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THE CHARACTER OF HIRING HAS CHANGED—
During the past twenty years, and especially the past ten years, the character of hiring has changed. Gone are the days when employees could place an ad in the paper or a sign in the window and receive a stack of applications. Businesses can no longer count on traditional labor sources. Women, now represent about half of all those entering the work force, and Hispanics another 35 percent. To keep the best performers, successful businesses are providing day care options, flextime, and maternity leave. They also provide bilingual and basic skills training to maintain a productive work force. Because many who are entering the work force lack basic skills and work ethic—traits common among previous generations—employers now begin training at a significantly lower level. Today the key to a productive and loyal work force is a program of training coupled with skilled leadership and motivation. Organizations, therefore, must examine their present hiring process—the procedures and philosophy of finding and attracting new employees. A good place to start is with a hiring skills inventory that includes the ten major considerations of a successful hiring effort: 1. Define the type of person who excels in your organization. You can do this by making a list of the characteristics you think are needed to be successful in your organization. Ask others to add their thoughts. The result of all your ideas will comprise a checklist for what you look for in new hires. 2. Establish a consistent and clearly-defined series of steps in the hiring process. Without these guidelines the hiring process can result in high turnover, discrimination, or the loss of top applicants. Candidates expect to be treated in a consistent manner. Doing so will leave them with a positive impression of your organization. 3. Keep the few key people who are involved in the hiring process well informed. Others in your organization who have something to say about hiring should be well acquainted with job descriptions, selection, procedures, your timetable for hiring, and regulations for the selection process. 4. Track turnover and recruiting costs. Knowing what it costs you to hire new employees will help you reinforce the seriousness of conducting employee selection with care. No organization can afford to be sloppy about its hiring. 5. Continually cultivate non-traditional sources of applicants. You can replace the diminishing numbers of high-school-age workers and the lack of skilled craft persons by including hiring as a part of your organization's overall public relations and marketing strategy. You need to be on the alert for new and consistent sources of labor. 6. Look for individuals who are versatile. People who readily adapt to new responsibilities and challenges are more valuable to your organization, as they can be assigned to do a variety of tasks. 7. Study your competitor’s recruiting techniques. You can do this by looking for their advertisements, talking to your employees who have worked for them, and by listening closely at professional and industry meetings. Determine which of their ideas will work for you. 8. Develop a reputation as “the employer” to work for. When you treat your employees well and help them to succeed, they will be proud to work for you and will spread the word to others looking for work. 9. Hire 10s—the best people you can find. Rather than hiring only people who are simply followers who show up for work and perform good work each day, you want to hire as many as possible with potential for leadership and a drive to succeed. The key word is "potential." They don't need a background that includes leadership. In many instances it's better that they don't have a supervisory or leadership background. You can train them in your system as long as they have the potential, attitude, and drive to succeed. 10. Ensure that new hires receive a good first impression of your organization. This can be accomplished by properly orienting them and helping them to adapt, which in turn will lead to loyalty and a desire to work hard. These ten key components of hiring involve focus, philosophy, and a
general understanding of human nature. They are the starting place
for developing an effective people strategy and for meeting the challenge
of the changing character of hiring.
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