A Time to Reflect on Productivity: Hiring

Today the World Health Organization declared the novel coronavirus outbreak a pandemic, as cases have spread to 110 countries. Most of our normal work routines have been upset - social distancing, no face-to-face interactions, working remotely, etc.  These drastic actions are necessary to not only safeguard our health but to protect the health of those most vulnerable in the communities where we work and live. How can we take this turn of events and turn it into an opportunity to re-examine our productivity and how we function at work? One article I read suggested how to “evolve and interrogate your process” and understand what is hindering your productivity or ability to function in your role.

For recruiters and hiring managers, inefficiencies in sourcing and screening candidates are well-documented.  Use this time to research and reach out to vendors in the HR technology SaaS marketplace that can improve efficiencies in your process. Consider assessments that can be deployed at the top of the recruiting funnel to cut through the volume of candidates and recommend top candidates to move onto the interview phase. The talent assessment market is broad in the scope of what is being measured and how the modality in which it delivered.  Here are a few tips based on the experiences of our client base.

Consider, the user story of a typical hiring manager going through yet another debilitating experience trying to find the right person. Why is hiring done wrong?

• The hiring manager and recruiting team suffer from unconscious bias. They prejudge resumes based on pedigree experiences, personal networks - even name and gender
• There are too many applicants to screen and to rationalize in a way that will lead to the right fit and it is VERY time-consuming!
• They have no idea what qualities make up a good candidate
• They hear about the “future of work” but do not know what skills are needed to grow the business in order to stay competitive

So how can hiring be done right?  Evaluate assessments based on their ability to:

• Deliver clarity around success in the role. Create a common vocabulary of what a quality hire looks like before recruiting.  Typically this involves establishing a benchmark based on top performers. Performance is a subjective term - so look for assessments that are flexible and scalable to meet your needs.
• Deploy a fair, inclusive and efficient assessment to 1) blind screen candidates and mitigate bias; 2) broaden sourcing/ talent pools to increase the diversity of hires, and 3) deliver consistent insights measured to the success benchmark
• Use the results of the assessment to customize the interview and address the candidate’s alignment to success factors and gaps.  This will standardize the interview process.
• Use the same insights upon hire to create an onboarding and career development plan

Frontier Signal sees the future of work as uniquely human and our mission is to help people maximize their talent. We deliver augmented-intelligence technology for business and HR leaders to acquire, develop, and retain an engaged and aligned workforce to meet current and future needs and drive revenue in their organizations. If you would like to learn more, email us at info@frontiersignal.com or call us 646-866-7028 or visit our web site at https://www.frontiersignal.com/.