By
Bob Phibbs
As a retail consultant, one of the most valuable pieces of advice I'm asked for from an owner or manager is how to select employees worth investing in.
All too often, applicants that seem like a solid bet during the hiring phase are disappointing in the long run.
Understanding why this happens continually, then building a strategy to prevent it from recurring is the key to repeatedly hiring strong-performing employees who can sell your merchandise.
Five Common Situations That Often Lead to Employers Making Bad Hires:
1. Scrambling to fill an open shift.
Employers who need to find someone quickly to fill a vacant shift often find themselves in a bind, particularly if the hours are traditionally undesirable (think Friday nights or Sunday mornings, for example). During the interview, candidates will often say whatever they think they need to say to get the job, but if the going gets tough when the job starts, they can leave you high and dry...and right back where you started. Have them write down availability and pledge not to change for 90 days.
2. Giving current employees too much input.
Present employees might like a particular candidate and push management to hire them, but there's a good reason employees are employees and managers are managers. Basing hiring decisions on quantifiable attributes rather than employee recommendations will lead to a much higher success rate over the long term. A new employee isn't there to "fit in" but to do better; that won't happen if you hire for comfort.
3. Hiring based on a "good gut feeling."
While the adage that you should "trust your gut" may prove true, this approach is no more reliable than hiring someone based solely on employee recommendations. As an important piece of retail advice, prioritize tangible assets far ahead of any good gut feelings you may have for a particular candidate. If you really like someone, find a reason not to like them, and find a fault or shortcoming to have a balanced picture. No one is all good or all bad. Then remember...a good hire often is a flip of a coin. It's how they take to your training that you'll know.
4. Accepting the first applicant that comes along.
Again, this tends to happen when retailers find themselves in a bind and feel rushed to decide. It's always better to take the time to do your due diligence than to place your trust in the first person who comes through the door and is available. You won't win points with the rest of your crew if the bandaid employee doesn't show up to open a week later.
5. Hiring someone to help you out of a bind.
People who really need the job can be excellent workers, and there's plenty to be said for giving someone who desperately needs a chance the benefit of the doubt. But this approach is also fraught with risk, and sound retail advice and wisdom suggest it's better to put in the extra effort to be sure. While you might love your best friend and her family, if you hire the daughter because she "just can't get a job" - if she fails, you probably won't be able to fire her.
Preventing these situations at the outset is much easier if you know how to match your applicants to the everyday demands and rigors of your retail job.
Personality profiling is one of the most effective and reliable ways to do this. That's why I developed a groundbreaking profiling test that employers looking to take the guesswork out of the hiring process can administer to job candidates.
