The Top Five Mistakes Made When Hiring Part II.
"There is nothing more important to your career and company success than hiring great people. Nothing.
Lou Adler
In this continuation from last week's newsletter I will address the last two mistakes I witness employers making most often when hiring talent. Let's recap the first three mistakes. (To view last week's newsletter in detail visit Newsletter Archive #20 below.) - Having no idea what you are looking for. .
- Not seeing enough candidates.
- Asking the wrong questions.
The fourth and fifth mistakes include the following: - Allowing biases to interfere. Often in the first few minutes of an interview we decide whether we like or dislike a candidate. Maybe we like them because they come from the same college or hometown or they like the same sports team. Or perhaps we dislike them because of the way they dressed or the color of their hair. Sometimes as interviewers we are proud of our ability to make a decision within five minutes of meeting a candidate. This can be a huge mistake as it will land you a candidate that can get the job but necessarily do the job. To control your biases make your first interview with a candidate over the phone. This way you do not see all the distracters that can get in the way of determining if they can do the job. Whether in person or over the phone, withhold judgement in the first 30 minutes of the interview by writing your initial impression and then letting it go. You can check later at the end of the interview to see if it still holds true. You could lose a valuable candidate by discarding them too soon or hire a professional actor by accepting them too soon. In addition, when you begin to really like a candidate, start asking tougher questions and when you begin to dislike a candidate, start asking easier questions to balance your bias. Finally, interviewing as a team will help balance your bias by gaining different perspectives.
- Forgetting to close the sale. As an interviewer, you need to stay the buyer as much as possible and try not to sell the candidate the minute they walk in the door. This overselling can sound like desperation to the candidate. However, when a candidate has proven they can do the job, you can now move into the selling mode by letting them know you are interested in them as a candidate and asking at the end of the interview if they are still interested in the job. Contrary to popular hiring myth, it is okay to talk about salary, benefits and vacation at the end of the first interview if you believe the candidate has potential. By closing objections in each step of the interview process, you will find your final offer more easily accepted by the candidate.
Next week I will list the five most common mistakes job candidates make when applying and interviewing for a job. |
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Diane Amundson is the owner of Diane Amundson & Associates. She has been training, speaking and consulting for over sixteen years in the areas of leadership, creativity, generational diversity, team building, sales communication, conflict resolution and strategic planning. She has worked with Fortune 500 Companies like General Mills and Pepsi Cola along with numerous school districts in Minnesota and Wisconsin. She has co-authored a book titled Success Strategies: A High Achiever's Guide to Success. She is a member of the National Speakers Association and has served as Adjunct Professor of Organizational Behavior at Winona State University.
She is a Rotarian that has traveled the world on humanitarian projects in Mongolia, India and Brazil.
Her style of speaking is informative and highly interactive.
Diane Amundson & Associates
Phone: (507)452-2232 Fax:(507)452-0090
24456 County Road 9 Winona, MN 55987 |
