In the workplace, it all starts with hiring the right people for your company. Thus, you must first decide what you are really looking for to fill that open position. When you state in your job announcement "3-5 years experience required," how did you determine two years of experience was not enough and seven years was too much? When you state, "must be in top ten percent of your graduating class," does that requirement truly make sense for your position? Is someone's gpa thirty years ago pertinent to job performance now? Do you really need a Rhodes Scholar to perform the advertised position? In other words, are these criteria predictive of successful job performance or are you overlooking some exceptional candidates who may not have graduated from Harvard or have quite the number of years experience you seek in precisely the subject area you claim to need. Are you looking for a "mythical candidate" with idealized attributes that sound nice on paper but you aren't going to find, let alone need or be able to afford, anyway? And are some of these criteria just a product of lack of thought about what really predicts job performance?
If you are hiring for an entry-level position, just say so. If you are looking for an experienced person in a highly technical area who needs to be ready to go, figure out whether that is really true and say so. It is okay and acceptable to provide some on-the-job training. Make a commitment to your people and their continuing education.
Also, don't just rely on a resume screening software program for all your hiring needs. You are likely missing out on great candidates who simply didn't have the correct keyword on their resume and got automatically screened out. Everything cannot be done by a machine. Take the time to explore what qualities your company really needs for the position. What qualities and qualifications do the exceptional employees in your current positions have? Is a college degree needed? Are creativity and flexibility important? Are highly developed written and oral communication skills needed? Is teamwork important? Can an exceptional individual with most, but not all of your "ideal" qualifications, be easily and quickly trained to become extraordinary? Talk to the hiring manager before writing the job announcement as well as successful current employees in the position. Take the time to do it right, put some thought into it, and keep it real.
http://www.employmentlawman.com/monday-morning-musings.html
If you are hiring for an entry-level position, just say so. If you are looking for an experienced person in a highly technical area who needs to be ready to go, figure out whether that is really true and say so. It is okay and acceptable to provide some on-the-job training. Make a commitment to your people and their continuing education.
Also, don't just rely on a resume screening software program for all your hiring needs. You are likely missing out on great candidates who simply didn't have the correct keyword on their resume and got automatically screened out. Everything cannot be done by a machine. Take the time to explore what qualities your company really needs for the position. What qualities and qualifications do the exceptional employees in your current positions have? Is a college degree needed? Are creativity and flexibility important? Are highly developed written and oral communication skills needed? Is teamwork important? Can an exceptional individual with most, but not all of your "ideal" qualifications, be easily and quickly trained to become extraordinary? Talk to the hiring manager before writing the job announcement as well as successful current employees in the position. Take the time to do it right, put some thought into it, and keep it real.
http://www.employmentlawman.com/monday-morning-musings.html
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