How can you really know if you are hiring an ideal applicant to fill the position you have open? After all, people can look great on paper. Resumes can present a wonderful picture of skills and credentials.

It’s the candidate’s personality, aptitude and intelligence that often marks their long-term value for your company. Usually an hour of conversation within an interview setting isn’t enough to determine factors that lie out of your view.

The best way to handle this is to test your candidates before taking them on. A unique way to judge your potential employee, testing has come into its own these days. You can identify top performers while eliminating costs in the hiring process. It’s a valuable asset in finding that perfect employee.

There are many different tests that will predict someone’s performance on the job. They can cover integrity, skills, aptitude and personality. Out of the top resumes you received and the top picks from your interviews, you can screen out the applicants that simply won’t make it in the long-term.

Although there are some restrictions on the types of testing you use, you can research these on the Internet. Some rules are vague and open to interpretation. Skill tests are always safe, but the others that test personality and so on can be important to select the right person.

Rather than take it upon yourself to do the testing, you can have The People Link do your hiring for you. It will take all the complication and confusion out of the process and ensure you get that perfect employee – one who will be a real teammate and assist you in your goals.

The tests actually takes the guesswork out of the hiring process, it is almost miraculous.

Mya

Although it seems a simple task to review a resume from an applicant, it isn’t always as easy as you’d think. If you don’t know what you’re doing, you could miss out on that perfect candidate.

With all the fancy software these days that help job applicants look great “on paper,” you could very well miss that ideal person – the one who can actually get the job done and be a true member of your team. The real promising ones don’t always stand out.

Perhaps this is grossly simplified, but just following these steps can melt away any confusion or overwhelm. Taking a few minutes to screen the applicants can save a lot of time in the long run.

First of all, you should check out the resume against the qualifications you have delineated as part of your job description. In fact, before you even begin, make a list of all the important skills and experience a person must have to hold the position effectively.

Using this list, go through each resume and compare the skills and experience they have listed against your list. If it’s clear they don’t qualify, put that resume aside in a discard pile. When they possibly qualify, put it in a pile marked “likely.” And if they look perfect, put those into a “hot” pile.

Now you have your priorities. Start with that “hot” pile and start lining up interviews. You will have a much better chance to find your perfect employee this way, and save a lot of time and money in the process.

As always, I am here to help if you need any assistance in this area.

Mya

There seems to be a widespread agreement that we are having some rough times. However, a friend did an actual survey of people on the street, asking them if they were frightened by the current economic situation. About 80% were scared about what was happening with the economy and our future.

But a follow-up question was asked of these same people. “Has the current recession affected you?” The same percentage (80%) said NO. They weren’t experiencing bad effects from it.

Sure there were some out of work, and there were some struggling with mortgages. But many did not in fact have the recession impinging on them.

The worst of the news comes from the media. The spouting of their woeful tidings and hard times, with facts and figures that are likely “cooked,” scares people. And that’s what the media does best – work hard to scare people to pieces!

Here’s what you can do to survive, no matter how the recession is affecting you. You first should turn off the news. It won’t kill you to not listen to their ravings! Secondly, ramp up with everything you have to produce what you sell. Get those products on the market and give your customers the best service they’ll ever have anywhere.

Flourishing and prospering is the way to beat any oppression and fear! Stand up in the face of adversity and prove them wrong!

If you need help getting some productive people, I've got them.

Mya