It’s a New Year and for many of you, that means a fresh new budget. If your New year’s resolution is to start spending your budget to fill open positions on your team, we get it. Obviously, you want the best, most qualified candidates from your hiring process. And with the right strategy in place – you will!

The old adage is to hire slowly, but we say hire smartly in 2020. Without the right process or right tools, finding the right people for the job is tough. Here are three essential tips to improve your 2020 hiring process:

1. Don’t overlook the references. Instincts are powerful, but they can’t tell you about an employee’s past. Take the time to check candidates’ references. References are invaluable free resources that can prevent costly mistakes.
   
   
2. Bring in an outsider. Bring in a third-party perspective during the interview process. If the role is highly cross-functional, bring in a rep from the major functions to weigh in on your top candidates. This can be extremely valuable in selecting the right candidate.
   
   
3. Date before getting married. Structure your interview process so it represents actual scenarios this person would need to succeed in. For example, when filling a sales role, have the candidate present one of your sales tools. Another option is setting up a trial period so the candidate can start working with the team for up to 30 days before converting to full-time. This allows both sides to evaluate the fit.

Once you’ve mastered the selection and hiring process, you can continue to improve your employee experience as you gain insight into the entire employee lifecycle — from onboarding to exit surveys, culture, and employee engagement, as well as ongoing pulse surveys. Implementing your employee listening strategy with state-of-the-art survey tools and a powerful reporting platform, as well as gaining the valuable insights you need to build an exceptional workforce, is made simpler with our Newmeasures assessments. Get in touch with Powers Resource Center to get started!