Imagine with me that your organization needs to hire a top, key leader. You are eager to get the position filled so you dive right in only to find yourself lost in one of these choose-your-own adventure disasters:
3 Hiring Disasters to Avoid
- You spend weeks evaluating resumes, aligning schedules and conducting interviews with candidates possessing a set of skills that you later find out are not the skills the ultimate hiring
authority is looking for. - You’ve narrowed your selection to two, truly talented candidates. In an attempt not to appear overly excited about either of them, you downplay your enthusiasm only to give the candidates the impression you’re not really that interested in them. Both candidates move on and you’ve just lost a dynamic leader.
- The hiring team does not make interviewing a priority, which causes the process to drag out for weeks and months. Your best candidate accepts an offer with another organization that is eager and ready to move.
These are just three all-too-common scenarios that lead to a very poor hiring experience. How can you avoid these time-wasting situations?
6 Steps to Prepare Your Interview Process for Success
Benjamin Franklin said it best, “By failing to prepare you are preparing to fail.” A successful hiring process starts with preparation—specifically, determining a clear picture of the end goal. Everyone must be in agreement with what you’re seeking, otherwise you won’t know when you find it.
Use this checklist for six ways to align your leadership team prior to launching your interview processes.
- Establish who is part of the hiring team and set engagement expectations.
- Discuss – clearly and thoughtfully – what defines success. Document these success factors in measurable outcomes and expectations.
- Outline the absolute qualifications versus the ‘Nice to Have’ qualifications. Validate them all. Ask why these are critical or valuable in each decision makers opinion.
- Set a realistic timeline for screening and interviewing candidates. Even more importantly, require timely, detailed feedback from each decision maker.
- Sort out conflicting desires and expectations internally.
- Ensure your team is aligned, clear and ready to fully engage.
Centennial is an excellent resource for uncovering misalignment within the hiring team and helping sort through what is best for your organization. However, these conversations need to be had before candidates are involved. You don’t want to interrupt your hiring process to work through issues, hoping the top candidates will still be there when the dust settles.
Take the time to establish what you’re aiming for and you’ll know when you hit your target’s “bullseye.” We’re here to help.