With the calendar rolled over to the New Year, companies have put their new budgets into play, which means that they will be adding employees when positions become available. As your company looks to hire a new employee, do not wait for the perfect candidate to come along. Instead, stop this practice and begin to look for quality candidates who have the skills and potential to perform at your required level.
Skill Set is a Great Measuring Stick
The skill set of a job candidate is a great measuring stick when looking to hire for open jobs at your company. When you hire employees based on the skills they have, you make it easier to find qualified candidates for your open jobs. Even if there is a shortage of skilled workers, your company can hire people who show potential, train them and then move them into jobs that require the skills they learned in training.
Potential is Another Factor
Potential is another trait you need to consider when hiring for open jobs at your company. Waiting for the perfect candidate will likely result in open jobs staying unfilled for quite some time. When you look at a candidate, it can be easy to see the potential they bring to the table based on their work history. If you decide to hire based on potential, you should have no problem training and then promoting these types of employees.
Focus on Training
If your company shifts its focus to training, it will help in retaining current employees. It will also help lower the turnover rate, which means jobs will need to be filled at a lower rate. A focus on training will also allow the company to fill jobs from within whenever necessary. Promoting from within is an excellent way to increase the strength of your company and its bottom line.
Determine What the Company Needs
In terms of hiring, a company needs to determine what it needs in an employee the most. The perfect candidate will likely never come along, which means you need to find an employee who meets your needs in one area the most. Whether you look for one specific skill, a specific work history or a specific leadership role he or she held in the past; all of this is important to hiring a strong worker for an open job.
Use Highly-Focused Interviews
Once your company determines what it needs in an employee, make sure the interview is highly focused. This will allow you to figure out if the candidates have what it is you are looking for in an employee. Ask a ton of questions that require answers with examples, write down answers and have follow up questions prepared. Make sure you check references, too.
Waiting to hire the perfect candidate for your open job can hurt your company when it comes to completing client work. Switch your focus to hiring an employee who meets a need and see the productivity skyrocket.
