By Karl Ahlrichs
A few decades back, I worked in outplacement and was involved in thousands of terminations. This experience led me to question why certain individuals had been hired in the first place. My passion for effective recruiting is based on this history.
Avoid the pitfalls of traditional hiring practices:
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Demographics over qualities: Traditional applications provide limited information, focusing mainly on demographics rather than true potential or suitability for a role.
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Unintentional discrimination through outdated résumés: High performers might not always have up-to-date résumés since they are already employed and may not actively seek new opportunities, leading to an inadvertent bias against them during the hiring process.
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Insufficient assessment time for values alignment: A second interview often focuses soleinasly on skills and abilities without adequately considering a candidate’s values and attitudes that align with company culture. Behavioral aspects are usually only revealed after employment.
Implementing change in the hiring process:
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Back-to-basics changes: Include goals and structure within the talent pipeline, identifying high performers first to protect them and ensuring that managers are ready to engage new hires effectively.
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Strategic planning: Aim to incorporate strategic planning in a different sequence than traditionally done—after securing high performers and preparing managers for the incoming talent.
Recommendations for improvement:
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Identify top-performing qualities, such as quick learning, personal responsibility, team fit, and adaptability to boredom in current roles due to lack of encouragement from supervisors.
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Shift focus towards hiring individuals with similar high-performance attributes while ensuring a fair assessment process that considers values alignment.
Karl Ahlrichs is a national speaker, virtual facilitator, and author specializing in strategic HR consulting across various industries using risk management and organizational development theories to move beyond traditional “best practices” towards innovative “next practices.”