With Australia’s talent shortage on the mind of most HR and Line Managers today, it is no wonder that employers feel pressure when trying to fill key positions. As such a cost driven exercise often compounded by time constraints, the recruitment process can be rushed and employers can be too focused on technical qualifications and years of experience.
The cost of a poor hiring decision can be so much more than just the salary. It is critical not to overlook key factors such as cultural fit with the team and organisation. A candidate who is a good fit for the organisation and has the potential to excel in a role with some investment in training, is a smart move in today’s employment market and builds loyalty.
A poor hiring decision such as hiring for skills and years of experience alone, at the expense of company fit, can have far reaching effects on damage to culture, morale, productivity and profits, not to mention the hard costs of salary, on-costs, training and induction, recruitment fees and advertising. Loss of revenue and the manager’s down time can mean that a poor hiring decision can cost 3 times the individual’s salary.
To choose the right person for the job, candidate interview practices must comprehensively assess both the eligibility and sustainability of the candidates being considered for a role. The candidate’s eligibility is a match between the role and the candidate’s education, work experience, practical skills and their overall aptitude. A candidate is sustainable if their attitude, motivation, interpersonal skills, task preferences, interests and work environment preferences reflect that of the company.
There are jobs where there will be more emphasis placed on one assessment more than the other, for example it would be more important for a computer programmer to have the eligibility rather than the sustainability, compared to an entry level position such as an office assistant where the emphasis would be on the company fit. Regardless of this, both eligibility and sustainability should be taken into consideration to ensure the right person is selected for the role.
Now is the time to ensure that your interview and assessment practices are geared towards achieving positive hiring outcomes.
