In business, as in life, there are many situations that appear much simpler in theory than in practice. In fact, some of the most important interactions you’ll have on a personal level and within the business world – developing a personal relationship and hiring an employee, respectively – seem straightforward on the surface, but are ultimately rather complex. 

Hiring the right employee, with the right skills, the proper certifications, and the ideal attitude for the job is the goal of any hiring process (to continue our relationship analogy, finding the ideal person that can mesh with you on a personal level is the ultimate goal of the dating process). However, in a world where the average new employee failure rate hovers around 50%, finding the best-fit employee can be just as elusive as finding your ideal match. When your success – and your bottom line – depends on the hiring process you’ve put into place, it’s crucial to look beneath the surface of your old standby and determine if your system is really working for you. 

Signs It’s Time for a Change

So, how do you know when it’s time to let go of your current hiring process and open your heart to something new? Take an honest look at your hiring process, and watch for these signs:

  • When to Leave #1: You’re not finding quality candidates. While any job listing has the potential to attract a wide range of skill levels, a continuous lack of talented candidates is a sign of a broken hiring process. Attempting to appeal to the masses to widen your pool can result in an influx of poorly qualified applicants.

  • What to Love #1: Cast a wide – but targeted – net. Instead, utilize a hiring process that widens your pool by recruiting across a wide variety of job listing sites, publications, and services. Then, be sure to develop a list of qualities and qualifications for potential employees, and selectively recruit finalists who closely match them.
  • When to Leave #2: Slow time to hire. While it isn’t unusual to keep a position open for a few weeks until you’ve found the perfect fit, openings that remain empty for months is a sign your hiring process needs updating. Worse, those open positions can decrease your efficiency and cost you valuable time and money. If you’ve noticed these signs, passive recruiting could be the culprit.

  • What to Love #2: Look for an active recruitment process. Instead of posting a job listing and waiting for employees to come to you, market your brand to your employees – what do you have to offer your potential talent that other companies don’t? Alternatively, begin a referral program to encourage your employees to help you select recruits that could prove a great fit.

  • When to Leave #3: You’re stuck in your ways. While you may be under the impression that your hiring process has worked for you for the past few decades, one look at your employee turnover rate just might prove you wrong. Even if you’re right, what worked five years ago may no longer be relevant for the candidates and the recruitment climate of today.

  • What to Love #3: Utilize modern hiring tools. Instead, consider ditching the standard resume-interview-handshake routine and incorporate some insightful, modern hiring tools into your process. Social hiring on the world’s most accessed social media and job listing sites can help you widen your pool, while online screening and assessments can help you choose the finalists that most closely match your qualifications, culture, and more. 

If you need to leave your current hiring process behind, implementing new tools like the HireScore Assessment Platform can help you locate more, highly qualified employees that are likely to fit your workplace culture. Contact Stang Decision Systems for more information and start your search for candidates you’ll love. 

Resources:

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/youre-kidding-right-50-new-hires-fail-roberta-chinsky-matuson/

https://www.businessnewsdaily.com/7155-startup-hiring-tips.html

https://www.forbes.com/sites/markmurphy/2019/09/29/five-warning-signs-that-your-hiring-process-is-broken/?sh=3e3c7e5f3cbd

https://workology.com/3-signs-its-time-to-pivot-your-hiring-process/