Managing Talent begins prior to the actual hiring of an employee. The steps that Hiring Managers take during the recruitment and vetting of employees can add value to the way a company manages that talent throughout the employee life cycle.
What is in your “tool kit” as far as hiring right? Many Hiring Managers use screening tools that search for key words within resumes or require applicants to answer screening questions as the first step in the process. The next tool may be to review candidates with a pre-screen interview call, social media profile review and a thorough examination of the resume. Subsequent interviews that contain behavioral and skill-related questions usually lead to the final phase of validation where references and backgrounds are checked. Most of these measures would be considered “subjective” in nature because they are based upon the interpretation of one or more people throughout the entire process. This usually provides the Hiring Manager with a “gut” feel regarding the knowledge, skills and abilities of the applicant.
Relying upon subjective evaluation limits the ability to “validate” knowledge, skills, abilities and behavioral tendencies through more objective standards. It creates some vulnerability in the areas of personal bias and the fact that some applicants are very good at interviews and may not provide a full picture of strengths and weaknesses. Thus, a critical tool that should be considered is the use of pre-hire assessments.
If past behavior is the best predictor of future results, then the newest crop of behavioral and/or skill-related analytic instruments may be the device that every Hiring Manager should be reaching for. These assessments are helping more employers find candidates with the traits, temperament and innate talent best suited to the jobs being filled; many of which specialize in profiling candidate personality and evaluating key performance indicators like culture fit and team fit. In addition, the latest technology lets companies customize the tools using predictive data about their own top performers. A “bench-marking” so to speak that identifies the skill set of top performers so the Hiring Manager can specifically address those skills within candidates to help secure a better ROI (return on investment).
Investing in your investment before hire can be a step in the right direction of better hiring and more long-term ROI throughout the employee’s life cycle. Utilizing a Consultant with experience in aligning the right assessment to the position is key in obtaining the analytics desired. SC Consulting Services, Inc. (www.SCexecutivegroup.com) assists companies of all sizes address their Talent Acquisition, Management and Retention Processes to ensure the proper alignment of employee talent to the current and future business needs of an organization.
Article By Greta Cairns, Consulting Partner, SC Consulting Services, Inc.
www.SCexecutivegroup.com
