People-First HR, Part 2: Ready, Set, Job Post!
ICYMI, you can read Part 1 of this series to catch up on why a cohesive, people-first HR strategy is such a game-changer.
In this part, we’re talking about the talent selection process. How we attract candidates will of course determine the pool of talent from which we can hire, so that’s where we’ll start. Next is how we’ll interview to make our selection, and finally, how we provide candidates with a great (and fair) experience throughout.
Remember from our first part, the goal is to attract the best talent possible—like customers—and “sell” them on accepting a role at your company as opposed to literally anywhere else.
1) Ready?
To say we’re truly ready, we need to first check some boxes. The first two aren’t so tough:
All the “basics” like title, rough start date, compensation range, reporting, etc. They’re not flashy but we need them.
A vision for the role. Why should someone at the top of their game want to choose this role? Maybe it’s critical to a particular mission or has feel-good outcomes like helping a certain population. Maybe it’s for a project that is a real feather in their cap, career-wise. Or it could be that you have an incredible company culture and that’s reason enough!
The next two are more complicated, and will justifiably get a separate deep-dive in another article. Sign up for our newsletter to get Part 3 straight to your inbox.
We need to know the price of entry and keys to success for this role. What do they need just to be considered? A certification or designation? Certain competencies? And don’t forget about how they mesh with your company’s core values.
What will they need to do to be successful in the role? This should be a solid short-term plan with a rough longer-term one. You don’t just want someone that’s great for this role today, but that will be capable of keeping up as the role evolves (or they get promoted).
There’s a lot more to this part, and it’s a big part of why we use the word cohesive. It’s not just about one role, but how someone can move between the roles in your company. An ad hoc hire might solve some short-term pain but it doesn’t guarantee a good return on investment if they’re not promotable or can’t adjust to new tasks.
2) Set…
All of the above gets rolled into your job posting. So now you’ve got a great “ad” to attract your target market (i.e. the best of the best). What you need now is a plan for interviewing that is fair, repeatable, and that efficiently gets you to the right answer.
Let’s go in order. Fair. We’ll want to reduce hiring bias as much as possible, and there are some proven ways to do this. Too many to list here, but the Harvard Business Review will give you an idea of how to get started.
Fair also means setting clear expectations. We’re going to be thorough and ask targeted questions, so we should be up front about that. This won’t scare top applicants, but the “I’ll just apply anyway” crowd might shy away. How many interviews will this take, and when is the decision being made? Part of hiring the best out there is acting quickly enough that they don’t accept another offer mid-way through your process.
Next is interviewing itself. This is where our work in step 1 will pay off. When we know the competencies and requirements of the job, we can plan interview questions that will get us the information we need. If we have a clear map of typical promotions from this role, we can also get a broader picture of how this person can fit into the organization long-term.
We’re going deeper into career paths, succession planning, and performance reviews in Part 4: Retention through Growth. Be sure to sign up for our newsletter so you don’t miss it.
3) Time to Post!
If we’ve done everything above, we can safely consider our ducks to be in a row. It’s time to post that job! What sites you post to and which applicant tracking system (ATS) you use are important factors, and there’s a lot that can be industry-specific here. Broadly speaking, this should be a repeatable process without any mystery. Someone is responsible for making sure candidates move through the ATS, interviews are scheduled, etc.
This is a crucial part of putting people first. A disorganized interview process is a big red flag to someone who could likely get hired anywhere. Think of the person (or people) handling these logistics like customer success managers doing their best to retain VIP clients.
Putting it all Together
There’s a lot of messaging and training for your people to make all of the above happen smoothly. Putting people first requires intention and planning! But don’t worry, that effort pays off because, as they say, game recognizes game. High quality candidates will see your team’s preparedness and appreciate the efficiency of the process.
Why do we do all this? It’s about long-term return on investment. Having your hiring strategy, onboarding plans, and performance reviews aligned is a recipe for retention. It’s just like a successful customer cycle: you find your audience, bring them into the fold, and then nurture and grow your community.
The method above will help you avoid mis-hires: people who’ve misreported their skills, or can do only most of the job. Or those who are just “ok”. You want the best, and you don’t want to be refilling this role in six months.
The cherry on top? Employees that feel valued, invested-in, and positive about their future with the company will recommend other great people to join your team—just like customers advocating on your behalf.
How to Get Started
Moving to a people-first HR strategy is not a small feat. It’s an investment and it will take time. Even if you have an entire HR team, they’ve already got daily ops on their plates. Hello HR provides expert strategic consulting and insight. We’re like a superpower both for leadership and HR teams!
Drop us a line and we can get the ball rolling with a free discovery call.
We’d love to hear from you!
Reach out directly or send a message using our contact form. Yes, we do custom projects!
