How to create the best hiring process!

To have and retain a brilliant team, you've got to find them in the first place. The hiring process can still be a minefield that many find challenging. One very experienced interviewer I know recently told me they were happy if they got an interview right more than 50% of the time. The mistake here is to put the decision on one person.

It is impossible to make a great hire 100% of the time, there are too many moving variables that change over time. However the process below will get you a 75% to 80% success rate which is much higher than the average. If you don't believe me, try it and let me know the results:

1) Define your Purpose & Values as an organisation. This doesn't need to be deep and complex (although it can be), it just needs to explain what you exist for, and how you are going to behave. This then needs to be included and fully aligned in your Job Description, Selection and Interview process.

• Why? You end up with individuals bought into your Purpose and aligned with your Values. This solves a lot of problems from Day 1.

2) In order to achieve true diversity and also to give you the greatest opportunity of finding great people, keep your Must Haves to an absolute minimum, and cast your net as far and wide as you possibly can. There is very little that on paper gives you any certainty of making a good hire, so don't close doors you don't need to. The critical things you need are a fit to your Purpose and Values, possession of the competencies required to deliver this role and your Purpose, and a willingness to learn and grow. As long as you have selected the correct competencies this is all you need.

3) Your interview process needs to be detailed, but also quick and efficient. This not only helps you make a clear decision, but most importantly it makes you look committed and professional. If you look like you are taking this seriously then so will those interviewing for the role. To be specific, a 2 hr interview followed by an offer isn't good enough, equally a process from application to offer over a month is too slow. From application to offer you should turn around within 2 weeks. A professional interview process should include:

• Relaxed get to know you interview, motivations, values etc. with someone senior who can explain what you do in detail. (Check their motivations are aligned with what you can deliver as an employer.)
• Detailed competency based interview. (competencies that you know you need in order to fulfil this role and your stated Purpose)
• Technical interview.
• Juniors and peers interview, how do they interact with others not in management.
• Presentation / Case study / basic skills test; depending on the level and type of role you are looking to fill.
• Team lunch and or dinner, how do they get on with the team.

4) During the above ensure a wide range of people at all levels of the organisation are involved. Critically ensure notes are taken and centralised so that that all areas are covered and you are not simply repeating the same interview questions again and again, and any concerns are explored in more detail.

5) If the excuse 'we don't have time' ever comes up then you organisation is not taking hiring seriously enough and will inevitably have a low success rate and suffer the associated staff turnover, costs and disruption. People are your most critical asset, if you don't have time for this you have a problem.

6) Give all those involved in the process equal weight in the decision making process. In my experience when a hire turns out to have been a mistake someone in the interview process had spotted the issue that later came out. So give everyone a safe space to express their view, give them all equal weight, if not a veto. This not only avoids mistakes but it also makes everyone accountable for the decision. This ensures a thought through decision but also guarantees everyone involved works hard to welcome and support the new team member.

7) Don't forget that you are also being interviewed! No one HAS to work for you, and if you think everyone should feel privileged to work for you then you have a cultural imbalance you might want to look at. The reality is that all interviews are a two way process, treat people with respect, and take the time to explain why you like where you work, like your team, and are passionate about your purpose etc. Help people to see why they want to work with you, this does not in any way take away from the rigour of the interview process.

8) Be totally transparent about the downsides, every role has them. If in the process of discussing why this is a great company and position, you also highlight what they will likely not like, what they will find challenging, you build a very high level of trust. By openly discussing the negatives the interviewee will build a far greater trust that you are being truthful about the upsides. Honesty in all things is very convincing and can help the interviewee to be more open about themselves.

9) When you make them an offer don't make the mistake of thinking you are 'supposed' to negotiate or that is is 'commercial' to try and push down salaries. Remember these are real people with real lives, the 5% saving you make on the salary of one individual is utterly insignificant to your budget but may make a real impact on the life of the interviewee and their family. If they accept, what would you rather? An excited, grateful and happy employee or one who is already feeling the first stirrings of resentment and the belief that you do not have their best interests at heart?

10) Ensuring a wide range of people, who's views are given equal weight are included in the interview process, should help to remove some bias and help with diversity. However if your current organisation already lacks diversity then this may not work. In which case we would suggest working with an external adviser to work on some proactive steps to increase diversity.

There are of course additional nuances to this, for example how well briefed and trained are all those in the interview process? But this article is designed to give you the framework of a proven and highly successful hiring process. If you have any questions I'm always happy to talk.

You can read more on how to build and retain great teams at: https://davidhayloriac.com/