Selecting Employees

What To Do Once You Decide To Hire

When you get to the point of selecting employees, it can be almost a relief because you are almost nearing the end. The problem is that it is full of landmines and you need to navigate carefully or the whole thing can blow up quickly!

There are 2 keys to capitalizing on your selection, expedience and listening to the candidate.

Move Quickly in Selecting Employees

Make your selection as quickly as possible. If you can not do that, make every effort to keep the candidates informed about your process. Remember, the candidate is feeling vulnerable because his or her fate is in the hands of someone else. The longer it takes for you to decide, the more doubt creeps into the picture.

This is bad for 2 reasons. First it makes your company look like it can not make a decision. After all, if you have a problem selecting employees, what other kinds of decisions are difficult for management to make? Most people can live with a decision that goes against them. Nobody likes indecision. It does not reflect well on your company. If you finally do decide to hire the candidate after a prolonged delay, it may be too late.

Remember, the candidate has a reason why they are motivated to make a change in companies. With the passage of time, that motivation may wane and circumstances that were bad enough to force a change may seem like, 'It really isn't that bad' after a couple weeks have passed.

The lesson is to make a decision as quick as possible or at least keep the candidate informed as to how the process is moving along. Keep your candidates engaged in the process or you may lose them.

Listen, Listen, Listen

Hiring employees is full of landmines. I'll say it over and over. The best defense against all the landmines is listening and clarity. Remember through all the initial contacting, screening, interviews etc, the candidate has given of themselves. They have probably told you things their best friend may not know. Give Give Give.

Once you make the decision to hire, it is likely the only time that employee will have leverage. Essentially the person who can say no has the leverage. You have decided to make an offer, you have essentially said 'Yes, we want to hire you. Now it is your turn to listen.

Certainly there are limits in the negotiation process but the key thing here is to listen to the candidate and make sure you understand what he or she is looking for to make that yes decision as well.

Follow these two pointers and you will virtually be home free and get to that yes you are looking to hear.

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