In launching your new business, you may be looking to hire qualified employees to guide the company to success. Finding, training, and retaining good employees is not always easy. You can spend a considerable amount of money recruiting and hiring people that you think are right for certain positions only to lose them due to rapid employee turnover. The following tips can help you locate the best employees for key roles in your startup who will likely be able to quickly assimilate and remain committed to your company vision.
Consult a Headhunter
A professional recruiting service can help to match your company with employee prospects that appear to be a good fit. For positions in the top level of leadership on down through the job ranks, you can request copies of executive resumes and other relevant screening data that will enable you to narrow the pool of applicants for various positions. You can then arrange interviews for the candidates who seem most interesting and suitable.
Customize the Interview Process
Instead of doing the same interview with each person, carefully review the person’s credentials and customize your questions to learn more about their background, interests, prior successes, and weaknesses or failures. Provide opportunities for the interviewee to open up and guide the discussion to areas of particular interest to him or her. Notice body language like fidgeting, rigidity, and facial gestures for an idea of the individual’s feelings beneath the surface of the discussion. Provide a job description and the opportunity to ask questions so that the candidate has a clear idea of expectations and evaluation measures.
Consider Personality Tests
Pre-hiring personality testing may contribute to your understanding of each job applicant. Some of the most popular and trusted tests include the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, the Caliper Profile, and the Hogan Personality Inventory, among others. Although an extensive psychiatric profile is unneeded for most jobs, you can learn a great deal about a person’s attitude and outlook on job-related issues.
Thoroughly Check References
A surprising number of employers fail to contact the references provided by job applicants. Some references may be invented or falsely represented, but many names on an applicant’s reference list can provide useful information about his or her previous job performance, including skill level and the ability to work well with others.
When employers take the hiring process seriously, their newly-hired employees are likely to do the same.