What Characteristics to Look for in a Great Hire
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowFor a decade, the hiring process has been consistent. A job candidate submits their resume, a phone interview is scheduled that potentially leads to an in-person interview and then the most qualified candidate gets the job. While the general equation of hiring candidates has remained the same, in order to improve employee retention and attract top candidates — some tactics still need to be updated.
Over time, it has become evident that interviews aren’t as effective as they used to be. It can be hard for interviewers to distinguish whether a candidate is confident or is overcompensating for a lack of skills. The issue? If someone interviews well, it doesn’t necessarily mean they are going to be a great employee. In fact, according to a study done by Leadership IQ, 46% of newly-hired employees will fail within the first 18 months, while only 19% will achieve unequivocal success. While interviews are still an important aspect of the hiring process, it can be difficult to tell whether the candidate will succeed in their job just by a conversation. Organizations that make strategic hiring decisions tend to have a higher productivity rate and lower turnover rate, both of which affect a company’s bottom line. So, how do you spot the characteristics of a great hire?
Assess a candidate’s skills
As a candidate is going through the hiring process, it is important to accurately evaluate their skills as it pertains to their ability to do the job. Depending on your company or industry, there are many ways to assess a candidate’s skill level. For example, if you are hiring a candidate for a position where they will be doing a lot of writing, having the candidate complete a writing sample would be logical.
A skills assessment measures a candidate’s skills and knowledge to understand their strengths and weaknesses as well as assess their job readiness. It also can be used to verify a candidate’s resume. Oftentimes, when interviewing a candidate, whether it be in-person or over the phone, people can’t help but bring their own experience or assumptions into the interview. With a skills assessment, employers can verify if their candidates really possess the skills they claim they have. As it stands, around 82% of companies use some form of a pre-employment assessment test to determine whether a candidate is the right fit.
Conduct personality tests on potential and current employees
The use of personality tests have been around for decades, but now we are seeing employers reap the benefits of using them in the hiring process. A personality test is defined as “an instrument, as a questionnaire or series of standardized tasks, used to measure personality characteristics.” It also takes into account a person’s attitude, emotional adjustment, interests and motivations. The goal of a personality test is to go beyond the tangible skills discussed in interviews and challenge whether the candidate will fit well into the company’s already-established culture.
Personality tests are often helpful in determining a candidate’s communication skills and overall interests, but shouldn’t be solely relied on when choosing whether or not to hire that candidate. Personality tests have become extremely popular over the years and there are more than 2,000 personality tests currently available on the market.
While there still is much debate on whether personality tests provide an accurate picture of a candidate, they can be helpful in accurately defining a company’s culture. Before implementing personality tests into your recruiting process, try first collecting personality tests results from your current employees. This can help you identify the common trends in the company’s workforce and can help you determine which potential candidates would be the best fit.
As the unemployment rate reaches the lowest it has been in decades, companies are searching for new ways to update their hiring process to attract more qualified candidates. While job interviews aren’t going anywhere anytime soon, it is important for hiring managers to stay current on the latest trends. By adding skills and personality tests, in addition to traditional interviews, companies can attract and employ successful new hires.
Matt Thomas is the President of Indianapolis-based WorkSmart Systems Inc., which he founded in 1998.