Create Staffing Strategy to Find the Right Fit

As the unemployment rate in Wisconsin continues to decline, it becomes essential to find the right fit when hiring. Finding the right staff can make or break a business. It is necessary to align employees with the company mission. More importantly, hire a leader that also has the same personal and ethical values as the organization.

Creating an internal staffing strategy that focuses on the core values of the organization leads to efficiency, effectiveness and reduced turnover in finding the right employee. During the hiring process, analyze how the candidate feels based on the experience of the hiring process. Evaluate the candidate’s experience with the level and frequency of communication, steps of the process, ease and length of the process. The organization must manage the consistency of the hiring process, as it can be the key deterrent for applicants. Avoid the trap of status quo thinking, such as “this is what we have always done.”

The skilled and educated workforce have the advantage and organizations must not only realize that fact, they must also adapt and change. Organizations and managers that truly value its employees and potential future employees will be noticed and recognized from step one of the hiring process. Bureaucratic organizations, which promote many archaic steps to apply, will be left in the dust while they continue to struggle being fully staffed and finding qualified employees. The hiring process begins with fit, which is aligning company mission and personal values.

Ways employers can improve the hiring process:

• Develop a clear realist job preview. Write accurate job descriptions without internal business jargon.
• Be honest about the organization, which includes strengths and weaknesses.
• Focus on the right skill set. In most cases, an individual with strong soft skills can learn the job duties, but not all skilled workers have strong interpersonal, communication skills and emotional intelligence. It might be more advantageous to hire a candidate with comparable core competencies and no experience. More time will be spent on training, versus fruitlessly trying to correct character flaws or breaking poor habits.
• Utilize social media. Research WHO the candidate is as a person. Conduct a thorough back- ground check, which includes internet searches on the candidate.
• Improve the interview process. An interview is only as good as the skills of the interviewer. Pay attention to red flags, such as taking accountability, blaming or speaking poorly about previous employers.
• Personality fit. The organizational culture and the candidate’s personality should be in alignment.
• Conduct a self-analysis. What are current employees saying about the company? Is the pay competitive? What is the public perception of the company? Evaluate the working hours of the position, job responsibilities, working conditions and organizational culture.

The more time spent on taking proactive measures in finding the right employees will result in less turnover, higher employee engagement, high morale, higher productivity and stronger customer satisfaction. Not only is it important to have a strong finish, it is equally important to start in the right direction with a clear communicated focus.