When sifting through candidates for a job opening, you’ll naturally want to find the person who’s the best fit. But sometimes recruiters get hung up on finding the perfect match — so much so that it hurts the hiring process. Here are the details and what you should do if you can’t find the ideal person for a job opening.
Why the “Perfect Match” is Basically a Myth
“The perfect hire doesn’t exist. It’s almost a myth,” explains recruiting expert Jan Tegze. “In reality, a company can only hire the ‘best’ that is available on the market — in a pool of interested candidates, not the best available in the industry.” And even if that person is out there, they’re likely already employed. The problem with having this mindset is that it often results in important positions being left unfilled for long periods, which reduces your manpower and hurts your bottom line.
A Better Approach
Understanding the pitfalls of perfectionism in hiring is critical here. Once you recognize this fact, you can move on where you focus on finding the “best hire.” As long as you follow the right strategies, you should be able to select a candidate who not only possesses the right knowledge and skillset, but they should also be a great fit from a cultural standpoint and share your same philosophy and values. Here are three key steps for refining your hiring approach.
1. Optimize Your Interview Questions
You don’t want to overwhelm candidates with a barrage of questions during the interview. Instead, you want to ask the right questions that will supply you with the key information you need. So take a step back and assess your current list of questions to identify the essentials and either eliminate or change the rest. For ideas, check out this resource from First Round.
2. Focus on Work Ethic
Tegze makes another great point that hiring someone with solid work ethic is more important than hiring someone who simply meets all of the technical qualifications. After all, if an employee is willing to put in the time to continually learn and put forth maximum effort, they will almost always go further than someone who’s just in it for the paycheck.
3. Improve Your Training
Finally, you can almost always get more from your talent if you invest in training and equip new hires with the tools needed to succeed. That’s why it’s critical to analyze your current training techniques and see how they can be improved. For more on this, look at this guide from SHRM.
Many recruiters get themselves in trouble by expecting to find the perfect match. But adjusting your mindset and implementing some key hiring strategies can help you enhance your hiring and find top industry talent.
Need help with your recruiting? Get in touch with the friendly experts at Encadria Staffing Solutions today.
