Do employers really know the person that they are hiring? Have they done multiple interviews, and thorough reference checks; have they searched Facebook and other sources to find out information regarding potential hires -- in other words have they done their "due diligence" regarding their new hire? For most employers I believe the answer is no. Yet that is one of the most important questions that employers need to answer -- who am I hiring.
When hiring an employee, managers and hopefully a well trained human resources staff person will be fully vetting a potential hire. They will be establishing that the person has the abilities, traits, values, interests and motivations to do the job. In addition, they will also be assessing if the person has the knowledge, skills and experience to do the work that is required.
It is easier to develop skill sets in employees than it is to change their behavior. By the time a person arrives at a prospective employer's door step, they have an established personality and behavior pattern. Even though the candidate may have the requisite skill sets, if they have behavior problems, the manager and the organization will be in for a very bumpy ride. That is why doing a through review of an prospective employee is so essential.
Multiple interviews are strongly advised. All well run companies, like Google, mandate at least three or four hiring interviews. The employer needs to get a good "read" on the person to try and determine something about the person -- are they telling the truth; are they honest; basically trying to determine the character of the candidate. According to Michael Gladwell in his book "Blink", it is possible to determine a lot about a person in only 30 seconds -- in the blink of the eye -- if one understands what they are seeing and can spot inconsistencies. FBI profilers and psychologists believe that individuals can be trained to read others and they also believe that a certain percentage of individuals have the innate ability to read others.
Studies show that only 8 percent of verbal communication is the actual words that are spoken. The other 92 percent is the body language-- including eye contract, diverted eyes, blinking eyes, and differences in tone and intonation. That is why it is so important to have the "elevator talk" with the candidate about nothing special first, which then leads up to more specific questions. If interviewers are comfortable then subsequent interviews are scheduled hopefully with a variety of others. That way it can be determined that the behavior, including words and actions are consistent throughout all interviews.
If HR and managers are satisfied, then references need to be checked (perhaps to include a background check). If former employers pause while answering a reference question regarding a former employee, it is important for the person asking the questions to acknowledge the pause and ask what is causing them to pause. It is not enough to just ask rote questions and assign a score of between 1-10. Probative questions and descriptive words are necessary.
While this process is not accomplished in the blink of an eye, it usually leads to employers making good hiring decisions -- they feel fairly certain that they know who they are bringing in to their workplace. They are Hiring Hard, and Managing Easy.
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