Certainly not when it comes to hiring. Which makes spending that extra time and effort in screening, assessing and background checking, worth it.
For one, a well-documented process of filtering pre-empts frustration during interviewing, ensuring you meet only those candidates who are the closest matches to the position. Not just that. By avoiding candidates who perhaps haven’t been honest in projecting themselves, you save the company from potential reputation and financial loss.
HR leaders like to follow a proven process for this, the gist of which can be captured thus:
JD clarity: The first step to ensure you don’t land up with ‘misfits’ is to ensure that your Job Description captures the essence and requirements of the position with absolute and unambiguous clarity. Any area of confusion here at this state will only make matters worse.
Match your questionnaire to your Job Description: Questionnaires to candidates before the interview is a good idea, but you have to make sure it is aligned closely to the job in question. The greater the gap, the more the chances of landing misfits eventually.
Get a multi-layered filtering mechanism: It’s better than relying on one, which can go wrong. Research confirms that companies doing well in their hiring usually have a multi-pronged assessment and filtering process in place.
Peer interviews: Who better to assess the knowledge and skill suitability of the new-comer than your existing workers who will, ultimately, utilize them? Peers are often in the best position to gauge role fitness of a CV.
Formal reference checks: This may be common sense, but is surprisingly overlooked by a lot of recruiters. While it may sometimes take time, it remains amongst the strongest methods of checking background and experience, and must ideally take place before sharing the resume with the hiring manager.
Check for cultural compatibility: An overwhelming majority of candidates rate workplace culture very high on their priority list. The reverse should also be true. That is because a candidate who doesn’t gel with the company’s ‘way of life’ will never be comfortable at work, and by extension, will never product his or her best.
