When interviewing new employees, often we rely on gut feelings. Beyond wardrobe, grooming or body language, we try to read the intentions and abilities of our potential employees. We want to establish a sense of how they mesh with our goals and needs. During the initial recruiting and interview process, it seems easy to separate the wheat from the chaff. Candidates who don’t offer us what we need outright, whether that be experience, confidence, or sophistication are easy to eliminate based on the information they give us via interviews and application materials.
However, when it comes to our ideal candidates, sometimes there are things that fall between the lines of a resume or remain unspoken in an interview. Candidates aim to present their best face to potential employers. Employers must know who they will be trusting with business operations, clients, and sometimes even company money. Just because a candidate aces the interview does not guarantee that she is the best candidate for the job.
Trials and Training Periods
Many employers opt to have candidates shadow a member of staff for a day as a piece of the interview process. Getting candidates into action allows employers to assess if a potential employee performs well on the floor or is all talk. Witnessing a potential employee interact with the whole staff gives a sense of team chemistry.
Ask candidates to provide follow-up materials. Require to submit samples of their work or even complete directed projects to demonstrate skill in building from your companies guidelines. Tech companies like Google utilize notorious critical thinking exercises to asses candidates ability to think on their feet. Get creative and ask your potential employees to demonstrate their wits and abilities outside of the standard panel interview format.
Employers may also choose to institute a training period where employees act as temporary employees. Upon successful completion of training, businesses offer positions to qualified candidates. Temp-to-hire training periods allow offices to decide if an employee fits into the culture of the workplace and can effectively complete tasks.
Background Checks
Each state establishes its own criteria for background checks and then there are federal regulations for employee background checks. Employers may request drug testing, credit reporting, criminal records, and even drill down deeper into a candidate’s social media history.
However, government regulations about how information from these reports may be used in hiring decisions is complex. Employers who execute background checks on their own often find them to be a drain on time and company resources. You’re better off making certain that all laws and regulations are adhered to by using a service that specializes in background checks.
When making final employment decisions assess all information to create a complete picture of a candidate. While potential employees might have flawed histories, inspect their history for patterns of success or failure. When hiring aim to onboard employees who are consistent and present an upward trajectory.
Personality and Aptitude Testing
Personality testing provides a different perspective of potential employees. Personality determiners like the Meyers-Briggs offer a picture of how your future employee interacts, learns, and synthesizes information. Personality testing helps employers determine if a candidate will be happy doing the kind of work associated with the position.
Aptitude testing is like the SAT but for skill sets essential to certain positions. Employers may use tests to evaluate critical thinking skills, organizational skills, mathematical skills, and spatial aptitude.
Background checks, work samples, and temp-to-hire periods give employers more complete information to evaluate potential employees. Take advantage of the opportunity to get to know the people you will trust with your business.
Photo credit: CT Senate Democrats
