Hiring confidently and well is important for any company. What is more critical? Yet, few business owners have developed this skill and feel confident about their ability to select and hire well. When I do search, I build in training for my clients on how to interview and select more effectively. Besides helping me complete the search, this leaves my clients with better skills.

This article describes the steps in this training process. You can use this model to improve the hiring in your company. Here are the steps to better hiring:

• Interview the management team, then draft and review a hiring specification. This involves the management team in developing the criteria they will use for evaluating candidates. This essential first step gives everyone the time and opportunity to think through the hiring specification. When done well, it results in clarity on the goals of the position and the skills necessary to achieve the goals.

• Train the initial interviewer (usually the owner in a senior hiring situation) to interview. Use a script (tailor made for the situation) with open-ended questions that ask the candidates to give data about how well they meet the hiring criteria. Good interviewers let the person being interviewed talk 80% of the time. The script guides the conversation to this balance and gives the interviewer much more information than they are used to having.

• The finalists, selected by the initial interviewer, are scheduled to meet the members of the interview team. The schedule is back-to-back for efficient use of time. The interview team is trained and scripted to cover all areas of relevance. The process of back-to-back interviews and training in questioning technique gives data that allows the team to compare and contrast the candidates. This makes selection easier than when one person is evaluated in isolation from competing candidates.

• After the interviews, the team meets as a group to evaluate candidates, rank and rate them, and identify final questions or issues. These meetings usually are energetic and involving.

TOP OF PAGE

By the time the owner selects a candidate, the criteria and qualifications have been thoroughly explored. This process gives the team an opportunity to participate actively and understand the reason for the selection. This gives the entire organization confidence that a rational and proper choice has been made in a professional way.

Here is what one client says about the process.

"Despite some initial trepidation..everyone appreciated participating in ..the.. process. They surprised me with their enthusiasm for the group interviewing process. We were executive search novices, but you made us feel comfortable with each step along the way to our successful hire. "

With a little patience you can also professionalize your hiring process. Take the time to think through the job and to develop a hiring specification. Then involve your team to gain their insight and commitment. Take the lead in developing your organization’s ability in this key area.