3 Hiring Practices Your Business Needs

Hiring the right people for your business can be a time consuming and frustrating process. Nothing is worse than thinking you have hired the right person only to see them unable to perform to your business’s needs or fit into your company’s culture. By streamlining and adopting certain hiring practices, you can turn this weakness into a strength.

Write Better Job Descriptions

When a candidate looks for a job, your job description will be the first thing they see. Unrealistic, poorly written, or unclear descriptions will have the best candidates skipping right past your offering in search of something else. The best job descriptions should accurately describe the position that will be filled, and not set unrealistic expectations or signal to candidates that they will be overworked or stretched too thin. While you want high-quality candidates, making your requirements outlandish and unnecessary will cause people to move on instead of applying. For instance, don't demand 10 years of experience for a job that anyone with a few years in the role could easily fill. Also, don't forget to stress why your business is the place to be. Great pay, benefits, environment, and more can be valuable additions to attract the best.

Implement Pre-Employment Testing

The bottom line is that you are hiring a candidate to fill a role. It is best to see if the candidate can actually perform the job before they are hired. While a resume can outline some skills, it isn't really the endpoint. You should be investing in pre-employment testing. Companies that use pre-employment testing report a 39% lower turnover rate. Give prospects a few small tasks that relate to the position they will hold so you can see how they may perform the basic job functions. Just don't expect to have a candidate perform extensive work for free because this may give your company a bad reputation. Many online hiring platforms allow you to add skill check questions for candidates to answer along with their basic application.

Conduct Background Checks

Unfortunately, as long as we live in an imperfect world, there may be a few bad apples. Conducting a background check may help weed some of these candidates out before you bring them on board. While not every concern should immediately disqualify someone, be alert for red flags. For instance, if you're hiring cashiers or administrators that will handle money, you definitely want to avoid candidates that have a history of theft. At the very least, running a background check allows you to discuss problems with a candidate to assess their ultimate suitability. 

Hiring is rarely an easy task. Thankfully, there are common and effective practices that have been proven to work and make the process easier. Incorporating these into your own hiring routines should help you to find higher-quality applicants who will stay with your business for a longer time.

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