How to hire for ‘true-fit’

There is intense competition for talented employees, as strong economic growth across Asia builds demand among businesses of all shapes and sizes. According to Randstad’s World of Work 2011 survey, 84 percent of employers believe the global talent war is set to worsen as these markets continue their rapid growth.

With such intense competition for securing talent, it can be easy to cut corners in the recruitment process. While skipping critical reference checks may not seem important for your potential star candidate, it could place your organisation in a vulnerable position. Research carried out by Randstad in Asia Pacific found that 26% of businesses in Singapore have suffered an incident with an employee because they had not checked their references properly.

Finding the ‘right now fit’ is a tempting option when you are facing the strain of a growing business. But beware – it can cause far more strain and potential damage in the long term. Focus on the ‘true fit’ rather than the ‘right now’ and never let the day-to-day strains of your organisation affect your decision.

Here are the essential steps you can take to ensure you are hiring for ‘true fit’:

Understand a candidate’s background
People providing incorrect or false information in their CVs and in interviews is more common than you think. While some are innocent mistakes that do not detract from the candidate’s ability to do the job, other ‘mistakes’ included incorrect employment and academic dates or fictitious professional qualifications.

Despite many organisations in the Asia Pacific region failing to take adequate steps to check the backgrounds of potential candidates, employers seem to be clear on what would have helped them avoid this incident.

Of those polled, 62 per cent said reference and employment checks were a key part in the recruitment process and 95 per cent stated they conduct pre-employment checks. To supplement this, medical checks, education and background/criminal record checks were also cited as ways that would have helped them obtain all the information they needed before making the candidate an offer.

Understand what makes a candidate tick
It is important for HR professionals and line managers to do everything possible to ensure that each new employee is the right fit in terms of skills, knowledge, experience, attitude and behaviour. Hiring for traits such as drive, optimism and empathy will also help to build a more resilient workforce and a strong team culture.

Psychometric testing is increasingly becoming a standard part of the recruitment process. Psychometric assessments are questionnaires designed to measure an individual's aptitude, ability, personality, behavioural styles, talents and motivation to help predict the way they will perform in a job.

Employers can gain valuable insights into how a candidate solves problems, influences others, adapts and copes with challenges, and delivers results that cannot be measured by traditional recruitment techniques. And while, your decision should not be made on a psychometric test alone, these assessments will provide you with valuable information to shape your interview and referencing process and probe deeper into your potential employee’s strengths and weaknesses.

Understand how a candidate works
As well as utilising character and employment references, a good way to evaluate the right people for an organisation and predict future job performance is to simulate the actual work environment using assessment centre methodology. While not a crystal ball, this method comes pretty close. Assessment centres are an increasingly sought after option for employers wanting to make the right hiring decision the first time. Almost a ‘try before you buy’ approach to human capital.

Specialist HR consulting and recruitment firms, such as Randstad, provide these service in Singapore and right across Asia Pacific, particularly to help employers identify candidates for a range of programs – from intakes of graduates and management trainees, the recruitment of high volume roles such as call centre, administration and data processing, through to the assessment and selection of future leaders.

Next month, Randstad will provide tips on how companies can retain the volume and quality of talent required to be competitive.