Hire Fast, Fire Fast: Part One
Numerous articles have been published within the last several years that encourage companies to hire slow and fire fast. In a nutshell, the advice is to make careful hiring decisions and eliminate the employment of individuals who are identified under performers. While I think it is essential for companies to make thoughtful staffing plans and build staffing around a multi-year strategic plan, I also think it is insensitive, and in some cases downright rude, to hire S L O W.
Consider this: A thoughtful staffing plan accompanied by a solid recruitment program providing step-by-step guidance to recruiters, hiring managers, and human resources staff, facilitates fast hiring. You'll get the information you need to make a hiring decision by following a recipe. You will also acquire a reputation for working through your process quickly: responding to resumes, scheduling phone screens, bringing potential candidates on site for personal interviews, checking references for final candidates, and making your final selection based on information you've gathered.
Companies make hiring decisions slowly when they don't have a good process in place; they don't know who's responsible for what part of the process, they have a cumbersome online application system that qualified candidates don't want to bother with, and they let applications linger. It's no wonder good applicants are going somewhere else to find work. If you've made it too hard and it takes too long for applicants to get from step one to step two, you can bet they are getting jobs at your competitors.
Think about your hiring process. Who have you made it easy for? Yourself or your applicants?
Need help designing a recruitment strategy? We can help you with that! Need help posting open positions, screening applicants, and identifying potential candidates? We can help with that, too!
Come back next week to read Part Two. It's all about fast firing!
