We’re starting to see signs that our economy might be changing for the better, which means that many companies could be looking at the welcome challenge of recruiting new employees to help them grow and prosper in 2010. One of the best ways to go about this is by involving several current employees in the recruiting/hiring process. I’d like to explore this in a little more depth by sharing some personal experiences.
Many organizations I have worked with have seen the positive things that come from encouraging employee participation. The challenges of facilitating broad involvement are more than offset by the gains. Companies I have worked with have found that getting other folks beyond managers and key staff involved in recruitment and selection of new employees has many benefits, in addition to helping make good hiring decisions. Since making a selection of a new employee is such a vital part of any business, we benefit when we can improve the process and the success.
Why team hiring – aren’t managers responsible for new employees?
Traditionally, most companies have relied on managers to make the selection of new employees within their departments. Usually, this might involve the help of other staff, human resources, etc., to help recruit, reference check and facilitate the interviewing process. While this process has worked relatively well in most organizations, it has several drawbacks, especially in the participative, open communication environment that is commonplace in our workplaces. By using a group hiring approach, many, if not all, of the drawbacks of having only the manager or supervisor make the hiring decision are reduced.
First, managers, while knowledgeable, will probably not fully understand the details of the jobs they are responsible for filling and might miss checking for key knowledge and skills needed by new employees in order to be successful. Part of this is the result of managers and supervisors having other functional responsibilities that demand a broader view of operations and doesn’t allow time to know every process or minute detail of every job. Second, reference checking is sporadic at best in the 21st century since most companies fear the legal consequences of giving any information, especially bad information, about former employees. Co-workers, if they are allowed to help interview, are more likely to pick up on behaviors that will contribute positively or detract from the team environment of a participative organization. Finally, by involving several people in the hiring process, acceptance of the new person is improved and on-going support during the learning time is enhanced. It’s pretty difficult to blame the supervisor for a hiring error when you’ve been part of the hiring team!
How does group hiring work?
There are several approaches that companies can use, but generally it works this way. When there is a vacancy, managers/supervisors can get together a team of interviewers. In some companies where there is periodic, regular turnover, they have standing committees or hiring teams. The interviewers help the managers analyze why there is a vacancy, review and revise the job descriptions and develop a plan about how they will go about recruiting a replacement. The team gets the opportunity to be involved in screening resumes, developing interview questions and interviewing the candidates.
Often, the team does reference checking as well. After interviews and reference checking, team members get back together to share impressions and discuss candidates’ strengths, areas of concern, etc. Ideally, the final decision is a group decision, although some managers might still feel the need to have the final say with input from team members. However, if a manager makes the final decision and it is contrary to the consensus of the team, trust and credibility of the manager could suffer greatly unless he/she is able to fully explain why the group consensus was not adopted.
