In our series of articles and discussions focused on client transformations, our next focus will be on enabling our clients to “up their game” when it comes to their selection processes. As many of you are aware, there are many data points that we use in HR to talk to the impact of both the actions we take and the actions that we don’t take. Most HR leaders can quickly quote what their overall cost per hire is, which is typically the expenditures spent during the selection process. The costs typically include sourcing costs, relocation costs, the use of external partners, travel costs, etc.
Some organizations go as far as determining the time cost of the hiring team in the selection process. While there are many costs involved in the recruitment process, the two costs that are often overlooked are the cost of the role not being filled and reputational cost. The wrong talent can cost an organization who is on a fast trajectory of change. Many of our clients are doing exactly that – changing fast. Many are poised to revolutionize their businesses and at times, their industry, understand that raising their talent bar is the lynchpin to making that happen.
That brings me to the whole concept of every new hire impacting your productivity and ability to reach your strategic goals. All roles exist within an organization to drive productivity in some manner. Whether the role directly produces a good/service, or supports those producing them, the goods and services can’t be delivered efficiently without all roles being filled. And the impact of an open role, or a role filled with a misalignment of skills or behaviors, can compromise the way customers think of the client.
A critical way to avoid or reduce these costs is to ensure that your selection process is structured, aligned with the Success Profile, and consistent with the core values of the organization.
How to ensure success in your hiring process
There are a number of interview methodologies on the market offering a varying degree of value to the overall process. I’m not advocating any one particular methodology; what I am advocating is having a methodology. Taking the time to be purposeful about your selection process ensures that you know exactly what you need to hire in order for both the employee and company to be successful. Assessing all candidates utilizing the same criteria and approach will drive a quality process, successful hires, and higher productivity. Whether you select a , basing your decision on the Success Profile for the role will drive data driven hiring decisions.
A Success Profile is as it sounds; a collection of skills, behaviors and values that are critical for an individual to do the role well and to drive the results that are necessary for the business to thrive. The profile is the base tool that will drive the identification of key indicators for success in the role. One of the proven approaches is the behavior-based . They have been proven to be very effective in assessing candidates and determining their effectiveness in a role. The goal of a behavioral interviewing methodology is to specifically ask the candidate to provide concrete examples of when they have demonstrated a particular behavior in their past. The proven belief is that past behavior is an indicator of future behavior. Yet, there are other approaches that also work. Take the time to research the various approaches and determine the best approach for your organization – it needs to align with your organization’s culture, values, and ethics.
Identifying the right candidate
The use of any methodology will require a commitment to train your HR Team, your hiring managers, and your interviewers. Yet, those trained hiring managers and interviewers are provided with specific questions that directly align with what it takes to be successful in the role and within the organization. The approach is to have multiple people assess the same behaviors, but no individual assesses all behaviors. You want to ensure that there is a thorough analysis by the interview team where the team will provide specific input on the behaviors they were asked to assess. The collection of the input provides the hiring manager with the information they need to make a hiring decision. In this methodology, the final hiring decision is in the hands of that hiring manager. The interviewers are asked to provide their point of view on whether they are inclined to support or not support hiring a candidate. The final decision, though, is the responsibility of the manager.
Work with us
Banister International has partnered with a number of high-performing organizations to train their leadership teams on a structured interview methodology to drive the improvement of key hiring metrics. We have seen these organizations increase their overall acceptance rates, decreased time in new employees getting up to speed, and a reduction in first year . Research has shown that 80% of employee turnover comes from poor hiring decisions.
We continue to work with our varied client base to support them as the focus on improving their overall selection/assessment processes and increase their overall hiring successes.
Banister International can provide support to your hiring managers and interview teams, enabling them to become better, more efficient, and more confident interviewers. Reach-out to us for a discussion on how we would customize our training to meet your needs.