Given the high number of new hires that don’t work out, it’s time to review your company’s hiring strategy. The good news is that once you sharpen your insight into what makes prospective employees successful, you can vastly improve your hiring track record. Build the following enquiries into your screening, interviewing, and on-boarding processes and you’ll be on track to beat the statistics!
1. How trainable is the prospective employee?
- Does s/he take feedback well?
- Is s/he willing and able to adjust behavior based on redirection from management, coworkers, and clients?
2. What is the prospective employee’s emotional intelligence?
- Is s/he able to manage and understand emotions and respond effectively?
3. How motivated is the candidate?
- His or her track record or potential may be astonishing but if s/he lacks sufficient motivation to excel in the task at hand in your company, don’t be surprised if the results aren’t up to par.
4. Is the candidate a good cultural fit for your organization and office culture?
- What environments was the candidate most successful in in the past?
- What are the candidate’s beliefs, values, and work style?
- If the candidate’s attitude and personality clash with that of your organization, as wonderful as this person may seem, your hire could backfire.
5. What are the technical competencies of the candidate?
- The prospective employee may have all of the above soft skills in their favor, but if the candidate lacks the hard skills for the job, you may be setting them—and your company—up for failure.