BAD HIRE, BIG COST: HOW TO FIND EMPLOYEES WHO ARE A GOOD FIT

Employers seeking staff to grow their business have numerous options available, including recruitment agencies and online employment marketplaces, but many would argue it is still hard to find good help these days.

Of course, by basing hiring decisions predominantly on resumes and CVs, employers leave themselves vulnerable to the risk of a bad hire. Why? Because these documents are no guarantee a job candidate will be a good cultural fit or will excel in the role the employer needs to fill. Further, without validation from a third party (e.g. someone who can attest to the candidate’s abilities), it’s hard to know what is the truth and what is spin – after all, the proof is in the pudding.

According to Stephane Kasriel, CEO of Upwork, when an employer relies on resumes to screen job candidates, they are probably overlooking people who are ideal for the job they need to fill but whose resumes, for whatever reason, “aren’t quite right”. He explained, “Maybe they didn’t put the right keyword in, maybe they didn’t go to the right college or take the right major but they’ve still got the skills you need”.

Not only does Kasriel think companies need to ‘move beyond’ resumes, he believes they need to ‘phase out’ the interview. He explained, “Like resumes, interviews favor candidates who are good at telling their own stories. If you ask candidates to describe a challenge they faced and how they solved the problem, you’ll probably wind up hiring those who tell the best tales… that doesn’t always correlate with doing good work.” Read more

James Harkness - Dynamic Business - 29 May 2017