As an HR professional, one of your most important responsibilities is ensuring that your company has the right talent in place to achieve its goals. But with the ever-changing landscape of the workforce, this can be easier said than done. How can you be sure that you’re making the best possible hiring decisions?
Here are four tips that will help you hire the right people for the right positions every time:
1. Define the role.
The first step in making any hiring decision is to clearly define the role that you’re looking to fill. What skills and experience will the ideal candidate have? What will their day-to-day responsibilities be? The more specific you can be (4-7ish essential job functions), the easier it will be to find candidates who are a good fit.
2. Look for cultural fit.
It’s not enough for a candidate to simply have the right skills and experience—they also need to be a good fit for your company’s culture. During the interview process, take some time to get to know the candidate. Do they share your company’s values? The better you understand their personality and motivation, the easier it will be to gauge whether they’re a good fit for the companies’ values.
3. Consider their potential.
When evaluating candidates, it’s important to consider not only their current skills and experience but also their potential for growth. Carol Dweck speaks of understanding their growth mindset. Are they open to new challenges and willing to learn new things? Is this someone who could be promoted into a leadership role down the line? Hiring for potential can be risky, but it can also pay off big in the long run.
A good way to gauge a candidate’s potential is to ask them about a time when they had to step outside of their comfort zone and learn something new. Can they provide a specific example of a time when they did this successfully? If so, that’s a good sign that they’re open to growth and willing to put in the work required to reach their full potential.
4. Test their skills.
By far, the best way to determine if a candidate has the skills and experience required for the job is simply to test them—either through real-world projects or assessments like aptitude tests or written exercises. This will give you an accurate picture of what the candidate is really capable of and whether or not they’re truly qualified for the role. The difficulty here is that tests need to be validated to stand up in court.
Making sure you have the right people in place is critical for any organization—but it’s not always easy. By taking some time to clearly define the role, looking for cultural fit, considering potential, and testing skills, you can make sure you’re making the best possible hiring decisions every time.