At a recent monthly client meeting, the topic of the ‘incorrect’ hire came up. It reminded me of the mantra, “hire slowly, fire quickly” which was the comment many business owners repeated regularly to fellow members when leading CEO round table discussions. It has been identified that inappropriate hires financially cost firms about 25% more when that employee is the wrong fit.
So my observation was “How did this person get past several interviews without it being observed?” Even the operating manager shared in the weekly meeting that the talent did not meet the objectives of the position. So how do we interview for talent, style, competence, and knowledge? It is a process that is unique to every organization’s structure. The focus is on developing a positional profile with each of the above mentioned items being part of the base for interviewing competencies. And this is only the start. Other ‘position critical’ elements have to be blended into the interviewing process with room for exploration for the right fit. And a behavioral interview with “what if” questions can flesh out important information about how this person will perform.
This client’s team had been building itself well over the past five years though every so often a person would look good, become employed, yet not perform to the expectations of the position. The learning point from these incidents was to stay with a solid interviewing program and keep updating it as more was learned. It was pleasing to have a short debrief with the leadership team and openly hear what might not have been included in the process for this hire that they could include moving forward in order to yield a better overall fit. A great learning point!
Where can you start to do the same for your organization?
COMPLIMENTARY EXPLORATION
Terry Schaefer offers a complimentary 30 minute call where you can explore how to grow your business past your own expectations.
