Are You Hiring Assets…or Liabilities? If you’re not hiring good people…you can’t expect good results. Excellent performance, high productivity and greater profitability result from having superior employees on board. It’s as simple as that.

The “costs” of hiring below average employees include lower productivity, higher training expenses, poor customer service, lower sales volume and more management time devoted to addressing and resolving workforce problems. Add it all up…the cost of having below average employees is phenomenal. Worse yet, the cost of replacing even a below average employee who quits or gets fired is significant. Research has shown that turnover can have a price tag of 33% of annual salary for entry-level jobs and as much as three times total salary for higher-level positions. Do the math - hire the best candidate in the first place!

Unfortunately, most companies don’t focus on these costs. Their hiring process often consists of running an ad and placing openings on the Internet, reviewing piles of resumes and then conducting traditional interviews that typically fail to differentiate future top performers from below average performers. The bottom line: if you haven’t yet invested in the development of a plan that will enable you to consistently succeed in recruiting, screening and hiring good people- true assets- we recommend that you consider the following:

To learn more about Pre- Employment Screening & Testing, click here.

Do you know who is most likely to be a good Job Fit?

If you want to hire superior people, first define superior performance. One way to do this is to identify (benchmark) the traits and abilities of the best performers currently in the job. Then, compare candidates with who you know to be your superior performers.

Have you conducted a Skills Inventory?

You must be able to recognize not only the educational and experience requirements of each job, but also the specific skills (problem solving, vocabulary, math, grammar, computer proficiency, etc.) that are necessary. You should also know what behavioral skills (teamwork, following rules/policies, follow-up, friendliness/customer service, sales orientation, etc.) are needed for success in the position.

Have you prepared a Recruiting/Evaluation/Selection Plan?

Before looking outside the organization, did you make sure that potentially qualified internal candidates are given the opportunity to be considered? Have you evaluated recruiting sources for those that have produced the best pool of candidates- not from a standpoint of quantity of prospects, but more importantly the quality of prospects? Do you conduct multiple interviews involving several different people in the organization? The process is an effective way to evaluate candidates objectively and avoid the common hiring mistake of selecting who you “like” rather than someone with the specific skills, experience and workstyle required for success in the position.

Do you use a Structured Interview which includes Performance Based Questions?

Research has shown that the traditional method of interviewing has an extremely low predictive validity for determining who the future super stars will be. Since past performance is the single greatest predictor of future performance, you should incorporate questions designed to tell you what they have accomplished --- not just what they “promise” to do in the future.

Do you Utilize Pre-employment Tests/Assessments?

Validated assessments tools that benchmark current top performers to establish the profile of successful performers can add objectivity and “science” to the selection process. There are numerous tools on the market. The value of doing research to find the right tools that measure what the organization wants measures is extremely important.

Are Reference and Background Checks included in your process?

Did you know that 25% of job applications and resumes reflect incomplete or false information? The importance of verifying the accuracy of information included on the application/resume, obtaining (or at least attempting to obtain) references on past performance, and screening for criminal record or other potential issues in a person’s background cannot be overstated. This step should not be skipped in the selection process.

Selecting Top Performers can yield significant advantages to your organization. Using the right process leading up to the final determination to extend an offer of employment can ensure that the decision is a good one and that the employee will be an asset, not a liability.

John Guettler
Sr. Consultant
HRGroup, LLC
The Workforce Catalyst
Tele. 480-753-6188

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