Hiring is a Roll of the Dice

Mark Cook is a Partner with CrossGroup Inc., a management consulting firm helping employers engage and develop their employees. He can be reached by calling (817) 732-0038, emailing mark.cook@crossgroupinc.com or visiting www.crossgroupinc.com.

Hiring is a Roll of the Dice

(Editor's note: Have you ever wondered what consultants tell HR professions when giving advice about their hiring practices? Here is what Mark Cook has to say)

Many hiring managers see hiring as a crap shoot.  And the statistics bear this out.  Employers who take a hard look at the numbers know that a good hiring process yields a 50-50 chance of finding a top performer.  And for those less careful, the success rate is much less.

As a result some hiring managers have moved to less time consuming processes:

·        Hire from the gut.  Why go through the arduous processes of multiple interviews and reference checks?  Some adopt an intuitive, subjective approach.

·        Hire fast, fire fast.  Others use a similar approach, but couple it with terminating employees within 90 days who do not work out.

·        Temp to perm arrangements.  Another even more expensive approach is to use a temporary agency where the only hires are those that demonstrate their abilities on the job.

Why is hiring top performers so difficult?  Potential employees have been trained better in interviewing techniques than the hiring manager.  One manager described interviews: "I've learned that anyone can act the part of a top performer for 45 minutes."   Some have learned to act the part for even 90 days. 

So what's the solution?  Get more information.  Slow down.  Adopt a systematic, consistent approach for every hire.  Then act objectively on the information you have gathered.  The CrossGroup recommends a five step process:

1.    Begin with a systematic process that defines the competencies, education, skills, and work related experiences that each job requires.  Don't begin your search until this is completed.  

2.   Screen all candidates against these requirements and competencies.  The process of screening can begin with a brief telephone interview to be certain that work experiences and job requirements are in alignment.  Some employers have brief screening interviews in person.

3.   Administer proven occupational assessments with those who are your top candidates.  These assessments have become essential tools for managing a successful business. They provide the information that executives and managers use to make better human capital decisions.  Some employees may appear to be qualified, but their personal attributes must match those required by the job in order to perform consistently.

4.   Complete multiple interviews with trained interviewers asking behavioral based questions.  Instead of asking hypothetical questions, pose questions that draw from experience.  Armed with the data from the above assessments, interviewers can probe areas where we can predict a candidate may struggle on the job.

5.   Complete thorough background and reference checks before extending an offer. 

Employers who practice these approaches consistently improve their likelihood of making good hires to 60-75%.

Hiring top performers is not a perfect process, but employers can improve their probability of finding those who will engage and excel.  We believe it is worth the extra effort.  Great employees build great companies. The more leaders know about their people, the more likely they are to maximize their human resources and get the greatest return for the company.