Recruiting - The Advance Group

Can You Spot the Signs of a Bad Hire?

Raza Rauf on June 5, 2015

Being responsible for making hires at your company can be stressful because of the weight of making a new hire. You need to sift through hundreds of resumes, conduct multiple interviews with at least a handful of candidates and then whittle the crop down to a final two candidates. Then, you need to make a final decision and hope the candidate you choose turns out to be a successful hire.

The sad thing here is that the hire could turn out to be a bad hire. How do you spot a bad hire? Here are some signs to note:

I Just Want a Job

One of the biggest signs of a bad hire is a candidate who just wants a job, any type of job. The candidate might convey that he or she does not care what type of job they work simply because they need a job. But, in the long run, this can turn into a major problem. The employee will become disengaged because the pay is too low or because the job tasks are too tedious. When this happens, the employee could begin to affect the office culture in a negative way.

Lack of Flexibility

When you come across a candidate who has very little flexibility, you could be running into a bad hire. Someone with a lack of flexibility will fail to adjust to suggestions made by HR or management and continue to operate using tactics they are comfortable with from earlier points in their career. A person who does not have flexibility will also be closed-minded towards new ideas, which can result in a negative impact on your culture.

Expanding from a Small Role to a Large Role

Another sign of a bad hire is when you hand the reigns of a larger role to a candidate who worked in a smaller role in the past. The candidate might have had success in a smaller role at a previous company, but it does not mean that success will translate to a larger role at your company. These candidates tend to use strategies from their smaller role that wind up not working in their larger role. The employee might become frustrated, angered or develop a poor attitude because things are not working out well.

The Prima Donna

The prima donna is a common type of bad hire in today’s professional world. This person is typically a go-getter, highly motivated and competitive in everything they do at the office. But, this can also turn into a problem if the candidate is hired for a management position. The prima donna candidate will either force subordinates to conform to their way of doing things or have them removed from the picture.
Spotting bad hires before you offer employment helps cut back on the money spent and the time wasted. If you can spot any of these in a candidate, be sure you dig deeper into the candidate before offering employment or removing the candidate from consideration.

Are You Conducting Post-Interview Reviews?

Raza Rauf on May 29, 2015

Companies are always looking for new ways to improve their hiring decisions because the cost of a bad hire can be astronomical. Companies also do not want to waste the time of the candidates they interview. This is why some companies have begun conducting post-interview reviews. More companies should take part in this exercise in order to improve how the interviews are handled and which candidates are hired. Learn how to conduct post-interview reviews the right way.

Include the Entire Team

One of the most important parts of conducting a post-interview review is to include the entire team. This means that every single employee who took part in the interview process should be involved in this meeting. This team should meet after each interview is conducted. So, if three different employees interviewed each candidate, they should be part of the team. If the HR head first scheduled the interview based on the resume submitted, this person should also be part of the team.

Discuss Impressions

Each person who took part in the interview process should be allowed to share their impressions of each candidate they met. The impressions discussed should be based on the notes taken by each employee who had the chance to interview candidates. Talk about any questions the candidates asked about the job or the company. Also talk about how the candidates answered the questions posed to them.

Allow Honest Discussion

When conducting such a review, you need to allow for honest discussion. This means that all employees should be honest in their opinions of candidates without worrying of repercussions from management or co-workers. If the members of this team cannot be honest, then you will not be improving your hiring process or interview process.

Rank Candidates

The post-interview review is the perfect time for your team to rank the candidates that have been interviewed to this point. Encourage each member of the team to rank each candidate he or she has interviewed from most likely to hire to least likely to hire. The ranking should be done based on the information gathered from the interview. The team members should conduct their rankings based on who they feel should be hired for the open job.

Build a List of Second Interview Candidates

Another goal of this team should be to build a list of candidates who will be contacted for a second round of interviews. It is possible that all of the candidates might be asked back for a second interview, but most likely it will be a shorter list. Even if members of your team are not going to take part in the second interview, they should still be notified of which candidates are being asked back.

Conducting post-interview reviews helps a company improve their hiring process and how the interviews are conducted. Implement these reviews today to hire the most qualified people for your open jobs.

When to Say “No” to Qualified Candidates

Raza Rauf on May 22, 2015

As a hiring manager, HR executive or recruiter, there comes a time when you need to say no to qualified candidates. The reasons will vary, but the situation will always be difficult because of their qualifications. Who ever thought that companies would need to turn down qualified candidates for open jobs?

