If you do a quick search on the phrase “top talent” you’ll see a variety of articles about “Finding Top Talent”, “Finding the Perfect Candidate”, “How to Hire the Best”, and the list goes on.
But recruiting and hiring will make you crazy if you believe that there is a perfect candidate out there.
Or if you believe that only this type of candidates will have success.
So, please don’t fall into the trap of holding out for the “perfect” employee and don’t make the mistake of thinking that the “top gun” candidates in your field are necessarily the best for you.
Looking for these imaginary employees is a misguided effort.
A study by the Society for Human Resource Management found that turnover costs of hiring someone who isn’t a company culture fit amounts to a loss of 50–60 percent of that person’s annual salary.
Hiring managers and Recruiters who waste time looking for the perfect candidate are missing out on amazing future employees because of a perceived skills gap.
This doesn’t mean you have to hire not adequate employees. From my experience, great employees are made, not found.
Lets see some interesting tips to help you mold your employees into exactly what your company needs:
· Fix your job postings
Unrealistic expectations often start with the job description. A list of qualifications a mile long can scare off perfectly capable candidates, leaving hiring managers frustrated with the volume or quality of applicants they receive.
You have to immediately realize what you are looking for in a new hire. A great culture fit first, with the potential to grow into the skills they need with proper training.
· Look for concrete cultural values
The first thing you should look for in a candidate is whether they’ll embrace your organization’s culture. Look to your leaders and best employees to find the qualities they share to build out your values. Once you have your values, tie them to actions.
Communicate those values to everyone involved in the hiring process and craft interview questions that shed light on the candidate’s alignment to those values. If an applicant isn’t open to improving, has the wrong personality for the job or is difficult to work with, their hard skills won’t matter.
· Hire for potential and flexibility
Ask for concrete examples of a time in a candidate’s career when they didn’t have the answers to a problem, and how they solved it. People with a growth mindset will show that they are capable of taking initiative and working hard.
If you have hired someone agile who is willing to adapt and change the way they have done things before, they will have a better chance of succeeding. If they are flexible, that’s an indicator they are teachable.
· Identify which skills to train
Try to identify what you want your new hire to be able to do right when they come. Which skills will they need to make an impact immediately?
When the time comes to fill gaps in their skills, you have numerous options. Have them shadow one of their veteran coworkers, find a mentor, attend a bootcamp or turn to online learning.
If they have the potential to be great, give them the opportunity to be.
· Build a culture of learning
If you show your employees you care about their professional development, you’ll build a culture where your employees want to learn how to do something instead of finding someone to do it for them.
Originally published at medium.com