Making sure you get the best talent to work at your business is not as easy as it may sound to some running companies.
For starters, you typically have to wade through a long pile of resumes, some of which should stand out more than others.
Part of the challenge in hiring the best and brightest for your company is that someone can have a stellar resume and yet have a mediocre personality and vice-versa. The key becomes, how do you know which individuals will bring talent and experience to your company, yet still fit in as a team player when all is said and done?
In order for you to land only the top candidates out there, take some time now to review your hiring procedures especially as this year is winding down. With the New Year not too far around the corner, what better time to review your hiring practices?
Know What You’re Looking for
So that you can improve the chances of landing the best employees the first time around, you have to know exactly what you are searching for in a staff member.
First, where do you rank the varying categories (experience, personality, drive etc.) in terms of importance?
Knowing exactly what you are looking for in a new employee is as crucial as anything else involved in the process.
Typically, resumes that get attention are those that:
- Offer relevant experience to the job being advertised;
- Are nicely organized and free of any grammatical errors;
- Come with a cover letter that clearly expresses why the candidate believes they are the best person suited for the opening.
As you look through the winning resumes that come across your desk or that of your person in charge of HR, it is important to remember that the resume is just one (albeit an important one) piece of the puzzle.
Once it is determined that you want to have a candidate in for an interview (or perhaps over the phone), that is when he or she needs to set themselves apart from the competition.
Among the areas to look for:
- Someone bringing drive to the interview. Their resumes may be a little short here and there when it comes to relevant experience, but their passion for the job can make up for that shortage;
- Someone dressing the part. While a candidate doesn’t necessarily need a three-piece suit or a designer dress, he or she does need to present themselves accordingly. Look for those individuals that seem to put some time and effort into their appearance;
- Someone that has a winning personality. This can be the most difficult trait to identify, especially when you only have them in for a short interview or a couple of interviews. Personalities are crucial to having a strong workplace, one where everyone is willing to be a team player and pitch in as needed. Even though it can be difficult to single out these candidates during interviews, you should grade their personalities just as importantly as you would experience and talent.
So, does it sound like hiring the right person for the right job is more difficult than it truly should be?
When all is said and done, keep in mind that having to retrain folks for the right jobs ultimately ends up costing your business time and money.
Although it may seem time-consuming and even a little frustrating at times to hire the right people for the right positions, taking that needed time is worth it.
In the end, you generally will get someone that is going to not only do a good job, but won’t up and move on at the first opportunity presented them.
As you review resume after resume, remember to find those resumes that not only stand out for one good reason or another, but also those individuals you seemingly couldn’t go wrong with.
Hiring the right people is not an exact science for sure, but it is something that demands your time and attention, especially if you are on a tight budget and can’t afford to be wasting money retraining individuals.
So, what types of resumes catch your eyes?
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About the Author: Dave Thomas covers business topics on the web.