The truth of the matter is that this actually happens in today’s business world. So, when does this type of situation arise – when do you know to say “no” to a candidate who is otherwise qualified?

Position Has Been Filled

One of the most common reasons why you will need to say no to qualified candidates is that the position has been filled by someone else. You might receive 50 or more resumes for your job opening and you will likely have a handful of them turn into qualified candidates. This means that one person will be chosen and three or four of them will receive disappointing news. You must have tact when informing other qualified candidates that someone else has been chosen. Be honest with them and thank them for applying.

Position Has Been Eliminated

It is quite possible that open jobs at companies could be eliminated even after a search to fill them has already begun. Reasons for eliminating the position will vary, but you should never string along candidates if you know the position is going to be cut from the payroll. Maybe the job duties have been distributed to current employees. Maybe there isn’t enough room left in the budget for the position. Or, maybe there isn’t enough work for the position to be filled right now. Whatever the reason, be sure you tell the candidates as soon as possible so they can look elsewhere for work.

Position Has Been Changed

It is also possible that the position could have changed between the time it became available and the time you began vetting potential candidates to fill it. If this is the case, you might have a couple of qualified candidates who no longer will be in the running for the job. This means you will have to say no to them. Make sure you explain that the position has been altered and that even though they were qualified previously, your company is moving in another direction.

Candidate is Overqualified

Another reason for saying no to a candidate is the fact that he or she might be overqualified for the position. Companies tend to shy away from hiring overqualified candidates due to one major issue; the candidate, once hired, could become bored with the job and begin causing issues at the workplace. This is when a company’s culture could take a major hit.
As you can see, there are a few common reasons why you might need to say “no” to a qualified candidate. Just make sure you handle the rejection with tact and professionalism so as not to create a bad image for your company. Keep the candidate in mind for future opportunities and if you can, offer them another position that’s suitable for their skills, or refer them to a staffing agency that can place them into a position sooner.

3 Good Reasons to Turn Down a Job Offer

Raza Rauf on May 12, 2015

As a job seeker, it can be easy to jump at a job offer as soon as possible. After all, you’ve been applying and interviewing everywhere and it’s taking a long time to get one. However, not every job offer is lined in gold. Some may lead to disaster for your personal life and for your career.

It’s important to weigh the pros and cons of every job offer before you accept it. Why is this important? There are several reasons, and today we will talk about the three valid reasons you may want to turn down a job offer that you’ve received.

#1 – The company has a history of failing

A job offer may seem wonderful at first, until you dig a little deeper into the company itself. A huge red flag would be a company that has a history of failing in many ways. This could be a high turnover rate among employees due to no work life balance, or it could be a company that has a shoddy financial history of layoffs and being bought out by other companies. If the company has posted financial earnings and stock reports in the last quarter or two, you can review this to see how the company is performing. Take the time to review company ratings online and you may see a pattern of problems.

#2 – The money isn’t even close to being enough

If the job offer has come with a very disappointing salary attached to it, take the time to negotiate for a higher compensation now before you accept it. Failure to do so could lock you into a job that pays a lot less than you need to support yourself and your family. This will lead to resentment and financial stress. It’s possible to go online and research salaries before walking into an interview so that you can discuss this before the job offer comes. Follow your gut on this and do not accept a job offer that pays far below what you deserve. A better job that pays more is out there.

#3 – The job is another dead end road

When people get desperate for any job they often accept a job offer that does not offer much room for advancement. Don’t get caught in this trap. Find out from the recruiter what the career path looks like for this job. Get the job description in writing during an interview or when the offer is made. Let the recruiter know that you are looking for long-term career success and the opportunity to learn more in the industry. Find out how this job will enable you to grow in your career. If it looks like it will be a dead-end job, run in the other direction.

Perhaps one of the best ways to get a great job offer is to work through a staffing agency with caring representatives who will be focused on helping you land a job that is well matched to your skills and aspirations. Often times, a staffing agency can negotiate a much better job offer then if you tried to do this on your own. You can even work temporary assignments until a better job offer comes. So, never settle for a bad job offer – instead connect with Advance Staffing Solutions for career support.

Are You Giving Killer Customer Service to Your Candidates?

Raza Rauf on May 7, 2015

As the old saying goes, “The customer is always right.” Even if some of your employees or managers might not believe this, it must be practiced by everyone at your company in order to be successful. Companies that find themselves struggling to hold onto clients/customers should look at the customer service being provided. If you give killer customer service to clients/customers and job candidates, your company should be highly successful. Here’s how…

Happy Employees Lead to Happy Customers

An important thing to remember here is that happy employees lead to happy customers. Because of this notion, you need to do everything possible to make your employees happy. This includes treating them fairly at work, offering benefits and perks, rewarding employees for their hard work and much more. When you do not keep your employees happy you run the risk of them not providing strong customer service to clients.

