Every business owner knows what a godsend a solid, reliable hire can be. Great employees work hard and care about the companies that employ them as if they were their own.
They make decisions with integrity and act with conviction. It’s not uncommon for such employees to make their bosses wonder what they did without them.
Then there are the terrible hires—the ones who turn out to be lazy or irresponsible. Or worse, they wind up stealing, committing fraud, or getting their employers slapped with lawsuits that could ruin them forever.
4 Ways To Hire Honest, Reliable Employees
Improve the way you hire people! Our insights help you find honest, dependable workers, which improves the performance and culture of your company’s workplace.
Sadly, it’s not always as easy to tell one from the other as it should be, but it’s not impossible. Here are some tips for making sure every hire you make is the right kind.
Also Check:
- 5 Signs it’s Time To Hire an Attorney
- Things to Consider to Hire Residential Security Services
- How To Hire The Right Cleaning Service For Your Home
#1. Be specific about your goals.
There’s no such thing as being too detailed when it comes to putting together a job description. After all, you want your potential hires to know what to expect before they decide to apply, and certainly before actually joining your team.
Be thorough in your postings when describing job duties, expectations you have of your team members, and company culture. Make sure you also make candidates aware of your hiring standards by really spelling things out.
Say in no uncertain terms that you expect your team members to be moral, honest, and reliable and accept nothing less. If you conduct drug screenings or background checks, make that clear as well. That alone will be enough to discourage many dishonest people from applying in the first place.
Related: 5 Advantages of Becoming a Web Developer
#2. Look for red flags on resumes.
Resist the urge to simply skim resumes you receive from potential hires. You need to carefully scan them for red flags and bring each one you find up for discussion. The following are some excellent examples to keep an eye out for:.
- Anyone can fall victim to a typo or two, but watch out for resumes that are riddled with spelling errors and poor grammar. The person it’s attached to is unlikely to be detail-oriented, careful, or astute enough to make the grade.
- Significant employment gaps can indicate issues, so be sure to ask for explanations. Those gaps could result from a conscious choice or circumstances that weren’t the candidate’s fault, but not always.
- Failure to follow the directions specified in the job listing is another no-no to look out for. If you requested a cover letter, salary history, location, or other critical pieces of information, did they include it?
Related: Guide to Choosing the Right Pest Control Service for Your Home
#3. Ask lots of good questions.
You can only tell so much about a job candidate from their resume, of course. A thorough question-and-answer session can reveal a wealth of critical information about a person you wouldn’t get any other way. Good topics to cover include (but aren’t necessarily limited to) options like the following:
- What they know about your company and why they want to work for you
- Why they’re leaving their current position
- Whether they work best as part of a team or on their own,
- Where they see themselves professionally in two, five, or ten years
- How they think their boss, colleagues, friends, or families would describe them
- What unique skills do they bring to the table that make them an excellent fit for the position?
- How they dealt with a past challenge or mistake on the job
- What they think their weaknesses are
Many would-be employers also like to conclude an interview by asking if the candidate has any questions of their own to ask. Most people will come prepared with a few inquiries of their own. This shows that they take the initiative and are thorough in their own right.
Related: How To Come Out of Digital Marketing Challenges
#4. Check their background thoroughly.
An intelligent hiring manager doesn’t stop at reviewing someone’s resume and asking a few questions. They follow up by making sure all the information they’ve been given is accurate.
That means running a thorough background check. Background checks especially help shed light on potential issues like employment gaps.
You’ll also want to run a credit check for employment. Credit checks can tell you a lot about someone, including how responsible they are in general, whether they’re good with money in particular, and whether they can be counted on to honor the commitments they make, even when it’s tough. The more thorough, the better!
