Hiring for Success

When considering bringing on a new hire, I suggest that before you actually begin the interview process, you put this position on your Organizational Chart in order to determine all the prerequisites that will be required for this hire, the pathway upward for this candidate, and any management responsibilities that may pertain to this candidate. This will help you to determine exactly what kind of credentials this candidate needs to have. Without putting this new hire on the Org Chart, you may later find yourself stumbling or adjusting to their needs rather than those of your company. Creating an Org Chart is a strategic operation; filling it is tactical. The Org Chart also makes sure you have in place all the training programs that are essential, prior to bringing someone on board.

Employers need to understand that to engage the sophisticated staff required to operate a modern business, it is no longer affordable or convenient to find adequate employees “on the street.” We have come to a time when it is essential that small, mid-size, and large companies invest in entry-level positions. This requires good hiring practices, comprehensive training, strong management, quality motivation, and adequate compensation. If any of these attributes is missing, the hiring program will be ineffective. It is absolutely essential that if your company’s philosophy is to build and develop from within, your hiring practices reflect a philosophy that requires that each new hire have the potential and the ambition to be the best person in that department and even more importantly, the best person or most capable person in the company. If you are not hiring people who have the potential to be better than anyone you currently have on board, including yourself, then the company is not moving forward – at best, it is treading water, and generally average or substandard hires result in the company’s decline. HR is the most critical component in developing and advancing the company from a business development perspective as well as a longevity perspective. Once you have selected the right candidate, every aspect of the training program must be reviewed, making sure that there is a curriculum, an agenda for activities, and a calendar for success. Management must oversee and hold accountable the trainer for making sure the candidate is learning all that is required about the products or serves or department responsibilities for which they are being hired. Management is also responsible for making sure the new hire can demonstrate competency throughout the various states of the training program, the agenda, and the calendar. Motivation is required to keep the new hire focused and excited. Lastly, a compensation program is required that assures that the new hire will be on board for a long period of time and not looking for the next position that pays more.

Keep these ideas in mind when you are looking to expand or to replace key personnel.

To learn more or ask a question, contact:

Ron Cocquyt

Hylander Management LLC

Roncocquyt@prodigy.net

586-246-4503