Use Guidelines and Not Rules

Companies establish policies and rules because they might not trust their employees to do the right thing. But, when it comes to providing customer service, try to use guidelines instead of rules. Guidelines will help employees better do their jobs when it comes to dealing with customers. Guidelines allow employees the opportunity to make decisions on their own when it comes to helping customers. The worst thing an employee can do is tell a customer he or she cannot do anything for a customer because of a company rule or policy.

Treat Candidates Like Customers

You also need to treat your job candidates like customers. They are choosing your company as much as you are choosing one of them for the open job. If you do not treat them well while they are in your presence, it is likely he or she will turn down an offer of employment, remove themselves from the running or badmouth the company to friends who might apply there. Make sure you welcome candidates to your office at the front door, offer them water, show them around, give them a tour of the office, introduce them to everyone they see and much more.

Turn Customer Complaints Into Opportunities

Make it a point to turn any and all customer complaints into opportunities. These opportunities should be learning opportunities for everyone involved. Do not be the company that views customers complaints as problems. When you do this, nothing is gained from it or fixed and your company’s image will suffer. Tell your employees to look for learning opportunities in every customer complaint so they can improve their customer service skills and keep customers happy.

Go Above and Beyond for Customers and Candidates

As a company, you must do whatever possible to go above and beyond for customers and candidates. This should be done on a regular basis in order to keep both factions happy. You don’t have to spend a ton of money to make this happen either. Consider offering customers upgrades to products or services either for free or for a percentage off the price.
Providing killer customer service to clients and candidates is important in today’s competitive business world because it can mean the difference between success and a poor image.

Why Candidates Like Rejection Letters — Sort Of

Raza Rauf on April 24, 2015

A job search can be stressful, no matter how seasoned or qualified someone is. Much of the stress is caused when companies fail to respond to applicants for weeks following an interview. A good practice is to send out a rejection letter promptly to all the candidates who did not get chosen for an employment opportunity this round.

Regardless of what you may think, job seekers like rejection letters – well sort of – because they have a final answer from the company about the job. They at least appreciate the fact that your company has taken the time to personally let them know the outcome so they can move on.

Read on to learn how to handle sending out candidate rejection letters.

Follow Up with a Phone Call First

The first thing you need to do is follow up with the candidate with a phone call. The call should inform the candidate that the company has already offered, or will make an offer, to another candidate for the job. Then, make sure you thank the candidate for their time and assure them that their information will be kept on file for any future openings. The follow-up phone call should not be the last piece of communication. It should be followed by the rejection letter.

How to Write the Rejection Letter

One of the most important things you must include in a rejection letter is how much you appreciate the time the candidate took during the application and interview process. You also need to be as personal as possible. Never address the letter as, “To whom it may concern.” Make sure you use the candidate’s first name. Also, mention something positive you noticed about the candidate from the interview. This will show them you care.

The rejection letter must get right to the point, even if you have already called the candidate and spoken to them on the phone about the decision. Do not ramble on about the company, the candidate’s experience, or anything else. The sooner you get to the point, the sooner the candidate will be able to accept the rejection and move towards applying for more jobs.

If the candidate would fit nicely in your corporate culture, and might be a fit for other open jobs, make sure you mention this in your rejection letter. Even though you are sending a rejection letter for this job, it does not mean the candidate will not find employment at your company. Encourage them to apply for other open jobs, but only do so if you truly believe they will be successful at your company. This means that you should never tell a candidate something you do not mean in the letter. It can come back to haunt you in the future.

One final tip; the rejection letter is your company’s final opportunity to make a good impression on the candidate, who will surely tell colleagues about your application process. Be sure you come across as professional as possible.

Have a “Quirky” Company Culture? How to Find the Perfect Candidate Fit For You!

Raza Rauf on April 16, 2015

Is your company highly creative when it comes to the recruitment process? In today’s world, it’s becoming increasingly more popular for companies to come up with unique and sometimes even hilarious ways of recruiting people. Weird and unusual interview questions, activities, and quirky corporate cultures often come into play.

