Take a Quiz Before You Make a New Hire

Joe Weinlick
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Managers face many challenges as they attempt to hire the right individual for a position. A new hire can make or break a team, with the supervisor often having final say in who fills a void within the group. The trick remains having a diverse crew that brings varied ideas to the table — something that frequently comes down to hiring managers and team leads quizzing potential job candidates on the right questions.

Business News Daily implores managers to use tools to determine if they have the right hiring practices in place. A new hire should bring something new to the table since varied thought patterns and new ideas help move teams, groups and entire companies forward. If everyone on the team has similar ways of doing things, the team may get stale very quickly. Before you know it, your team lags behind others and your staff becomes caught in a rut.

Supervisors should know the strengths and weaknesses of the team. Ascertain a person's strong points through the right balance between behavioral and situational interview questions. Note how a potential employee handled a past situation creatively and with forethought. Critical thinking skills may have different facets than anyone else on the team. Managers should recognize this as long as the person remains competent to achieve core tasks within the position.

LinkedIn harbors a lot of data for you to find someone for your diverse team. Examine a person's skill set by looking at who vouched for this person's talent. Read the person's blog posts on the social networking website to view her ability to communicate effectively. LinkedIn can also help eliminate candidates who may be too much like someone else in the group; that way you can move on to the next potential hire more quickly.

Making connections with a potential new hire is a great way to get to know someone, but this does not have to be the critical marker of bringing someone into the fold. Making a viable connection with a candidate can happen after the hiring process concludes, when you find common ground during get-to-know-me time.

A true-false quiz helps determine whether you are making the correct hiring decisions for the good of the entire team. Ask yourself questions that revolve around do's and don'ts. Do you have workers better at the job than yourself? Do you encourage discussions? Do you regularly assess gaps in your team's skill set? Do you ask for hiring input from colleagues the same rank as yourself? Do you assess the skills and abilities of a new hire over a connection you have with the candidate?

A "true" or "yes" answer to all of these questions means you have no problems thinking outside your own thought processes to find the right person for the job. An even split of yes and no means you may have to think more outside the box, while more negative responses could lead to even more risks for your team.

Don't be afraid to ask for help when trying to bring on a new hire to fill a key role. Try not to downplay the importance of one person whose ideas differ from the rest of the team's. That person's way of thinking may spark innovation, sales leads and more profits for the company.


Photo courtesy of stockimages at FreeDigitalPhotos.net

 

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