Best First Day Hiring
Free close up of two people hands, signing documents with laptop on table in office image, public domain CC0 photo.
Those of us who have placed many many people know the feeling when the right hire walks in the door that first day. They ask all the right questions and have a positive attitude, They get things done and move forward with purpose. As these are great hires, we all want to do more best first day hiring. These people, you work hard to make sure they never have a last day.
I like hiring and placing great hires and know that due to employer brand, location, budget and industry, many positions cannot usually achieve that great hire. However, the goal is still a good goal.
Long ago, I could say it was about luck. Now, I know it can be done quite regularly.
Our recruiters often know on the first call that someone is something great.
What is inside people that makes then a great hire? In lower level positions, it is purely about character. Some people have learned an outward focus seeing others rather than first seeing themselves. These, as candidates, are not fearful people pleasers but strong people who live for others out of habit. They do not kiss up and kick down. They see each person as valuable and each conversation a chance to grow and learn. Some people just appear this way in early conversations.
While these people you should hire whether you need help or not, the sticky part is placing such people in higher level positions.
Some Barriers and Thinking to Best First Day Hiring
Companies, understandably, want someone to fit a job description. At higher levels when things are more specific, the pool is not as wide, but you need their character even more. When we find such people, we are still not sure till after a background check, but we will often cue customers when such people turn up. Companies are often not ready to jump this way. It does pay dividends. Some small gaps in requirements need to be rethunk when these people walk in. They are highly teachable and transparent. Thus, they full gaps quickly.
You also may need to back off on what you need. Do you need someone who makes every better every day? We need to see these people to reach higher. They do not show up every day.
We are very careful with such hires. Some people can pretend to be such a person in a series of interviews, but our deep background check will quickly verify such people if they are who they say they are. The pretenders will also fall out quickly as we can find the data that shows the vast difference. See also China Success China Failure.