However, in some cases an unusual hiring process or corporate culture can create challenges when it comes to identifying candidates who are the right fit for the organization. The quirky company culture that you love can backfire. Some candidates may be taken aback by the process that you use to select and interview them. They may even refuse to apply for jobs out of fear that they won’t fit in well with the set of values and ideas your corporate culture embraces.

Your company may be quirky if:

You have an elaborate application process that uses humor in many places
You use odd or silly interview questions and tasks for candidates
The work environment is highly creative and filled with lots of playful features

So, if you identified your company as unusual or different in terms of the type of culture you embrace, it’s possible that it’s becoming difficult to find the right candidates. Here are some ways that you can get around this and hire the best talent with the right candidate fit.

Be upfront about your corporate culture

When thinking recruitment, the last thing you want to do is spring a surprise on a candidate – not the least of which should be your corporate culture. Have access to some marketing materials that highlight your corporate culture with visuals and audio tools. Slowly introduce candidates to your corporate culture. Watch for their reaction. If a candidate reels back suddenly upon learning about your corporate culture, there’s a good chance they will not be a good fit

Focus on the candidate experience

There is a lot of research around the impact the candidate experience has on the long-term success of an employee. This should be your ultimate focus when you are interviewing prospective employees. Try to put yourself into the candidate shoes for a moment. Is the application process intuitive? Is the candidate exposed to a positive impression of your company? Is the recruitment team proactively reaching out and then following up with each candidate? Make sure to zip up all of these things in order to improve the candidate experience.

Assess candidate skills with industry testing

It can be very difficult to determine if a candidate is right for the job within the span of just a few moments of reviewing a resume and meeting with them in an interview. Do not expect some quirky or challenging project assigned during an interview to accurately define a candidate’s suitability for your company. Instead, work with your staffing agency to use candidate assessment testing to validate their work-related skills, personality, and corporate culture fit.

Use a multi-layer interview process

Sometimes, creative companies do not spend enough time evaluating the behavioral aspects of candidate interviews. This is why a multiple interview process that includes several layers of team member participation is often a great way to determine a candidate’s fit for the company. People often have different perspectives when meeting someone, therefore, take the time to have at least a few of the team members present during initial interviews. Gather objective feedback and use this for making your hiring decision.

Hire temps first, employees second

Perhaps one of the best ways to recruit for a quirky company is to start everyone out as a temporary employee. This gives your company a chance to benefit from pre-screened candidates who will then have to prove themselves within the first few months on the job. Most staffing agencies have very strict pre-screening requirements and will only send candidates who they believe will be a good fit. If you have a problem with a candidate you can then easily replace them with someone more suitable. This reduces the risk of hiring the wrong person.

Want to learn more about how your company culture could affect your hiring process, or find temps to fit in with your quirky company? Contact Advance Staffing Solutions today!

Can You Tell if a Candidate Will be Reliable?

Raza Rauf on April 7, 2015

As a hiring manager, much of your responsibility stems from having a large hand in the success of the company and its employees. Hiring managers must perform due diligence prior to making any decisions on who to add to the payroll, which is why they must vet and screen candidates extremely thoroughly. There will be some who slip through the cracks, but the less this happens, the stronger the company will become.

One thing all hiring managers must look for is whether or not candidates will be reliable. Is there a surefire way to predict a candidate’s future success? Let’s talk about ways to evaluate reliability.

Advertise Open Jobs Wisely

It goes without saying that if you advertise open jobs on industry-specific websites, you should have no problem finding reliable candidates. If you post your job ads on random websites and in forums, however, you will likely attract a lot of undesirables to the post. You want to avoid attracting candidates who are simply seeking out any open job. This is a recipe for disaster.

Dig Deep Into Candidates’ Job History

All hiring managers should be looking into the job history of their top candidates. This helps the hiring manager know what type of worker the candidate has been in the past, which is an indicator of how they will operate in the future. Take a look at how long the candidate remained at previous jobs. Did they jump around often or did they stay for at least two years? If the answer is the latter, you should have a reliable candidate on your hands.

Choose the Right Interview Questions

Just because you bring a candidate in for an interview, it does not mean you must offer the job to them. The same can be said if you bring a candidate in for a second- or third-round of interviews. The interview is the best time to determine if the candidate will be reliable or not, but you must choose the right questions to ask. Ask the candidate where he sees himself in the next five or 10 years. Ask the candidate why they want this job. Also, have them tell you what their view is of an ideal work situation. You should be able to garner their reliability based on the answers to these questions.

