Why can’t we get hiring right? Why does the interview process so frequently fail? It’s not that you intend to misrepresent your job offering — or that candidates really want a job for which they will either be overqualified or over their head. When you make a bad hiring decision, it is usually because you don’t really know what you are looking for. What can you do to make sure the interview accurately reflects the nature of job and reveals the candidate’s suitability?
Figure Out What You Really Want — From Scratch
One of the biggest problems organizations have when they begin the hiring process is that they don’t know what they want. You may have a basic job description and a pretty good idea of what the person will be doing, but you probably lack clear consensus on the job’s priorities, including:
- What skills are most important?
- What tasks will take up most of the employee’s time?
- What must the person know how to do to be successful?
Another common mistake is to write job descriptions to counteract the errors you made the last time you tried to fill the position (“No MBAs answering the phones!”), rather than affirmatively for the position you are trying to fill.
It is not enough to simply revise the job description you used last time. Start writing it from scratch. Use the drafting process to reach consensus before you post the job. Consider:
- What does the firm need now?
- What skills are required for the person to succeed in the position?
- What activities will the person perform in the role?
This may not be as simple as it looks. For example, if the new hire will be working for multiple supervisors, each may have a different idea about what matters most.
Prioritize and Weight Job Requirements Before You Write the Job Description
Don’t stop once you agree on the job’s major responsibilities. Prioritize the skills and experience that you are looking for and indicate the weight that each set of requirements should be given. Six or seven generalized statements are not nearly as helpful as a prioritized list that shows the approximate percentage of time you expect to be spent in each area. This will help candidates decide if they are truly qualified for the position. And, it sets the stage for interviews that focus on the questions you have agreed are most important.
Taking the time upfront to create an accurate and detailed job description is likely to attract a better set of candidates for the job you really are looking to fill. It will help you to be more confident that you will be able to hire someone who truly meets expectations.
