Hire right the first time

Considering the Society of Human Resource Management's assertion that the average cost to replace an employee is 150 percent of the position's annual salary, hiring the right staff the first time can obviously save us a great deal of money. So we're puzzled at the short cuts practices take in the hiring process. There are two primary hiring mistakes: First, you hire the wrong person - someone lacking the skill or mindset necessary to fit into your company and second, the company does not provide the necessary training and support to guide the new hire to success.

So how do you do better?

Start by being a little more selective. Better to be short-staffed than to rush to fill a spot when it's not a good fit. Educate your applicants from the get-go by discussing the company culture and its goals, as well as your expectations on issues such as punctuality, service, and team work. Ask the applicants to give you their thoughts on who would be a perfect candidate for the position. Then show them the job description and compare varying perceptions against the job criteria.

By the way, before you even begin to recruit, do examine the existing job description and update it to truly reflect the required skills, experience, and responsibilities. The departing employee can give you a heads-up on this and let you know if you are off the mark. She or he can also give us tremendous insight into the inner workings of your office. Take the opportunity to conduct an exit interview and ask not only the reason a staff member is leaving, but what you could do to make the job more appealing, and the company a more desirable workplace for both existing and future employees.

It is discovered that too few companies take the time to qualify applicants through testing. One of my favourite staff tests is the Wonderlic (www.wonderlic.com). It's a basic aptitude test, inexpensive and easy to administer. For high-level positions check out more sophisticated tests at www.eskills.com.

Don't forget the reference check. If at all possible, go to the applicant's direct supervisor to get the real scoop and be direct. Ask the supervisor if she/he would hire your job candidate back, to give a rating of this person using a scale from 1 to 10, and to explain why she feels that rating is appropriate.

Once you have selected your candidate, plan, plan, and plan. Develop a solid training schedule and appoint one person to act as the dedicated trainer. This requires taking the trainer off the daily tasks of his/her job so he/she can totally focus on training and helping the new employee learn the nuances of the position. It's important to realize that a new employee needs a lot of training and support before he is ready to fly solo. The trainer has another important role -- rating the new employee's progress and giving you critical feedback on whether the person passes muster with both skills and attitude. If not, regroup and evaluate whether you need to revamp the training schedule or cut the ties. Better to make a decision early than to compromise and regret it later. Don't put future team morale at risk or jeopardize the quality of your customer service.

In the end it's all about setting expectations, providing support, open communication, and accountability. Do it right!