Use a Staffing Agency

Another great way to tell if a candidate will be reliable is to work with a staffing agency to fill your open jobs. The staffing agency will have a pool of candidates who have already been screened and can do all of the legwork for you in the hiring process. When you work with a staffing firm, you are more likely to secure a top-notch candidate who will be reliable because of the extensive screening performed by the firm.

Determining the reliability of a candidate prior to offering employment can be difficult, but it does not have to be impossible if you follow the tips discussed here today. Contact Advance Staffing Solutions today if you have more questions on gauging employee reliability.

Have Two Great Candidates? How do You Decide Whom to Hire?

Raza Rauf on February 17, 2015

It happens in every hiring manager’s life: two great candidates present themselves for a single job opening. This can be quite the dilemma because it’s growing ever more difficult to find the best people for certain positions and so if two come along it’s like striking a goldmine. But, the company must make a decision and hire the best person for this particular job.

Here’s how to decide whom to hire, when presented with this type of scenario.

Review the Actual Job Needs

After you’ve conducted the interviews, go back and review the actual needs of the job itself. Are there any special skills or experience that one candidate has a little more than the other? It’s easy to hire general candidates to fill jobs, but you don’t want to hire another “warm body” in this case. Make sure you carefully weigh each candidate’s unique skills, knowledge, and past career achievements against the job you are hiring for.

Get a Second Interview Lined Up Now

If you are unsure of which candidate to hire, ask each candidate back for a second round of interviews – onsite or through your preferred staffing agency. This time, however, ask another member of the work team or a staffing manager to be present so you can get another person’s feedback on the candidates. This can help you to avoid hiring someone based on emotion or first impressions only. Base your interview on a short, fun behavioral activity following some more in-depth interview questions.

Conduct a Thorough Background Check

Things can often be revealed with conducting past employment reference checks and background screenings. Take the time to do this well, carefully asking questions that probe a little more into each candidate’s suitability for the job. Write down your notes and go over them privately to make a better decision. You also have the option to let your staffing agency handle this part of the process so you can hire the best candidate.

Test the Candidates with a Contract Project

If you are still at a conundrum after going through the above steps, then you could up the ante by offering a paid contract project, afterwards you will decide on who to hire based on the results. Try to find a project that will challenge each candidate and enable them to show off their skills, while being related to the actual job they are vying for. Work with the management team to come up with a suitable project and offer a generous payment for the project once completed.

Hire Them Both if They are Perfect for the Company

If you are still not sure which candidate to hire for the singular job, why not create another position so you can hire them both? This could be a win-win for your business, because you get two amazing candidates at once. Develop a plan for onboarding both candidates with your staffing agency. One candidate may be willing to consider a slightly different assignment that will meet your business needs so they can get a foot into your company. Be open to this option, or at least consider one for a later hire.

Can You Spot Potential in Lower-Level Employees?

Raza Rauf on January 29, 2015

Do you have the ability to spot potential in your lower-level employees? If not, you need to find ways to spot potential in lower-level employees immediately. It is better to hire in-house candidates for management positions than outside candidates for many reasons. These can include:

Lower cost to promote vs. hire new people
Succession planning with a reduced learning curve
Creates a more positive and productive workplace

We will discuss the best ways to spot potential in lower-level employees, so you can effectively hire new managers from within your ranks.

Assess Talent During Annual Performance Review

One of the first things you should do in spotting potential in lower-level employees is by assessing talent at your company during their annual performance review. Determine what the qualifications are for employees to finish current projects and if they have the skills and traits to move up in their career within your company. Also consider mentor evaluations, employee assessments, peer reviews and even surveys to determine which lower-level employees have management talent.

Match Talent with Requirements

The next step in spotting potential in lower-level employees is to match talent at your company with future requirements. You must layout the time for replacement, the readiness of the candidate and the assignment of individuals. A team of management employees from the company need to discuss all potential candidates for promotion and determine a slew of factors. Those factors include the promotability of the candidates, ratings based on performance, readiness for other roles in the company and any other strategy used to analyze talent within the organization.

Measure Regular Progress

Step number three in identifying potential in lower-level employees at your company is to measure regular progress of employees. This begins by figuring out which candidates are up for promotion and which jobs they are being groomed for so your candidate pool at the company does not get stretched too thin. Measure the progress of your current employees with how they complete projects, meet deadlines, deal with clients, handle issues in the office and much more.

Ask Employees What They Like

Another option is to ask employees what they like to do at work, what their strengths and weaknesses are and what type of role he or she thinks they would succeed in within the company. These questions need to be asked at annual performance reviews so you can add the information to their employee file for future reference.

