The pendulum in the job market has swung from the prospective employees’ side to the hiring managers’ side. But it’s still not easy to find the right team members. That’s why you need to develop a hiring checklist.
Like many managers, you may already use an informal list to track your hiring process. You know it’s critical to post an accurate job description and title. You may also maintain a list of internal team members who will assist with interviewing.
Before interviews start, you’ll need to sort through a huge volume of candidates. In the tightening job market, more managers are using automated tools to quickly screen out nonqualified candidates.
On the other side of the fence, job seekers are using similar tools to swamp online application systems. Some organizations no longer post positions and are instead returning to old practices. They are tapping into networks and employee referral systems, and that practice could lead to trouble.
All About Referrals
Using a referral system as part of your hiring checklist can generate great results – especially for candidates. Job seekers with connections have a better chance of getting hired under this kind of system.
A study by Greenhouse found that “applicants with referrals had a 50% chance of advancing past an initial résumé review…compared with 12% odds for other external candidates.”
While this practice may make your job as a hiring manager slightly easier, you’ll encounter challenges. Most employee referral systems put forth candidates who look and act like your current employees. This situation will limit your progress toward any lofty DEI goals you’ve committed to.
The Halo Effect
Another major flaw with a candidate referral system is the “halo effect.” If someone you respect or admire recommends a candidate, you naturally expect the individual will have positive attributes. Hiring managers don’t want to insult the referrer so they grant the candidate an interview.
They may even hire the candidate based on the connection to the referring individual. The problem with this approach is that emotion has the search for a new employee. Emotions do not belong on a hiring checklist.
To hire the best candidate for your position, you should rely on an unbiased data set. This kind of information is available through TeamTrait, which offers a comprehensive psychometric assessment.
The Resume Versus the Assessment
A detailed resume check usually holds a prominent spot on the hiring checklist. But the resume serves as another way for the candidate to position themselves in the best light. Research shows that 70% of individuals enhance the information on their resumes.
With the job market suddenly being a bit tighter, candidates will adjust strengths and skill sets to match your requirements. And during an interview, they’ll tell you what they think you want to know.
All this work on the candidate’s part can put you at a disadvantage. But you can level the playing field by requiring candidates to take an assessment before an interview.
Psychometric assessment results provide useful information when it comes to understanding workplace behavior. A candidate with strong technical and soft skills may also tend to be a job protector. Knowing this in advance allows you to ask questions about that tendency.
If the candidate also scores well on coachability, you may be able to help them adjust their workplace behavior.
Interview Preparation
With assessment results in hand, you can be better prepared for the interview. As part of your hiring checklist, commit to asking the right questions during the interview.
To determine whether you have a potential star applying for your job, ask personalized questions based on assessment results. If their profile indicates they have trouble with decisions, you can dig into that topic. Ask how they’d handle a problem you give them.
Remember this: They may not have work experience to draw on, but they can answer based on personal experience.
Hiring a new employee involves significant expense and investment of resources in training. To get it right, you need data that indicates how well an individual will fit with your existing team. Be sure to add psychometric assessments to your hiring checklist.
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