If you’re like some of my business owner clients, you don’t hire that often and so, when you do, it’s difficult to remember how to hire, let alone how to hire great people..
- There’s no one or two things that help you through the steps of hiring or can help you hire really great people.
- Hiring can only be done by following the steps of a process
- There’re a lot of great proven methodologies but no one tool that pulls them all together in an easy-to-follow, step-by-step guide
So I did the research for you and developed a 7-step quick hiring guide, “How To Hire Great People.” It’s a compilation of best practices from the best hiring gurus. From conception to onboarding, it walks you through each step you’ll need to follow to find and hire the best people. And it’s all in 10 pages.
Click here to download your free copy of “How to Hire Great People.” Read on for an overview of the 7 steps to hiring…
STEP 1: Define the ideal candidate
Write a job description for the position. It should include position title, hours expected, key responsibilities, qualifications required, salary and benefits, submission preferences, and contact information.
STEP 2: Spread the word
Write a compelling ad. Convey enthusiasm. An uninspired posting will get you uninspired candidates. The “How to Hire Great People” tool has a brief description of how to avoid discriminatory language.
STEP 3: Generate Applicants
Look first within your organization. Place your ad in as many places as you can think of, incent existing team members for successful referrals, and place the ad on social sites: Linkedin – one of the best places to look for people, Indeed, and Indiana Career Connect (All unemployed people accepting unemployment insurance in the State of Indiana are on this site)
STEP 4: Screen Applicants
Save time by NOT interviewing everyone. Narrow down to your top candidates, about 3 – 4. These you’ll interview.
STEP 5: Interview Candidates
Make the interview like a conversation vs an interrogation, while controlling the flow. The key to an interview that’ll uncover a person’s real skills and character is using behavioral-based questions. Download “How to Hire Great People” for an 8-step guide to conducting interviews including 30 sample behavioral-based questions you can choose from.
Step 6: Check references and do pre-employment screens
The first 3 below you can do yourself but the last 4 you’ll need to hire a professional firm to do:
- Employment verification
- Academic verification
- Reference checks
- Criminal history checks
- Credit checks
- Alcohol and drug testing
- Cognitive and skills testing
Step 7: Make the offer
Do it verbally by phone or face to face, not email, and do it with enthusiasm. Your relationship starts at this moment, not the first day on the job. Follow up with a formal letter.
Even if you’re not hiring anyone now, save the hiring tool, “How to Hire Great People,” for later. It’s a simple 14-pg. pdf, it doesn’t cost anything, and it’s chock full of everything you need to do to hire great people.
