Making Smart Hiring Choices

By Larry Hannappel

Hiring employees can be a daunting and time-consuming task. Large and small businesses invest a considerable amount of time, money, training and trust on new workers to get them onboard and ready to contribute.

If it’s done right, a fair and thorough selection process that matches company needs with workers’ skills can help a business move forward fast. If the process isn’t well thought-out, however, valuable time and money can often be lost with serious implications for the future of a business.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce says companies recruiting the best candidates include those which put together a detailed profile of the characteristics employees should possess; create ads designed to draw just the right person; weed carefully through resumes; and, conduct in-depthinterviews.

That’s a lot of work, especially for smaller companies. Many employers just don’t have the resources to make it all happen. That’s why they often turn to staffing companies that can recruit potential employees and assess workers’ skills.

Temp agencies like Apprentice Personnel specialize in conducting in-depth screening and placement of workers – whether they are day laborers or hotel managers – in long or short-term positions, depending on a company’s needs.

The best agencies require potential employees to complete a detailed application covering learned skills and availability. Then there is a sit-down session to identify an applicant’s strengths and weaknesses. The more diverse a field, like construction, the more extensive theinterviewneeds to be.

Honesty from prospective employees is obviously important. Nonverbal cues during the sit-down session often give a lot away when applicants say one thing, but their body language says something entirely different. Trained agencyinterviewers pick up on these cues, leading to better hiring decisions for employers and applicants.

Based on the information gathered, a temp agency can assess whether a candidate is going to be committed to the job, has a strong work ethic, and possesses the proper skill sets.

The bottom line: Taking the time to create a thoughtful selection process can pay huge dividends for businesses searching for a talented workforce to expand and become more efficient.