How To Choose Your Next Employee
It is always a Throw of the Dice
First, there must be the need for the employee, and in this economy there must be extra scrutiny before that decision is confirmed. Just because you had an employee leave a position is no means justification for hiring a new employee (with some noted exceptions of unions, government positions). Do the analysis and then decide which way to go.
Ask a few questions such as, can the work be spread out across some other workers? Is the position key to the companies success? Was the person that left skilled in something special and can that be replaced? Can we afford to replace them? Can we afford not to replace them?
And then there are the new rules on new hires to consider. If you don't have an HR department that is supposed to be up on these things like performing background checks, blood/urine tests, competency tests, as well as calling for references, that means you are the one who will be doing all of this - and in some U.S. states, everify - the new governments software to confirm citizenship.
First Cut
Can you hire from within? What will that do to the department the person comes from? Can that be filled more easily? Is there someone in the company that is below the level needing to be filled that is someone you really want to hang onto and could make a difference or at a minimum handle well the job opportunity? The greatest means of hanging on to good people is to show them your confidence in their abilities by offering a promotion - but don't be totally surprised when a good employee says no to the option! Sometimes people are so good and confident in what they do that they don't want any more responsibility or demands put on them and they are happy as a pig in slop in the job they are in.
Going Outside
If no one is available internally - or no one you can afford to shift into the job, you have to do the hard stuff - go outside for talent. Now you have a few options. You can do a search through all the online jobs boards at all the resumes posted around the world, sort through those and actively find the right individual. Time, expense, and still by no means a great process to success.
You can run ads on the company website, online with jobs boards, pass the word around to many of your contemporaries in particular regarding specific job opportunities within the company. When the 3,000 resumes come to your email address, you can either buy some scanning software and use it for some key words hopefully not having to read more than a dozen or two prospects information.
Or you can hire a head hunter to do the work for you. This is going to cost some cash - but compare what it is going to cost to the cost of either of the two modes above. Consider also the time element - how quickly do you need to hire the right person? Agencies have the opportunity to work their own networks and vet prospective employees if they are given enough information as to what it is you are looking for.
Evaluate The Position
Are you sure the next person will accept what the last person was receiving in compensation, or will you need to revise either up or down on the package. Maybe you have for years felt blessed that the person who just left was willing to work for so little. Maybe if you hadn't been such a tight-wad they would still be here. Or it could be the other direction, of course. It could be that the person who left gets a "good ridance" notice from you as the screen door hits them where the Good Lord split them on the way out. They were overpaid, and had a negative influence on the company. Be happy they are going away!
Training
Regardless of how you decide on the new person, they must agree to all of the prerequisite training for their new role. They may feel like they know the role because they have been there for years - don't accept that. Be sure they have all safety, equipment, contact use and sharing training that they need before they get the reigns to the new office. In some cases it must be kept as a period of consideration before it is made permanent. Keep this option open with internal moves up in particular.
We need jobs worldwide. Just take the time to be sure your next new employee is the win your company needs!
The Inventurist
