The Perfect Hire

The Perfect Hire

Tim Connor

I will guarantee that at least once in your career as a manager, leader or business owner you have made a hiring mistake. One that in hindsight cost you more than you would have ever anticipated.

There are four areas I would like to discuss; resumes, references, interviews and personality profiles and then ask you to decide which do you feel are the most effective for making wise hiring choices and which ones you are relying on and are they working?  I will keep these short and to the point.

Resumes –

A resume is a balance sheet without the negatives. Its primary purpose is to make the candidate look good or even perfect.  Relying on these as a major tool for determining who you will interview or even hire can be a huge mistake. With online applications now dominating the hiring process this can create even greater hazards as candidates can easily manipulate them to suit the potential employer.

The answer – Read between the lines.  Ask for details.  Look for obvious loopholes. Ask for further explanations where appropriate.  Look for inconsistencies.  Pay attention to the presentation of the resume – is it professional, too long, too short, to self-serving, etc.

References –

Let me ask you – if you are trying to look good would you give someone a bad or even questionable reference?  I doubt it.  References can be valuable if you ask the candidate for the right ones and interview the references in the correct way.  Otherwise – why bother al you will get are platitudes and often false misrepresentations.

The answer – Ask to speak to previous supervisors, customers, fellow employees or suppliers or vendors. Go back to a former position (before the most current one – where possible) and ask to speak with the same folks as just mentioned.  Ask the former supervisor a critical question – would you rehire this person if you could?

Interviews –

The biggest mistakes interviewers make are they – talk too much or give information before they get it.  They broadcast in advance what they are looking for and only a fool as a candidate would respond in the wrong way therefore making them look ideal.

The answer – Ask more questions than you spend time talking.  Get them talking first. Ask follow-up questions. Observe body language as they answer the questions. Dig deeper. Ask more why and how questions than what or when questions. Take notes. On follow-up interviews ask them the same questions and compare answers.

Personality profiles –

There are hundreds of work style and personality profiles on the market today.  Some are worth the cost while others can be incredibly accurate and a valuable selection instrument. The bottom line – using them is one of the best tools you can use to ensure a smart hiring decision. A major publication, Scientific American Mind just verified that using these instruments is the most important and credible action you can take when trying to wade through all of the information you gain during the hiring process. The results from these instruments when carefully integrated into your hiring decision can guarantee the best possible choice.  I have been a Personality Profile Consultant for over twenty years and many of my clients use these instruments both during the hiring process as well as prior to promoting an employee into a new role or position.  If you would like to discuss their use and benefits give me a call.

The answer – Use an instrument.  Even a poor one is better than not using one at all.

Let me close with the questions;

Now rank the above four areas in terms of importance in making a smart hiring decision.

___Resumes

___References

___Interviews

___Personality profiles

Now rank them in accordance with how you currently implement these in terms of their importance or use as you go through the hiring process;

___Resumes

___References

___Interviews

___Personality profiles

And your conclusion is? A)you are doing things right, B) you need to change a few areas or C) you need to abandon your current approach and begin again.

 

"Nothing can stop the man with the right mental attitude from achieving his goal; nothing on earth can help the man withthe wrong mental attitude."

Thomas Jefferson