.
