Hiring the wrong job candidate doesn’t come cheap these days. According to a CareerBuilder global survey of hiring managers and HR professionals, 27% of U.S. employers say just one bad hire can cost them over $50,000.
Bad Hires = Big Bucks
The enormous expense of onboarding bad hires is what drove Zappos CEO, Tony Hsieh, to do a complete overhaul of his company’s old corporate structure. In a 2014 Fast Company article, Hsieh said previous bad hires cost Zappos well over $100 million. That’s a lot of dough, and that’s why Zappos’ new corporate structure focuses on minimizing bad hires in order to maximize their cost savings. So how do they do it? By taking the time to hire more carefully, and fire more quickly.
In-Person Candidate Screening = Smart Hiring
Of course the idea of ‘hiring carefully’ isn’t a novel idea, but it’s one that many employers and even staffing firms simply do not practice. When the pressure is on and demand is high for new employees, corners will get cut in the screening and hiring process. If you’re an employer, just say no to expedited hiring processes. If your time or staff is limited, look to an outside staffing firm to take on the candidate screening and hiring responsibilities for you. And if you do, make sure that in-person candidate screenings are part of their recruiting process. About half of recruiters do not conduct in-person candidate interviews, and that’s a bad thing.
In addition to a candidate’s application, resume and pre-employment testing results, in-person screenings are a vital piece of the puzzle when it comes to effectively hiring employees. Here’s why:
Body language can be observed.
Ironically, there’s a lot to be said about non-verbal body language! During an in-person candidate screening, a recruiter can get a strong sense of a candidate’s personality and work philosophy, and how it may or may not fit with the employer’s culture. A recruiter can also gauge the candidate’s genuine enthusiasm for the position. That’s not something that can easily be measured without face-to-face interaction.
The recruiter can dig deeper.
An in-person candidate screening gives the recruiter an opportunity to go beyond the resume and application and have a deeper conversation about the candidate’s skills, accomplishments and career goals. Taking time to learn about the job candidate on a more personal level is the key to a successful employee/employer match.
The candidate gets a voice.
In-person candidate screenings aren’t just beneficial for the recruiter and the employer. Face-to-face screenings also give a voice to the candidate, which can increase the recruiter’s confidence in the candidate and his or her ability to do the job they’re applying for.
We know there are many tools of the trade that employers and staffing firms use to enhance the employee hiring process, from resumes and pre-employment testing to background and reference checks. But don’t leave out the in-person candidate screening experience. Without it, you could face more employee turnover and less money in the bank.
Learn more about how A.R. Mazzotta helps employers grow their companies through personal, customized staffing solutions.