Is Your Organization Ready to Conduct Effective Interviews?

By Jon Vegosen

With our nation coming out of the worst economy since the Great Depression, hiring may be the last thing on some employers' minds. But there are signs that things are improving, and some companies are hiring. Moreover, employee turnover may result in job openings within organizations. Unfortunately, even in a "buyer's market" hiring managers too often unwittingly settle on less than a stellar candidate. When the candidate comes aboard, managers lament: "This isn't who I thought we hired!" This article outlines why this phenomenon can occur and offers some suggestions for conducting effective interviews.

Hire Against a Standard Many managers fail to appreciate the importance of hiring against a standard. They do not establish ahead of time their hiring criteria and the successful results that they want a new employee to achieve once hired. Frequently, they look at a pool of candidates and simply hire the one that appears to be the "best of the lot." Instead, they should only employ an applicant who meets the employer's hiring criteria. This approach increases the chances of finding the "must hire" candidate. Yes, it requires an employer to have the discipline and patience to "keep looking" if none of the applicants meet the hiring criteria. But the investment made can pay an employer rich dividends.