One of the biggest challenges in finding good employees starts with the selection process. Employers question the ways in which they can keep from hiring unproductive employees. The answer to their questions lies in the job description, the interviewing process and a professional pre-employment screening of each potential candidate.
It is important to compose a strong job description including the title of the position, department, who the job reports to, what overall responsibilities it includes, key areas of responsibility, objectives, the term of employment and qualifications needed. This type of job description will attract serious and qualified candidates instead of large groups of run-of-the-mill candidates. Job seekers who are serious in their job search want as much information as possible before they apply to a position. Vague or poorly written job descriptions often push away great candidates.
A good interviewing process should always include both sides – employer and potential employee. Many interviewers make the mistake in thinking that a job interview is one sided and only ask questions aimed at finding out what the candidate can do for the company. A candidate often articulates what is important to him/herself but the interviewer must listen to discover what they can do for this potential employee. The honest truth is that most people apply for a job that will offer the most he/she can get. If the candidate is highly skilled or has a profession that is in high demand this is especially true. If you know your company is slow at handing out raises, make use of any other perks your company may have to offer and divulge them to the potential candidate. These perks can be anything from flextime to telecommuting. Many good employees will consider it a huge perk to be able to take off a few hours early to avoid a heave commute!
Professional pre-employment screening becomes an important issue in finding productive employees, as many times recruiters will like a candidate and, unfortunately, makes the mistake of overlooking any minor inconsistencies discovered in reference checks. While reference checks can provide a potential employer a more reliable view of the so-called candidate it does not equal the effectiveness and efficiency a pre-employment screening from an experienced company. Recruiters may opt to ‘overlook’ any inconsistencies because they like the candidate and want to fill the open position as quickly as possible. This can be a costly mistake to the company. Obtaining accurate, recent and factual information is a difficult task for someone who does not do it consistently and expertly. This is best left to a professional employee background-screening firm.
It is important for companies to select the ‘right’ employee from the beginning, not only to save them time but also for financial reasons. In order to do this, and regardless of the candidate, a pre-employment background screening should be conducted. Pre-employment screening can help avoid problematic employees by discovering their resume inconsistencies or even fraud. Screenings can also help you avoid becoming part of a negligent hiring lawsuit for your failure to verify information on an applicant, should any problems happen in the future.
