It is 2011, the economy has not only continued to expand, but seems to be picking up steam by the day. This newfound confidence is further evidenced by recent customer orders and the promise of even more business soon. So you’ve finally decided it’s time to get off the sidelines and to start ramping up your hiring. Maybe it’s been awhile since you’ve actually hired someone. After all, there has been a lot more laying off then hiring over the last 3 years. As a refresh, here are 5 simple rules to help you make your hiring choices count:

1. Forget About the Resume. The resume is really only important to prescreen your candidates. Come interview time it is useless (well, maybe not completely). Make your interview candidates tell you in detail about their history, qualifications, and job experience. Use the resume only as a checklist. This will tell you much more than the resume ever will. Of course, if what they say does not match what is written then it is time to move on to the next candidate.
   
   
2. Don’t Hire Alone. Hiring is a time consuming process. It is tempting to try to speed up the process by having only one person interviewing the candidate and making the hiring decision. Don’t fall into this trap. Always have more than one person interview any candidate. Center for Creative Leadership (CCL) research has shown that hiring decisions driven by a single person prove successful just 36 percent of the time. Group selections are far from perfect at 55 percent. But they're a big step in the right direction. Also, involving key stakeholders increases ownership and support for your candidates.
   
   
3. Focus on the Future. It is tempting to only focus on the past qualifications of a candidate. While a candidate’s history is important, don’t forget about the future. What will their role in the organization evolve into in 1 year or even 5 years? What are their expectations for the future?
   
   
4. Don’t Forget About Fit. Rarely does anyone work alone. How will your candidate fit within your team? Are they a good fit culturally? How will they work with a team that is distributed across more than one location or country? How well is the candidate able to adapt to changes?
   
   
5. Give Them a Test. Don’t be afraid to give you candidates a short written test. This is especially helpful for technical positions. You can’t rely on candidate telling you that they know something. They should be able to actually prove it. A verbal interview is usually poor at this. If you decide to use a written test, keep it short (15-30 min) and make it consistent for all candidates. It’s a great additional qualitative data point on which to base your hiring decision.

¹ based on the WSJ article “Five Rules For Making Smart Hires ” published April 29, 2010


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