30 Jun How to Avoid Hiring Mistakes
Mistakes can be costly. When it comes to hiring health IT (HIT) professionals for your organization, mistakes cannot only be costly; they can be potentially devastating to your operations and patient safety. Follow these simple tricks to avoid costly hiring mistakes.
Take Your Time
Yes, you needed someone YESTERDAY–work is piling up and deadlines are approaching. You need someone who can come in and get up to speed quickly. There’s only one problem: Finding the right fit takes time. If you’re in a real crunch and need someone immediately, consider hiring through a temp agency. But even then, be sure to give yourself ample time to find the right person for the job. If you decide you’d like to hire your temp, check your contract with the agency, as not all temp agencies allow you to convert their contractors. You’ll want to look at a contract-to-hire option.
Hire for Fit
Even in a very in-demand, highly competitive industry like health IT, smarts only get you so far. A person’s skill set is only one indicator of their suitability for a job. Whether they fit the culture and personality of your organization is a different matter altogether. Pay attention to how the person interacts with other people on your team, their “vibe”–the energy they give off while you’re with them. If the person has an impressive resume but something doesn’t feel quite right, go with your gut. In the end, you’ll be glad you did.
Do Your Homework–Starting with Google
While it’s always a good idea to do a background check and contact the candidate’s references, it’s probably even more prudent to begin your investigation of that individual online. Internet search engines, like the big three–Google, Yahoo, and Bing–will likely tell you more about a candidate than their resume or references ever could. Want to know if they’ve ever been arrested? You can find it on Google. Want to verify if they are, in fact, a highly sought-after expert in their field? You can find it on Google.
But don’t stop there. Be sure to check social media sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, and Pinterest to see how the candidate represents him or herself online. You may discover that the person is not a fit for your organization–especially if their latest Facebook status update features pictures of them engaging in irresponsible behavior.
Listen More than You Speak
This is advice that’s normally given to people interviewing for a position, but it’s actually sound advice for all parties involved. The reason? People always reveal both who they really are and their motives or intentions, whether verbally or through body language. Averted glances, fidgeting, poor posture, and even over-explaining one’s position are strong cues signaling that maybe a person is hiding something. Pay attention and really listen. People always tell you what you need to know.
If it’s Wrong, be Willing to Let it Go
How long should you keep an employee on your payroll, even after you realize you made a mistake? Unless you’re a glutton for punishment, let it go. If you find that your new hire isn’t the right fit, accept that you made a mistake. Then do something about it: Take steps to start your hiring process over again, this time with your eyes wide open for the right person for the job. There’s also some comfort in working with a recruitment agency since most of them offer a 90-day guarantee. If the person isn’t working out and you need to let them go within that 90-day timeframe, you can do so and perhaps get part or all of your fee back.
Looking to Hire Quality, Qualified HIT Staff? Contact 1st Solution USA
Making successful hiring decisions is part skill, part science. With more than twenty years of experience matching the very best HIT professionals with the very best opportunities, we’re well equipped to help you find the right people for your organization. Whether your goal is Contingency Search, Retained Search, or Staff Augmentation, we’re here and able to help.
Don’t take risks with your hiring decisions. Contact 1st Solution USA today.