Adams & Garth Blog

Hiring the wrong person can be an expensive waste of time. Yet, many companies seem to make the same mistakes over and over again when it comes time to recruit. So what can you do to hire proven winners? Here are some tips:

Create a profile.
Develop a profile that includes a list of the needs and expectations you have for the professional you are trying to hire. Next, create a list of personality traits and skills necessary to fulfill your expectations. For example, if you’re trying to hire an office manager, you’ll need someone who is highly organized and good with people.

Begin recruiting.
Don’t count only on the traditional avenues for recruiting, like placing a classified ad in the local paper. Be creative and think about other ways to target qualified talent, such as:

• Advertising in trade journals
• Working with a staffing firm
• Recruiting online via websites like LinkedIn
• Asking your current employees and colleagues for referrals

Evaluate resumes.
When you’re reviewing resumes, look for accomplishments and skills that are similar to your candidate profile. If you’re not sure about a particular candidate, give them the benefit of the doubt and put them in your pile for phone screens. The worst that can happen is you waste 15 minutes of your time

Perform phone screens.
A phone screen is basically like a short interview to see if you want a candidate to come in for a meeting face to face. During the phone screen, get as much information as possible to determine whether the individual is a good candidate for a second interview.

Invite candidates in for interviews.
How effective your interview is depends on the quality of your questions. Be sure to be specific in the questions you ask. For example, don’t just ask the candidate how they operate under pressure. Ask them to cite specific examples of times they successfully dealt with a difficult or stressful work situation.

Check references.
This is probably the one step that is most important, and yet, many employers seem to skip it. Don’t make that same mistake. Ask for at least three references and don’t make any offers until those references have been verified.

In order to hire the right person, you must spend the time and energy upfront to source, screen, evaluate, and verify. If you don’t have that kind of time, then consider working with an employment firm.

At Adams & Garth, it’s our job to recruit and evaluate high quality talent. We know how to find the people you need, without all the hassles that usually come with hiring. Contact us today to learn more.