You thought he would be a superstar. Your new hire was smart during his interview, a go-getter with a firm handshake. But then… he fizzled. Luckily, you can learn how to hone your hiring strategy and stop getting stuck with duds in the first place. Here’s how:
1. Interview for core values. Instead of hiring based on experience, hire for things like integrity, honesty and loyalty. To uncover these, ask behavioral questions during the interview. You might ask a question with no right answer to see whether the candidate can admit when he doesn’t know.
2. Improve your interviewing skills. Very few executives have been professionally trained in how to interview. Poor interviewers talk so much themselves that they find out very little about the applicant. To avoid being fooled by “C” players who look and sound like “A” players, immerse yourself in interviewing strategy. Author Bradford Smart has written extensively on the subject.
3. Measure turnover. Take stock of a candidate’s employment situation. People who leave a job to join a new company show much greater promise than people who simply need a way to pay their bills.
4. Assess your commitment. Many successful CEOs spend 65 or 70 percent of their time on recruiting, interviewing, developing and retaining talent.
5. Fail fast. When it becomes clear that a mistake has been made, admit it, execute a respectful separation and move on
What if you’re the interviewee? Check out the 8 possible reasons behind a job interview fail.
