Week 5, 2020
Hiring by the numbers: Expectation, Preparation, and Measurement
Each week I share three ideas for how to make work better. And this week, that means three thoughts on the dos and don’ts of hiring.
Why am I writing about this? Hiring has been on my mind lately. And that means I’ve been receptive (more so than usual) to hiring best-practices.
Let’s dig in.
Setting Expectations
Glassdoor, the employer review platform, reports that 6 out of 10 employees say their job isn’t what they thought it’d be. And I’m not surprised. Job adverts tend to consist of sales speak and lists of impossible qualifications (e.g., open for new grads with 10+ years of experience). And job adverts are usually the first impression we get of a new job… and first impressions last.
To see what an honest (and I think, effective) job advert looks like, check out this 2016 listing from Boston-based software consultancy Thoughtbot.
Making Preparations
According to Jeff Hunter, CEO of Talentism and formerly Head of Recruitment at Bridgewater, organizations get hiring wrong… a lot. He estimates that while 20% of hires turn out great, and 40% turn out OK, the remaining 40% needs corrective action. And to make matters worse, organizations tend to hire and forget, which means that the bottom 40% are left to fend for themselves.
Hunter was interviewed on The Knowledge Project podcast. Lots of value bombs throughout, but the above numbers are found around the 55 min mark.
Measuring Success
Most organizations track the cost and speed of hiring. But according to Peter Cappelli, professor at the Wharton School of Business, only ⅓ bother to track quality. That’s bonkers! A recruitment process that's efficient but not effective is worse than bad… it’s a liability. Remember: you get what you aim for. And hiring should aim for great employees, not low recruitment costs.
Tracking success doesn’t need to be difficult. Cappelli suggests waiting a few months before asking the manager whether s/he’d hire the person again.
Food for thought. At MAQE, we’ve been experimenting with Thoughtbot-style job adverts for a while (here’s current an example). We’ve also made hiring a team responsibility (there are guidelines, but apart from that the team is able to hire whomever they like). But as with all things, this approach is a work in progress with lots of room for improvement.
And that’s why hiring is on my mind.
Until next time, stay calm.
