HR MANAGEMENT - Six essentials of hiring

by Vichitra Robinson

Hiring refers to a process which involves attracting, screening and selecting qualified person for the desired job. Every large or small company undergoes this process. Normally, large companies hire professional recruiters whereas smaller ones outsource this task.

Whether your company does it internally or externally, there are few points to consider as you undertake this process.

UNDERSTANDING THE NEED

The essence of hiring lies in understanding the needs of a company. Same job at different companies may need candidates with different capabilities depending on the size and aspirations of a company. For example – a business development manager in an MNC and in a startup will need to work with a different mindset. So unless you as a recruiter know what a company wants – it will be hard to communicate the same to the candidate and so hard to attract the right fit for the job.

KNOW WHO YOU ARE HIRING

Traditionally a hiring process consisted of receiving resumes, short listing candidates based on them, reference check and interviews.

But in order to really understand an applicant , the hiring personnel needs other sources of information like, previous employment checks, looking at portfolio of their work if you are in to hire a designer, coder or writer. Nowadays tools like LinkedIn also help in knowing a candidate better. You can know about their skill set by looking at their network and recommendations that they have received.

If you are looking to hire for a social media or online marketing role then it is good to have a look at candidates Twitter and Face book profiles. For a coder you can look at a person’s GitHub profile.

HIRE WHO CAN DELIVER

Hire someone who is really interested in doing the job and who has the right skill set and experience. The recruiter also needs to use commonsense while making hiring decision. At times a candidate with less experience may prove better for a job because she is still hungry to learn and prove her worth.

COMPANY CULTURE

Another important factor is culture of a company. Before conducting the hiring process, the hiring personnel should know well the culture of the company. If a company believes in being formal always then no pointing hiring an employee who wants to come to office wearing a pair of jeans. Similarly an entrepreneurially inclined employee who wants her ideas to be appreciated and acted upon may not be a good fit for an old world conservative company.

Try to share about company culture first hand and also to know a potential employee’s aspirations while engaging her

JOB DESCRIPTION

It is important for making a successful hire. Job description is a written statement required
to describe the duties, responsibilities and skill required to perform a job well It also includes information about working conditions, tools, equipment to be used, knowledge and skills needed, and relationships with other positions.

AVOID OVER SELLING

Never promise what can’t be delivered by a company. It is not good to promise faster promotions or movement into bigger decision soon after the candidate joins.

Share realistic growth path and opportunities so that the candidate joins with the right frame of mind. If an applicant is not convinced to join, and the recruiter lures them into the job with fat promises, she may get dissatisfied later and leave. They will feel duped and may share this with others. This may create an unfavourable image for the company.

If you keep in mind these six essentials of hiring chances are that you will hire a candidate who will be a good fit for the company and will stay long enough with the company to benefit both.