Hiring Practices: How to Hire An “A Player”

 Email Article  

Tweet  

  

  

 delicious  

  

  

When hiring on a new employee, you ideally are looking for a candidate to improve productivity and make your company more profitable. Essentially, you are looking for what I like to call an A player to join your staff. In today’s business environment, it’s critical that every player on your team is an all-star. The practice of creating a workforce comprised of all A players is called topgrading. I firmly believe that topgrading your staff is crucial for success in our economy and I regularly discuss this topic with my clients.

Between a wrong hire’s salary, the lost time invested in the hiring process and employee training, missed opportunities and impact on company morale, hiring an underachiever is very costly to your company. A Right Management survey estimates that the lost costs associated with a wrong hire are at least three times the employee’s base salary while topgrading expert Bradford Smart, PhD states this cost can rise to an excess of 24 times an employee’s base salary for higher-level positions.

By choosing an A player right from the start, you will not only improve productivity and morale, but also save your company money by reducing turnover. In fact, a study conducted by Harvard University reports that 80% of turnover can be blamed on mistakes made during the employee selection and hiring process. Here are some tips to ensure you are picking the candidate best suited to help your company reach its goals:

• Determine qualities that define an A player - First, start by asking yourself what traits your potential employee MUST have. Some qualities that may be important are good communication skills, the ability to solve problems, teamwork skills, customer service skills and professionalism. Once you have determined these qualities, start to develop a job description. Include what skills will be required and explain what tasks the employee will be accountable for on a daily basis.
  
  
• Look for a candidate with the right attitude - First impressions are lasting impressions. Make sure you observe the behavior of the candidate as soon as they contact the company. Pay close attention to small details about the candidate when they visit the workplace and during the interview. Be sure to look for any red flag behavior that you wouldn’t want in your workplace. This is a good way to save time and move on the next candidate.
  
  
• Interview effectively - Compile a list of questions to ask the candidate in order to ensure that they are qualified for the job. Ask questions regarding their professional experience as well as their interests outside of the workplace. It is also important to have other employees within your company interview the candidate. The Daniel Group implements a 360 degree review during the hiring process. This means that three people interview each candidate and have a serious discussion about the applicant. A candidate must be approved by all three interviewers for consideration. We quantify each position with a score card which indicates the necessary skills for the position and the “intangibles”. Score cards should be very industry, teamwork and culture specific.
  
  
• Check references - Ask the candidate for two professional references and one personal reference. Professional references will help you get a better understanding of the skills and work ethic of your potential employee. A personal reference will help you gain insight into their personality. Don’t only check the references that they the candidate gives you, but also check with contacts that they don’t give you.
  
  
• Don't delay the hiring process - If you are considering a candidate, let them know as soon as possible. It is important to understand that applicants more than likely have applied at other companies. If you wait too long to contact your candidate they may have already accepted another position and you may miss out on a great employee. However, don't skip any steps out of your established hiring process such as having three people interview each candidate.
  

After you’ve made a hiring decision, it’s important to ensure you’ve chosen an A player. A 90 day intense review period should be implemented to measure what the employee produced and what they have achieved.

Remember, a bad hire costs your business valuable time and money. By choosing the right person the first time, you will help your company grow and succeed.