How to hire better and faster..

Wish you could increase the likelihood of getting hiring decisions right and not worry if you don’t? ?

Having interviewed 100s of candidates and hired 100+ people both in hard times as well as good times, I feel strongly that the hiring process can be significantly improved both for candidates and for employers. These thoughts are over and above the usual good practice that is frequently found in Linkedin threads or interview training. ?

Have the senior leaders interview first versus last. Conventional wisdom has it that recruiters/HR do/does some initial filtering followed by a first level of management, then some type of skill interview and finally by senior management. The senior manager (Director, VP, C-suite) is typically looking for cultural fit and whether the candidate will be accretive to what they are trying to build. It is often not a skills interview at all, but rather a conversation to discover more about the individual. As they have the last say, and typically their opinion is not contested, why not start there, subject to some filtering naturally! I have always insisted on doing that first interview as I know best the type of candidate who will add value to the organisation and how they will fit in with the existing team. It is only after I get the right feeling, that I entrust my leaders to do the technical follow-ups. By doing this I believe I am more likely to hire the right person and I will reduce the number of interviews a candidate has to go through. ?

Spend more time on the Job Description (JD): Often I have seen the job description considered a chore rather than a vivid and well-thought-out description of the value that the candidate needs to bring to the company. Too often the use of generic job descriptions leads to hiring people who are missing a small number of key skills which can then later lead to a moment where the newly hired employee?believes they are not able to do the job or that they are being asked things they did not expect to have to do. Typical examples of this are not specifying flexibility in working hours to be able to work with Global teams or avoiding a few responsibilities that you know might put candidates off. Each job description should also be seen as an opportunity to bring something new into the organisation versus more of the same. This could be skills, experience, flexibility, etc.. So more than hiring headcount it should be an opportunity to advance or accelerate the company’s goals. ?The JD articulates that aspiration.

Trust your gut: despite a lot of what I read in Linkedin and other more erudite publications, I believe that one cannot underestimate one's gut instinct. If it does not feel like the right fit and there is little to no chemistry, then trust it. I know it might sound controversial, but people work with and for people, so it is important for the working relationship to be enjoyable and effortless. This is not something that can be engineered but rather it is something that one “feels”. It is an instinct that leaders build over time on the back of many experiences. Heed that inner voice or feeling. You are more likely to get it right than wrong.

Value the probation period: the probation period is there to allow both employees and employers to assess whether the relationship is working out. It needs to therefore be organised in such a way as to be able to make that determination at the end of it. Onboardings and orientation must be done as quickly as possible, feedback should be provided weekly, and there should be a final decision point at least 2 weeks before the end of the probation period. This should be a simple conversation if there has been thorough onboarding and regular feedback sessions. It is also the buffer in the hiring process which allows for it not being a scientific process. ?

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