Hring Process

When a company decides to hire someone, it generally signals growth and prosperity for the company. In today's trying economic times, the ability to hire the right person has taken on new, as well as challenging, directions. With the current economic conditions, the market has shifted towards the employer. Because of the vast amount of qualified people, the decision of who to hire has become as difficult as trying to decide who deserves a promotion. Often, companies rely on managers, experienced or new to the position, to make the right decisions involved in interviewing, hiring, discipline and termination. It is critical for any company to have managers skilled enough to conduct an interview, with appropriate questions and formatting to avoid bringing liability to the company.

Interviews need to be conducted in a friendly and inviting environment. This serves dual purpose. It portraits the image of professionalism and comfort. Making the interviewee feel at ease will open the doors to more honest and valid answers. Managers need to stay focused on the details of what the job requires and drill down to the experience the interviewee brings to the meeting. From an HR standpoint, the basics after the initial interview would be to contact references, prior jobs and conduct back ground checks. This gives a clear insight on what the potential employee has done in the past.

Interviews can be a challenge to managers, new and old. During all the stages of the hiring process, managers need to make sure not to discriminate, intentionally or by accident, against all applicants. Discrimination is prohibited, by law, on the basis of gender, race, origin, age or disability. Wording is the key. Managers need to know how to ask without asking. Asking questions about when a potential employee graduated college can be construed as asking about their age, since the question can give a relative timeframe of age.

Hiring the right person can be as big a challenge as retaining the right person. Most companies have not figured out the basics in retaining talent. Most companies tend to think that once the right person has been hired and put in place, the process is over. In actuality, the process is only beginning. In order to get the most out of the new employee, the company must now integrate the new person so they become comfortable and a valuable member of the team. With a little thought, and some effort, the right person can be found, trained and retained.