7 Steps to a Successful Hiring Process

Most hiring mistakes are a result of a flawed hiring process or errors made during the process. So, you can have a good hiring process but make mistakes during one or more of the steps, the results will be the same, a no-hire or worse, a bad hire.

These are the seven essential steps for an effective hiring process, drawn from over four decades of experience in the search industry.

1. Who's responsible?

One person, usually a talent acquisition manager (TAM) or another HR designee, must be in charge of the process, whether it is for the entire company, a division, or a department. That person needs to be responsible for the process from cradle to grave, able to keep the line moving. They must know the specific needs of each hiring manager, the core values, and the corporate culture of the company in detail. Just knowing the rules and regulations of recruiting, hiring, and employment won't cut it. If you are using a search firm, they must interview the hiring manager. If there is a current or former employee that the hiring manager would like to replicate, they should also be interviewed.

2. Time is of the essence:

The TAM needs access to the calendar of the employees in the interviewing process. Interviews must be made with the candidate's schedule in mind but with a sense of urgency. You want to interview as many candidates within the shortest time period as possible. If the process takes too long without feedback, good candidates will talk themselves out of the job or accept another offer. Keep the line moving.

3. The Resume:

The resume is one of the most unreliable documents on the planet. I recently Googled "How to write an effective resume" and got 423 million results. Worse than that, if you Google "How to lie on a resume" you will get 72 thousand results. We seldom know who actually wrote the resume or how truthful it is. Everyone wants to portray themselves in the most favorable light, especially in a "Candidate's market". The two most important inconvenient truths about resumes are a) the best candidate seldom has the best resume, and b) the resume doesn't show the most essential characteristics of the candidate. 

Organizations that "screen in" or "screen out" based on the resume are not hiring the best candidates, A quality search firm will have evaluated the candidate on these hidden attributes before presenting the candidate(s) to your firm. This saves an enormous amount of your time and allows you to focus your interviews on specific needs of the position.

Skill testing, personality assessments, and AI systems can provide some insight into these essential characteristics, but the resume and assessments should count for no more than 50% of the hiring decision. Diversity of thought is a good thing so avoid using assessments to build a team of like-minded employees, or you may end up with groups that suffer from common ignorance. The interviewing process is the major key to effective hiring. Later we will discuss how to conduct effective interviews expeditiously.

4. How many interviews?

This is a tough subject because there is a difference of opinion even between experts, and every position and company is different. Positions that require vast technical skills or extensive management experience require more interviewing to ensure the right candidate is selected. Several years ago, there was a Harvard Case Study that suggested that eight (8) interviews were the right number for senior management positions. Google used to conduct twelve (12) interviews per potential employee. It used to be said that getting into Google was tougher than getting into Harvard. After several years, they conducted an internal study that showed that the improvement in hiring quality dropped off rapidly after four (4) interviews. 86% of the time, the evaluation of a candidate was the same after twelve (12) interviews as it was after four (4). They now call it the Rule of 4.

At a minimum, the hiring manager, their boss, and the TAM (or another HR designee) should interview potential employees. Most companies want at least one peer interview. Therefore, I would suggest 3 to 5 interviews per candidate. The two biggest problems with too many interviews are a) you might lose a great candidate and b) you might send the message to the one or two of the 12 interviewers that their input doesn't count if they recommend against hiring. If you are working with a quality search firm, they count as one or more interviews.

You may be tempted to schedule a full day of interviews for your candidates since video screening has now become the norm. Try and hold the interviews to one hour each with no more than 3 in one day. Panel interviews are okay if they are well scripted.

5. Quality Interviews:

More important than the number of interviews is the quality of the interviews. There are thousands of sources like Glassdoor that provide interview questions and suggested responses to anyone. For example, as of this writing on Glassdoor, there are 10,194 questions and answers asked of engineering candidates at Google. I had a candidate who said she was asked five times what her weaknesses were and of course she responded with "I work too hard, and I am too honest" duh. That was a waste of her and the company's time.

The best way to make each interview count is to ask each interviewer what they want to learn from the candidate, including the traits previously mentioned. Then help them construct a list of questions that will extract that information. For instance, if one of the primary responsibilities of the position is problem-solving, then give the candidate a specific problem that is related to your business and ask them how they would go about solving it. I find that asking about the candidate's challenges as a child reveals much about their character, early problem-solving skills, and resilience.

Another interesting approach is to ask the negative of a typical question, like where don't you want to be in 5 years? Who was your worst boss? Why? What was your worst job? Why? What is the least amount of money that you can live on? Avoid the typical interview questions, but if you must ask the strength and weakness question, ask the candidate to imagine that their last four bosses are in the room under oath and ask them to give the candidate a score of 1 to 10 on their performance. Once all of the scores are in, ask the candidate to explain each score. And then ask why they didn't get a 10. It's hard to lie when your four ex-bosses are in the room under oath. Make sure that each interviewer has unique questions. That will maximize the information you get from the candidate while reducing the total interviewing time.

Of course, one of the interviewers (usually the HR designee) should find out why they took each of their previous jobs and why they left. This will often show a pattern of which the candidate isn't even aware. Questions about salary and benefits expectations, commute issues, flextime needs, culture, and industry preferences should be asked early in the interview process.

Remember that the interviewing process is a two-way street. Especially in a tight market, the candidate is evaluating you and your company. Good candidates often have multiple offers. Therefore, always leave time at the end of the interview to "sell" the candidate if you think they should move forward. Always know if the candidate is an active or passive candidate. Passive candidates are not actively looking for a new job but convinced to interview by a recruiter, a company employee, a friend, or by an appealing ad. They must be "sold".

6. Debrief and Feedback

Since each interviewer has asked different questions, they’ll each bring a unique angle. Pull the group together quickly to compare notes and decide next steps. The search firm will debrief the candidate to determine the level of interest and bring out any concerns that the candidate may have about the company or the position.

If the consensus is to move forward, then the recruiter and or the candidate should be notified quickly and the next "round" of interviews arranged. The recruiter should be told of any concerns that you have about the candidate so that they can recalibrate the search parameters if additional sourcing is required. The recruiter should also fill you in on anything the candidate’s unsure about—so you can tackle those concerns head-on.

7. The Offer

Now that you have found the perfect candidate, how do you make them an employee? The hardest part? Getting your comp package to line up with what the candidate’s hoping for—without blowing up your internal salary bands. California and New York have passed laws prohibiting asking the candidate about their current compensation. A good search firm should already know what the market’s paying—and where your offer needs to land to stay competitive. Candidates may still volunteer their current pay to justify their ask—and that’s totally fair game. In the end, you’ll make the offer based on what the team thinks the candidate is worth to your company. Spell out the bonus details clearly—how much, how often, and what it takes to earn them. Vague promises won’t close strong candidates.

The offer letter should do more than list the details. Show them you’re genuinely excited. Outline the role, the growth opportunities, and the full scope of benefits. It should clearly explain the description of the responsibilities of the position. It should define all of the benefits that the company offers and the growth opportunities that the position could provide.

If you are using a search firm, discuss the offer with them. They should know what the candidate is expecting and can be a valuable partner in the negotiating process.

If base compensation becomes an issue, an upfront bonus (signing bonus) can often be more effective than a higher salary because it is a one time cost to the company and cash today for the candidate. A six-month review with a possible salary increase can also be an effective negotiating tool.

If you follow these seven steps, you will improve the quality and quantity of your new hires.

At Truex Métier, we help our clients hire exceptional talent. Ready to see what hiring can look like when it’s done right? Let’s talk.