Allow a Test-Drive

Our final step is a little outside the box, but it involves allowing the employee to test-drive the position. This does not mean promoting an employee into a new role and then removing him or her if it does not work. Instead, create an internal internship program that allows current employees to shadow managers within their department for a day or two to see what gets done at the higher levels. This will let you know if the person likes the idea of working that job and if he or she has the experience to work the position.

What Candidates are Looking for in 2015

Raza Rauf on January 23, 2015

Candidates routinely change what it is they are looking for when applying for jobs. Whether it has to do with the work environment, the culture of the company, or the benefits offered, companies need to be up-to-date when it comes to the wants of job candidates. With 2015 in full gear, we will discuss the top items candidates are looking for this year from employers.

Positive Culture

The most important thing candidates want in 2015 is a positive culture. When companies have negative cultures, it makes for a difficult work environment for everyone. Employees will not get along, management will struggle with keeping employees motivated and many employees will have a high rate of callouts on their schedule. The more positive your culture, the easier it will be to attract the top candidates within your industry.

Strong Work-Life Balance

Candidates also want a strong work-life balance in 2015. This means that they will have time to finish their work at the office and then enjoy time with family and friends outside of the office. Candidates do not want to work 40 hours in an office and then go home and sit in front of their computer or take part in conference calls. They want to leave work at the office and enjoy their time off as much as possible.

Honesty from Employers

In 2015, honesty from employers will be a hot topic. Candidates want employers to be straightforward when it comes to what it is like to work at the company, what will be expected of them, and what the hiring process will be like. The more honesty from employers, the easier it will be to attract top talent within your industry.

Easy Application Process

Job seekers do not want to spend 30 minutes or more applying for jobs at your company. They want the easiest application process you can provide. They want it to take 20 minutes or less so they can move on to another job application or return to their regular daily routine. Applications with a host of questions, multiple document upload sections and open-ended responses are a thing of the past. Make the application process easy and ask all those questions during the interview sessions.

Regular Updates

Job candidates want to be updated as often as possible by employers during the job search process. If candidates have been brought in for an interview, they will want to hear from the company at least one week later to be updated on the process. Whether the candidate has been eliminated from competition or has been chosen for a second interview, they will want to know what is happening.

Companies need to use the New Year to change how they deal with candidates who are looking for a new job. Take into account the items mentioned in this post the next time you deal with job candidates.

Are You Waiting for Perfect Candidates? STOP!

Raza Rauf on January 8, 2015

With the calendar rolled over to the New Year, companies have put their new budgets into play, which means that they will be adding employees when positions become available. As your company looks to hire a new employee, do not wait for the perfect candidate to come along. Instead, stop this practice and begin to look for quality candidates who have the skills and potential to perform at your required level.

Skill Set is a Great Measuring Stick

The skill set of a job candidate is a great measuring stick when looking to hire for open jobs at your company. When you hire employees based on the skills they have, you make it easier to find qualified candidates for your open jobs. Even if there is a shortage of skilled workers, your company can hire people who show potential, train them and then move them into jobs that require the skills they learned in training.

Potential is Another Factor

Potential is another trait you need to consider when hiring for open jobs at your company. Waiting for the perfect candidate will likely result in open jobs staying unfilled for quite some time. When you look at a candidate, it can be easy to see the potential they bring to the table based on their work history. If you decide to hire based on potential, you should have no problem training and then promoting these types of employees.

Focus on Training

If your company shifts its focus to training, it will help in retaining current employees. It will also help lower the turnover rate, which means jobs will need to be filled at a lower rate. A focus on training will also allow the company to fill jobs from within whenever necessary. Promoting from within is an excellent way to increase the strength of your company and its bottom line.

Determine What the Company Needs

In terms of hiring, a company needs to determine what it needs in an employee the most. The perfect candidate will likely never come along, which means you need to find an employee who meets your needs in one area the most. Whether you look for one specific skill, a specific work history or a specific leadership role he or she held in the past; all of this is important to hiring a strong worker for an open job.

Use Highly-Focused Interviews

Once your company determines what it needs in an employee, make sure the interview is highly focused. This will allow you to figure out if the candidates have what it is you are looking for in an employee. Ask a ton of questions that require answers with examples, write down answers and have follow up questions prepared. Make sure you check references, too.

Waiting to hire the perfect candidate for your open job can hurt your company when it comes to completing client work. Switch your focus to hiring an employee who meets a need and see the productivity skyrocket.