There are many posts circulating on LinkedIn about the flawed ways in which many companies try to hire people. And I am fairly certain that these are the same companies that complain they can’t find the right staff.
Just over the last few weeks I’ve heard again from several friends and family how their job searches are being frustrated by endless wait times, unresponsiveness and indecisiveness by their potential employers. The result, of course, is that the slowest employers miss out on the best candidates.
At the same time, I’ve heard renewed stories about how employers will do everything to frustrate new hires, by micro-managing, providing no support at all, or by giving work that is a far cry from the posted job description.
When it comes to hiring and retention, I coach my clients on several things:
– Have a concise and realistic job description that fits the needs of the company and that reflects Accountability and Responsibility that the owner will delegate to the candidate
– Have a detailed Onboarding Plan
– Have (bi-)monthly 121s with key personnel to discuss any mutual concerns, career aspirations as well as areas of training & personal development that can help both the candidate and the owner, progress on previous actions and new actions.
– Have an org chart that reflects the organization and the level of Accountability delegated to key positions (RACI is a greatly clarifying concept!)
I’ve seen the results of these actions firsthand: better hiring, less stress, a better running organization, happy people.