Hiring is the Front Door to Your Future Success™

Checklist –

4 Steps to Make HIRING YOUR COMPETITIVE ADVANTAGE

  1. Needs Assessment for the Job and the People
  • What is your hiring brand?
  • What is the overriding hiring goal for the company? (See strategic interview form)
  • PRIOR to starting the selection process, have the hiring manager evaluate their current team’s strengths and weaknesses.
  • What core competencies are needed to achieve your goals and mission? (Sense of urgency, flexibility, job ownership, self-motivated, team, etc.)
  • What characteristics would an “A” player have for the open position?
  • Is your employee pre-hire assessment up-to-date or have you used it for over three years? Are you measuring for past needs or for the rapidly changing future? Time for review and update?
  • How will the open position change in the next 2 – 4 years? Will this be a remote position? How will that affect your hiring decision today?
  1. Interviewing
  • Review your “Preparation” section before interviewing any candidates.
  • PRIOR to making an offer, have the hiring manager answer these four questions.
  1. How will the person increase the team’s talent?
  2. Will the person take ownership of their job responsibilities?
  3. Will this person work well with existing team members?
  4. If hired, how will you help this person learn, grow, and succeed?
  • Embrace diversity and inclusion.
  • Does your interview evaluation form include 3 – 5 reminders that your managers cannot ask the candidates?
  • Do you have targeted interview questions? Do not accept an interviewee’s set answers. Dig for more details and examples. Talk less, listen more.
  • Have multiple people interview the candidates.
  • Do drug tests and background checks.
  • Is this candidate potentially an “A” player? Review the results of the pre-hire assessment, interview impressions, your thoughts from your “Preparation” section, drug tests, background check results and job description.
  • Does the candidate fit the job, the manager and the company’s culture?

  1. Onboarding
  • Communicate positively with the new hire prior to their actual start date.
  • Do the necessary paperwork before the candidate’s first day, if possible.
  • Give the new employee a clear picture of the company, its Mission, and values.
  • Have a well thought out product and process training program.
  • Clearly identify the keys to success. Give the new employee 30-, 60- and 90-day expectation goals.
  • Assign a mentor for the informal, “learn the ropes” training.
  • Introduce the new person to the team and other managers and executives.
  1. Annual “Hit and Miss” meeting.

This is an executive review of the hiring successes and disappointments. This is not a finger-pointing session. The goal is to constantly improve the selection process. The meeting should focus on one question — Is hiring your competitive advantage? How can we help you?

Hiring is the Front Door to Your Future Success™