Now Hiring – 3 Ways to Redefine Your Selection Strategy

Every new hire is a direct investment into your organization. Beyond the price of new salaries, the hiring process costs both time and money with many moving elements and opportunities to misstep. Résumés and interviews are traditional methods to initially screen and gauge a candidate’s qualification, but often lack valuable insight into their potential to succeed in the position. Organizations that utilize data-driven recruitment tools, such as assessment tests and interview guides, can see a significant improvement to their bottom-line with qualitative and quantitative ROI.

So, how can you streamline your recruitment strategy?

Posting the job and analyzing résumés

Résumé screening, one of the most traditional selection methods, allows employers to sift through applications to identify potential candidates and disqualify incompatible applicants.

To attract high-performing talent, job postings should be stimulating and provoke a desire to work for and develop a career within your organization.
- In 2015, research conducted in the US and Canada indicated that poorly written job listings were the number one cause for low application rates.¹
Job postings formatted with a laundry list of requirements invite run-of-the-mill résumé applications.
- Research has indicated that 78% of résumés² are tailored with industry buzzwords and statements that make the candidate appear ideal for the position!
While outlining your ideal candidate’s professional experience and education, remember to not stick to these parameters too meticulously.³
- It is important to consider how many candidates may not have the desired background on paper but can bring many valuable life skills and experiences that their competition may not.

Diversify your applicant pool with a compelling and calculated posting.

Interview for attitude, train for skills

Throughout the talent acquisition process, it is vital to consider soft skills and emotional intelligence.

Place a higher premium on work ethics, flexibility, and interpersonal skills over technical and niche expertise
1. This all-encompassing approach to hiring helps to close broader skill gaps and build more dynamic, resilient teams.
Align your recruitment process and questions with your organization’s culture and business goals. Ask questions that invite qualitative discussions, such as:
1. What was most attractive about the job posting?
2. Why do you want to work for our company?
3. What was lacking in your current/previous position? What are you looking for in this new role?
Assess the applicant’s mindset around their career and future with the company.
1. Are they driven to pursue professional growth with continuous upskilling and development?
2. Do they express a desire (when harnessed with the right skill set) to attain a leadership role?
3. Do you have a high-potential leadership pool to effectively develop and support their professional goals?

Soft skills are often undervalued and overlooked throughout recruitment despite their direct impact on both workplace and individual performance outcomes.

Leverage data-driven tools

Integrating assessments into your talent plan not only helps to benchmark performance but also optimizes selection and eliminates bias in the acquisition process.

Assessment tests, such as the EQ-i 2.0®, Sales Aptitude Profile™ (Sales AP™), and Customer Service Aptitude Profile™ (CS AP™), are designed to test an applicant’s personality and aptitude, ultimately streamlining the hiring process and boosts the quality of a new hire.
- Data-driven assessments are highly effective recruitment tools, providing insight into a candidate’s capabilities and predict their ability to perform on the job.²
MHS Talent Development launched the newly revised Sales AP™ and CS AP™ in November 2020, redefining the way companies look at their customer-centric roles:
- Take the stress out of hiring with customized Interview Guides
  - Highlight candidate strengths and weaknesses
  - Understand how the candidate might behave on the job based on their scores
  - Structured interview questions and specific rating scales for each competency
- Engage, develop, and grow your existing workforce with the Development Report
  - Highlight candidate strengths and weaknesses
  - Strategies and advice for developing each competency
  - A complete structure for creating an action plan for development

Pre-employment assessments can save organizations time and expense throughout the hiring process. Utilizing assessments throughout recruitment boasts higher retention, employee engagement, and productivity rates as a result.

Invest in hardy, bona fide assets using data-driven assessments. Book a free consultation today.

Sources