The Critical First Step in the Hiring Process

Let's discuss the first and most important step before starting the interview process for any job--you must first develop a clear job description. Doing this will provide clarity on what is expected of the intended role, helping you find the right fit applicant. Formulating clear, agreed-upon primary performance objectives is essential for any position within your organization. Every position - from entry-level to senior management - should have two or three of these objectives established before beginning the hiring process. This ensures that both you and your team are on the same page regarding expectations and requirements. To ensure success within a new hire's first 6-12 months, these performance objectives must be defined and used as standards to develop an effective process for identifying and vetting recruits.

For example, when it comes to finding the ideal General Manager, you want someone with expertise in increasing membership and turning around sales performance. This role would need an individual who has demonstrated success in driving sales, lead generation, retention of memberships, business development, and management, and leading a team. Above all else, they must have a verifiable history of reaching (or exceeding) set goals for sales.

When forming a job description, it is beneficial for the entire hiring team to sit down and review relevant questions beforehand. This can help foster an environment of thoughtfulness and preparedness for the process ahead. Consider questions such as: What are the most important objectives the person in the role needs to accomplish in the first six months to one year to be considered successful? What qualifications are needed for this position? What will the person be spending most of their time doing? What are some of the big changes or improvements the person would have to make? How will the most important skills and competencies be used on the job i.e., leadership, team skills, communications, and problem-solving?

It is important that the job description accurately reflects the scope of work and responsibilities required for the person to be successful in the position.

At JLR Associates, we strive to provide a collaborative working relationship with our clients to gain maximum results and our process begins by working with you and identifying the top three or four primary performance objectives. These objectives define the major things that a candidate must accomplish within the first six months to one year to be successful in the position. We use this information to filter the candidates and to identify candidates who have a proven history of success accomplishing similar work.?JLR Associates has been the premier, executive search firm leader in the fitness and wellness industry for 23 years with a network of over 14,000 candidates.?If you have questions on how our process works, please contact:

Jeff Randall | JLR Associates | Phone: 781-251-0094 | Email: [email protected]

Dennie Noecker | JLR Associates | Phone: 609-430-8455 | Email: [email protected]