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Put the applicant's future co-workers or team members in charge of hiring
the people with whom they can work best and they'll create a realistic
picture of skills required for the position. You'll also bypass the 1st
days of “newcomer to the team” syndrome.
If you added up the time and money your company has spent on
all the ramifications of an incorrect hire, you’d change your assessment
methods immediately. Applicants have become increasingly adept at giving
the right answers or showing their best side in an interview. Who are the
managers doing the interviewing, how much do they know about what’s really
involved in doing the job, and how much will they actually be working with
the applicant?
There is a better way. Have the potential employee’s
co-workers or team members assess their ability to do the job which
includes working together with them! Set up a process that includes an
in-depth panel interview with all the people the applicant will be working
closely with. Include all paperwork, phone, and other time management
exercises appropriate to the position being hired, mock staff meetings if
such were applicable, and other work simulations as they relate to the
tasks of the job. During the assessment process the panel asks applicants
to perform certain parts of the job while observing their ability to make
decisions, handle conflict, set priorities, and communicate as well as the
technical aspects of the particular job.
BE CAREFUL –
Very thorough job analysis/job
descriptions must exist in order to make the simulations as
realistic as possible for the best prediction of on the job performance.
The simulations need to be set up to give the best prediction of actual
performance and can include role plays, paperwork, sample technical tasks,
computer based simulation, and many others.
An added benefit of this type of interviewing/assessment is
that once the panel comes to consensus on who
the best person is for the job, great support is gained from the team
since people support what they create. The training required for more than
just managers to interview and assess requires time and energy, but the
employees gain valuable insights into characteristics of skills that were
once reserved only for managers. A side benefit is the increase in
employees observation, evaluation, and decision
making skills – all necessary for other parts of their job.
Using a panel of co-workers or team members to assess
applicants provides a more comprehensive base of information about the
applicant's ability to perform the job on a day to day basis. Simulation
exercises further cut down on hiring mistakes because the applicant gets a
better picture of what the job is all about and the organization gets to
see if the applicant can actually do the job!
©Training
Systems, Inc. 2000 |
