If you’re like most bosses, you approach hiring as a one-man process. And by one-man, I mean you and HR or the recruiter. You’re the boss and you know what you’re looking for. You have a job description in mind and possibly an ideal personality, too.
Unfortunately though, going at this alone may not be your best bet. What’s your hiring and retention rate last year? Less than impressive? How would you rate your last hires? Were they up to par, or just “just okay?”
Consulting your team during the hiring process will not only lower hiring and retention rates, it’ll also fill blind spots you might’ve missed on your last hire. Your team will also appreciate you for consulting them because it shows you trust and value their opinions.
But how exactly can you make hiring a team effort?
Here’s How to Hire the Perfect Candidate You and Your Team will Love
- Assign Each Team Member a Specific Skill to Evaluate
Everyone in your team specializes in something. Someone from your communications or marketing team might ask the candidate questions to assess his communication style, while someone from engineering or product development can assess for analytical skills.
Allow your team to prepare 5-7 questions each that’s specific to their specialty, then you can allow them to interview the applicant on their own , so they could assess him/her without the pressure of a panel interview. This might take time, but once your team gets used to it, each interview will only take 15-20 minutes.
- Compare Each Other’s Interview Notes
Meet back after the interview to compare notes. Assure your team that they can honestly express their opinion and don’t try to override them just because you already like this applicant.
The benefit of comparing notes is, instead of just one person doing all the grading; it’s your whole team. With their help, you can easily uncover potential red flags and any other issues you might’ve overlooked on your own. In the end, this will improve your hiring and retention rates.
- Evaluate Company Culture Fit with Your Team
Your company’s culture isn’t defined by you alone. It’s a combination of the personality, values and mission of every single employee in your company.
So yes, when checking for company culture fit, consult your team as well. Remember the last time you hired someone who didn’t work well with your team? I’m sure you don’t want that to happen again…
Have your team come up with a checklist of attitudes they want to see in the next hire. Then compare that checklist to every candidate you interview. Remember, if they can’t get along with the applicant this early on, that person’s skill will be no use to you.
Including your team in the hiring process will increase their loyalty in you and the company. But if you don’t include them, they might feel bitter of the new hire. They might even feel threatened, and so make the newcomer feel unwelcome. Just save yourself the trouble and avoid these hiring challenges by asking for your team’s help.
© 2015 Incedo Group, LLC
