7 Top Tips To Hiring Good Employees
In today’s competitive work environment, there are lots of candidates to choose from, but you want to make sure that you employ the best, most motivated, and productive talent for the position in hand.
If you want your business or organisation to succeed and go from strength to strength, it’s crucial that you hire the right people for the job. You need a hiring process that includes more than just relying on interviews and CVs.
To help you filter out unsuitable candidates and hire employees that are going to make a positive difference in your business or organisation, we’ve compiled the following top tips.
1. Invest In DBS Checks
DBS checks have become the number one way to check that the applicants you get and employees you hire are excellent, and don’t pose a risk to you or your business operations. A DBS check searches and returns details from an individual’s criminal record. The DBS check helps you to make sensible decisions and reduces the risk of hiring people that will have a negative effect on your business.
At the moment, you can apply for a Basic DBS Check online, which makes the process much easier and quicker. All you need to do is request that the applicant completes the online form in their own time. Standard and Enhanced checks are not available online at the time of writing, and need to be applied for on behalf of the candidate.
2. Assess Their Workplace Compatibility
There is plenty of research to show that employees who fit in well with the colleagues and team will be more productive and will improve the working atmosphere. In other words, they become an asset to your organisation.
Some employers offer “experience days” to potential candidates, as a chance for both you and the applicant to see if it’s a good fit. Experience days involve the candidate being invited to experience a typical working day and collaborating with the team. During this time, employers can see how they interact with other team members and how they react to the company culture. However, you should bear in mind that most people will be self-conscious or appear shy when meeting new people in a stressful environment, but it will give you some idea of how they will get on in the team.
3. Look For Self-motivated Individuals
Teamwork is very important, but so is self-motivation and being able to work independently. Typically, you should look to hire people that are committed to building a career, rather than just looking for a “job”. You can assess how self-motivated a candidate is by setting them an interview task that is slightly challenging and involves independent thought or action.
Look for people who have shown levels of loyalty in past positions or roles, and are conscientious and hard working. References from past employers are important to determine whether they have these qualities or not.
4. Implement An Internship Programme
If you don’t already have one, an internship programme is a powerful way to attract and keep good people. Interns will get to know your company intimately and when it comes to hiring for a new role, they will often be the first in line. You will also know them very well and can make an accurate assessment of their skills and qualities.
5. Contact Recruitment Agencies
If you don’t have the time or opportunity to create an excellent internal hiring process, recruitment agencies can come to the rescue. They are experts at identifying and attracting the best people for the job. Recruiters have tried and tested procedures to assess competency, skills, attitude, compatibility, and confidence.
6. Ask Screening Questions
Asking screening questions during the application and interview process will help you to weed out people unsuitable or unqualified for the job. Some example of good screening questions are:
- What kind of work environment and culture do you prefer?
- Describe your perfect manager?
- What are your career goals?
- What was the biggest challenge you’ve faced and how did you deal with it?
- What past and present work experiences make you a good candidate for this role?
This is just a small sample of general screening questions and you will probably want to think of your own that are related to the job role.
7. Test For Learning and Analytical Skills
Pretty much every job role these days requires candidates to learn new skills and procedures. Therefore, you should be on the lookout for people who are motivated to learn and show the right attitude. You can build tests or tasks into your interview process that assess their capacity for learning and how well they can retain new information and skills.
Make Sure You Hire The Right People
Recruitment and hiring can be a minefield.
There are plenty of great candidates out there, but there are also plenty of bad ones. And one bad employee can cause big problems for your business or organisation.
To avoid making costly hiring mistakes, follow the tips outlined above. The top tip that can save you the most time and effort is to make DBS checks company policy.
To discover how you can benefit from using DBS checks in your hiring process, feel free to contact us