‘The best hiring process is both scripted and consistent’

Many managers continue to trust their gut or their instinct, meaning they believe they can recognise a good hire without the need for a rigorous and strategic selection process, ADAM ROBINSON tells Sangeeta Tanwar

What are the key skills that managers need to hone to be able to hire the right candidate for the right role?

In order to hire the right person for the role, the manager must begin with an understanding of the outcomes they are looking to achieve as a result of this person being in the job. Managers should ask themselves, “What specific outcomes will this new hire need to have accomplished in 30, 90, and 180 days for me to feel like I made a good hiring choice?” Managers can then assess in the selection process whether or not that candidate has the requisite skills and experience to achieve those outcomes.

Once the expected outcomes are defined, the most important thing that a manager must do is to maintain the discipline to follow a defined hiring process. Many managers trust their gut or their instincts, meaning that they believe they can recognise a good hire without the need for a rigorous and strategic selection process. Research in the industry contradicts this assumption, however — nearly 50 per cent of all hires fail to meet their hiring manager’s expectations.

The best hiring process is both scripted and consistent. A scripted hiring process is one that uses pre-defined assessments and questions to measure and uncover whether or not the candidate has the attributes and experience that will lead to a likelihood of success in the role. A hiring process is consistent when it is being used by all managers the same way for the job that is to be filled. Being scripted and consistent is important because this approach removes the variability in what is being measured, resulting in a more accurate prediction of the candidate’s fit for the position.

Once you figure “X” is your right candidate, how do you make him an offer he cannot refuse?

Recruiting is a sales process. If the HR leader has done his or her job properly, there will be a keen understanding of the factors driving that candidate to look for new work. Once the factors are understood, a proposal (the job offer) can be tailored specifically to those needs. It is also important to point out that just because someone is qualified for the job, it doesn’t mean that they are the right hire for the job. If you are hiring for a core role in the business such as sales or customer service, your ability to tailor the offer should be limited to prevent the creation of large pay, benefit, or perk discrepancies between employees. It’s better to pass on that candidate than it is to create inequality issues.

You say recruiting is akin to a sales process. Can you explain with an example?

Just as in sales, recruiters and HR leaders should take the time to understand the candidate’s key drivers for seeking new employment. Is it more pay? A reduction in travel? An expansion of responsibility? By understanding these factors, HR can do a better job positioning the role relative to the candidate’s reasons for seeking a new job.

Properly constructed selling processes have defined stages, and requirements for moving prospects from one stage to the next. Great sales managers establish metrics and KPIs (key performance indicators) that they use to forecast results. Recruiting excellence requires the same level of funnel and process management. How many telephone interviews does it take to yield one qualified candidate? How many qualified candidates does it take to yield a finalist? How many finalists does it take to produce one hire? How many phone calls are required to produce one hire? Armed with that knowledge, the HR leader can properly staff their talent acquisition team to ensure they have the capacity required to fill the open roles.

Why is there so much noise around predictive hiring?

Eighty per cent of the recruiting, interviewing and onboarding process can be automated with the right tools. A lot of hiring platforms use data to source, screen, and hire new employees who have a high likelihood of success for the job. The prediction algorithms used are similar to the ones used with insurance underwriting or credit risk assessment — certain scored inputs predict defined outcomes (life expectancy, credit defaults etc). Over the next five years, we are going to bear witness to artificial intelligence becoming an important part of the recruiting process. There are a number of innovative companies that are creating solutions that better engage job seekers and prospective employees, all without the need for human interaction or oversight.