In today's highly competitive hiring landscape, finding the "right" person for a job can be challenging. However, keeping that hire engaged and motivated throughout the hiring process is even more difficult. Nevertheless, hiring the "right" person is essential as they will turn your strategy and objectives into tangible results. Whether you are a small business owner or a hiring manager, achieving hiring success is possible by following these four steps.

Set Clear Job Expectations

The first step towards finding the "right" person for a job is to perform a job analysis. This process involves collecting information about the job's actual actions, required skills, expected outcomes, and the environment where the job will be performed. The analysis should aim to answer questions such as why the job exists, what activities the worker undertakes, when and where the job is to be performed, and under what conditions.

Once you have this information, use it to create a detailed job description that includes the specific skills and outcomes you expect from the candidate. This information will help you find the right person for the job and also help the candidate self-select if they are the right fit for the role.

Actionable steps:

• Perform a job analysis to collect information about the job.

• Use the information gathered to create a detailed job description.

• Include specific skills and outcomes expected from the candidate in the job description.

Tip: You can choose to use a scientifically validated behavioral assessment, such as The Predictive Index's Job Assessment, which includes a guided process that will help you separate the nice-to-haves from the must-haves so that you know with certainty what's required for the exact role and avoid guessing.

Prepare Your Team Beforehand

Misalignment between the hiring team and future teammates can hurt your company's credibility and chances of wooing the candidate. Therefore, it's crucial to involve the team in the hiring process by sharing the job analysis and involving them in the interview process.

Get the team involved in the hiring process in general. We’ve heard some crazy horror stories of team members being asked to interview a candidate without even knowing what they were being hired for—and you definitely don’t want this. Misalignment hurts your chances of wooing the candidate, and it dings your company’s credibility, too.

Let’s take the interview as an example. You want to involve some future teammates in the interview process. But just adding them to a calendar invite with no context won’t be enough. This could potentially lead to each employee asking duplicate questions, or even worse, having them ask questions that might run into legal issues for your organization.

Instead, try scoping out the interviews so that each employee has a competency, or component of success, that they are measuring. For example, if you’re hiring a new customer success representative, you might want to break the interviews like this:

1. One employee asks questions about technical expertise.

2. One asks about problem-solving skills

3. One asks about communication skills.

4. And another evaluates the candidate’s potential cultural fit at the company.

Actionable steps:

• Share the job description and expectations with the team.

• Assign each employee a specific area to evaluate during the interview process.

• Ensure each employee has a competency or component of success they are measuring.

Assess Candidates with Empathy

This step might feel less actionable than the others, but it’s incredibly valuable to the employee experience. You’d be surprised how many people have a horror story when they think of past hiring experiences. From candidates being yelled at, to totally ignored, there are tons of ways to tarnish the experience and have potential top candidates opt for a different company.

To take a step above the competition, consider how to create a positive emotional reaction in people during this process. It’s not enough to simply say “Here’s why you should work for us.” That alone won’t prompt a positive emotional response in many candidates.

Instead, try asking “Why do you want to work here?”

This approach allows you to tailor the conversation to their needs, rather than using blanket statements about why you’re a great company. It also allows the candidate to better understand if this is the right fit for them, and helps avoid hires that leave shortly after.

Actionable steps:

• Tailor the conversation to the candidate's needs.

• Ask them why they want to work for your company.

• Create a positive emotional response in candidates during the hiring process.

Set Them Up for Success Through Onboarding

You just went through all this trouble to hire somebody who you think is great. So give them the chance to be great.

A fresh take on the onboarding process may be needed. There are countless things you can do, like providing small welcome gifts once an offer letter is signed or setting up meetings to create an easier experience within their first week(s).

However, there are many more strategies you can implement like an onboarding buddy, creating short informational videos to welcome them to the team and catering onboarding to the behavioral needs of that new employee. To learn all about these strategies, you can check out our onboarding course.

But we get that all these elements might be tough to tackle all at once. Maybe you’re doing some of these, but not sure what part of your hiring process needs help.

Actionable steps:

• Provide a welcome gift or create short informational videos.

• Assign an onboarding buddy.

• Cater the onboarding process to the behavioral needs of the new employee.

Achieving Hiring Success

Looking for the right candidate for a job can be challenging, but keeping that person motivated and engaged throughout the hiring process can be even more difficult. However, finding the right candidate is crucial as they will turn your business strategy into tangible results. By following these four steps, achieving hiring success is possible.

The first step is to set clear job expectations by performing a job analysis and creating a detailed job description. Second, prepare your team beforehand by sharing the job description and expectations with them and assigning each team member a specific area to evaluate during the interview process. Third, assess candidates with empathy to create a positive emotional response in them during the hiring process. Fourth, set the new hire up for success through onboarding by providing a fresh take on the onboarding process, such as a welcome gift, an onboarding buddy, or short informational videos.

If you're looking for more support and guidance, Straightline Consulting Group can help. As a certified Talent Optimization consulting firm with decades of practical "real-world" experience, Straightline has worked with some of the fastest growing and most successful start-ups, small and medium businesses, and mature organizations to eliminate their "people pains." With our help, you can achieve quick success in finding the right candidate for your business – and keeping them happily engaged!