Have you ever hired someone for a job only to find that someone who looks the same, but seems like a different person, shows up? You thought you asked all of the right questions during the interview process. But now the person in front of you doesn’t seem to fit with your team or your organization.

Organizations today are so eager to fill positions in a scarce labor market that they forget there are certain attributes the candidate must possess in order to be hired. Today, there can be so much pressure from overworked teams to hire someone that they have a tendency to hire the first warm body that comes in the door.

That’s not fair to your team or to the person you’re hiring. Interviewing is a two-way street: While the candidate is presenting their best to you, you need to do the same on behalf of your organization. Take the time to lay out appropriate expectations to your candidate and learn more about their own expectations. The odds are good that you’ll find a lasting hire.

Tips for Making the Best Match

Here are some ways to increase your chances of hiring the best candidate for your position:

* Clearly share the mission, vision and values of your organization with the candidate. Often, the organization is so caught up in telling the candidate what a great organization they have, they forget to share the real core values and behavioral expectations that govern day-to-day activities. 

There are many creative ways to share this information: in written form during the initial screening interview; via a videotaped message about the values of the organization; or through Web-based screening interview questions that focus on the values. 

Sharing the expectations up front around the mission, vision and values helps the candidate to decide if they are a “fit” for your organization and can meet the expectations set forth.

* Orient the new hire to your culture. Healthcare orientations typically focus on meeting JCAHO requirements for new hires. But how many of you still do fire safety and infection control on the first day or orientation? It’s been said “an employee is never more moldable than on their first day of work.” Use that time to share your organization’s mission, vision and values with them in a relevant way. 
Bring those core values to life so the new hire understands what they’ve become a part of, what they can expect from the organization and what you expect from them. Give them the opportunity after orientation to opt out if they feel that the culture isn’t the right one for them. 

* Consider using a structured behavioral interview to complement your selection process. Once you’ve clearly defined your culture, take a look at what your prospect offers. These interviews help you to explore more deeply the candidate’s natural fit to the expectations and behaviors of your culture.

To contact Catherine Baumgardner, click here or call 1-888-334-2500.

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