Hire the Right Person – Every Time
Hire the Right Person – Every Time
By Saundra Stroope
Recruiting and retaining employees is a hot topic in senior living. As the population of older adults soars, so have senior living communities with staffing needs. With industry turnover close to 40%, communities often need to hire quickly. However, the benefit of filling that open position can be quickly lost if you hire the wrong person.
People are truly your greatest asset. Research has shown that you top performers are up to 400% more productive than average employees. The average cost of replacing a talented employee can equate from 15% to 25% of their salary. (CBS, Inc.Com, & HR Magazine). You can save both time and money by hiring the right person and avoid the risk and cost of correcting performance issues later on.
The most common mistake interviewers make is reaching a decision too quickly. If you are feeling the pressure to fill a position and hire someone fast, it can affect your judgment. Be careful of straying away from job related questions or misinterpreting candidate responses. Keep in mind at all times, it’s easier to invest your time in the interview process and hire the right person the first time than to deal with issues associated with a bad hiring decision.
How can you make sure to hire the best person for the job?
- Use a set of structured interview questions. Write a set of job related questions before you start interviewing and use the same set of questions for each candidate. This will help you avoid any biases during the interview process.
- Have a well-structured process. Determine up-front who will be involved in the interview process and how many interviews will take place. During an initial phone screening interview, you can determine if the candidate has the knowledge and experience required for the job. During a second in person interview, use a set of behavioral based questions determine whether or not the candidate has the competencies to perform well. Competencies like customer service, decision making, and managing time can be assessed by asking the candidate to tell you about a time when they demonstrated those behaviors. Past performance is usually the best predictor of future performance on the job.
- If you were interviewing for a Certified Nursing Assistant role, examples of behavioral questions you might as would be:
- Tell me about a time when you had to communicate a difficult message to a family member. What was the situation? How did you approach it? What was the outcome?
- Give me an example of a time when you were working with a resident and used exceptional customer service skills. What was the situation? What specifically did you do? What was the impact for the resident?
- If you were interviewing for a Certified Nursing Assistant role, examples of behavioral questions you might as would be:
- If a team of people will participate in the interview process, ensure each team member is well trained on the process and understands what questions will be used during the interview.
- During the interview, communicate with a neutral tone toward each candidate. Look for patterns and themes in candidate responses. Ask probing questions to reconcile any contradictions that are made. Also allow time for the candidate to ask questions about the position and company.
- When you conduct your final evaluation and ranking of all the candidates consider several areas including education, credentials, overall experience, the required skills, the behavioral competency assessment, and the potential for the candidate to learn and grow in the role.
Remember that the interview process is your opportunity to create a positive impression of the organization. The experience you create will leave an impression that can be spread by word of mouth or social media to potential customers. You want to the candidate to believe that this would be a great place to work even if the position isn’t the best fit for them. Creating a positive, welcoming environment during the hiring process can lead to many positive returns.