Tips For Best Hiring Practices - Are you hiring the right people?
INTRODUCTION:
Greetings to all. My new course on Udemy.com, "The Key To Customer Service," is doing very well. It is part of my new business tutorial series. This is what brings me to the topic for this blog post. I am presenting working on my next course in the series, "Tips For Best Hiring Practices." Many topics and more you will read in this post will be taught in greater detail in this course.
Hiring can be a nightmare. However, it doesn't have to be. Many of the problems with hiring are due to poor hiring practices. The hiring process is also different for a sole proprietor versus a store manager who works for a corporation. Many corporations have strict hiring practices and have a human resources (HR) department that sets the guides and often does the pre-screening. However, a store owner may not have these resources available. Regardless of how your hiring is done, basic principles should be followed. Hiring falls into three basic steps.
Identifying your hiring problems,
Identifying your needs,
Placing the right ad,
The interview process.
The selection process.
Anything more than these is creating more work for yourself. So let's break them down.
IDENTIFYING YOUR HIRING PROBLEMS:
The most significant problem most businesses face is the high turnover of staff. If you have a high staff turnover, you MUST identify why and fix it. In many cases, you did not inform the successful candidate of the full scope of the job you hired them to do. When they start working for you, they find out the job is more than what they were told. High turnover of staff is costly. It costs money to train people. It also takes time to recoup that investment. When you have a high turnover, in almost every case, you lose money.
After retiring from the fire service, I worked many years in corporate management and sat on a hiring committee. Our company had a high turnover rate. This turnover rate was high because, like most employers, they describe the best parts of the job they are hiring for and leave out the downsides. Unfortunately, every job has its downsides. Therefore, you must determine your mistakes during your hiring process. This speaks to identifying your hiring problems.
For you to choose the best candidate and give each candidate a fair representation of the job they are applying for, they need to know everything about it, for example. This job has great benefits. (WHAT ARE THEY?) We have regular break and lunch schedules. (HOW MANY AND HOW LONG?) We pay well. (HOW MUCH?) We have periodic employee evaluations. (WHEN AND HOW MUCH?) Overtime is available. (IS IT MANDATORY?) We have a flexible work schedule. (WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY FLEXIBLE?)
The interviewer makes the job sound like the perfect dream job but leaves out vital information. Most candidates for a position are reluctant to ask too many questions and often forget the questions they want to ask at the end of the interview. Now they get hired, and when they start, they find out everything you did;t tell them about the job.
These questions and issues will vary depending on the type of work, for example. For example, in the commercial ambulance business, almost no employer tells someone during an interview that they can be held as long as they need them at the end of their shift. So now, when that employee who is supposed to get out at 4 pm is held and doesn't leave until 6, 7, or even 8 pm, in a short time, they quit.
Or when overtime is available for the weekend, someone is told they MUST work. It is mandatory. After this happens a few times, they quit. Where was the problem here? The problem was the new hire was NEVER told these things during the interview. Therefore, they think this is NOT what they signed up for.
These are just a couple of examples. In my course, I will be discussing many other types.
IDENTIFYING YOUR NEEDS:
What are the needs of your business? What position are you hiring for? Do you need experienced staff members, or can someone be trained? Functions such as cashier, you can qualify for. However, a position such as sales staff may require someone with sales experience. One of your needs is more of a need for your experience as an interviewer. That is the ability to be transparent. Some shops are union, meaning there is a bargaining unit. Therefore, the bargaining unit contract sets the payscales and raises structure, and more.
As an employer, when you are short-staffed, you may hire anyone to have a body in the building. By doing this, you are NOT offering your customers the best customer service experience and are causing more work for others. Both lead to a failed venture for all. Additionally, in an environment not governed by a union, are you paying a competitive pay rate compared to your competitors for an experienced individual?
Think about that. How long will you keep an employee with experience n your business if they can go to work flipping burgers for more money? Yes, they may take the job because they cannot find another, but you will lose them as soon as they find something else. All of this leads to high turnover. Longevity in employment should be your goal. You want people who will stay and grow with the company.
PLACING THE AD:
This is where it counts.
