Tips for Successful Recruiting and Hiring

Hiring the wrong people costs employers money—and lots of it. A Career Builder survey found

that one-in-four of employers surveyed said that a bad hire cost them more than $50,000. The

wrong employees cost employers in a variety of ways, including:

Reduced productivity

Costs and lost time to recruit and train another worker

Negative impact on employee morale

Fewer sales

Legal issues

Poor quality of work, negative attitude, not working well with others, and attendance problems

were some of the characteristics of bad hires, according to the employers surveyed.

It’s clear that hiring the right person with the right talent and attitude is essential. We’ll cover the

steps you can take to ensure you recruit the right candidates, but first a note about traditional

hiring practices (and how the processes of recruiting and hiring are evolving).

In the past hiring was a fairly simplistic process: Look for candidates with impressive

educational backgrounds and great references, and hire them. These things are important, but

they don’t tell you much about how a candidate will actually perform on the job, whether they’ll

fit in well, and whether they’re aligned with the mission and values of your company.

Beyond an impressive resume, you want candidates who are:

Resourceful

Reliable

Flexible

Open to change

Growth-oriented

Finding the Right Candidate during the Interview Process

How do you find candidates with these qualities? An increasingly popular candidate screening

method involves replicating the work environment to the greatest extent possible during the

interview process, allowing the interviewer to observe how well the candidate handles the tasks

and functions of their job, and how they react to the challenges of your workplace. This takes

time, but it’s worth the investment—as we’ve covered, a bad hire can be exceedingly costly.

During the recruiting process, look for candidates who are aligned with your organization’s

mission, values, and goals, and who are talented and growth-oriented. Test candidates during the

interview process on their ability to handle the demands and challenges of your organization, and

take your time selecting the best candidate.

Tips for Recruiting the Most Talented Candidates

1: First, look into hiring in-house candidates. Existing employees already understand your

business and (hopefully) fit in well with the culture of your workplace. Providing promotional

opportunities gives existing employees something to strive for, helps them realize their talents

and abilities, and positively boosts morale.

2: Outside of in-house possibilities, the best candidates are usually already working for someone

else. Take the time to develop relationships with university placement offices and recruiters to

learn about the most qualified candidates as they become available.

3: Utilize recruiting software to search online job boards for candidates whose resumes are

posted online even when they’re not actively looking for employment.

4: Get your key staff members attending industry conferences, recruiting events, and job fairs

where they’re likely to meet talented job candidates.

5: Turn off the “auto-pilot” button and refresh your recruitment strategy. Start by assessing the

biases you’ve created over time during your search for candidates. Look for leadership traits like

resourcefulness and resilience in potential candidates, rather than exclusively focusing on their

qualifications and accomplishments.