07 Sep Like A Boss: Unusual Hiring Tips You Hadn’t Thought Of (Probably)
If you are new to the hiring process, or a veteran looking to improve your vetting skills, read on. We have a few unusual hiring tips that you may not have thought of.
Most of those who hire regularly have gotten good at spotting red flags like gaps on resumes, or noting bad communication skills during the interview. But these extra efforts could be incredibly helpful in really learning all you can about your candidate.
Some unusual hiring tips to consider:
Check social media. A recent report revealed that 60% of employers now check the social media profiles of current or prospective employees. This doesn’t require that much work, but it’s a step still overlooked too often.
[bctt tweet=”By reviewing the most obvious social channels, you can discover a lot beyond the candidate’s resume.” username=””]
Start with places such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram (and perhaps Tumblr and Snapchat, if you are working with Millennials, who use these platforms regularly).
Obviously, you can look for inconsistencies such as university attended or recent employer. But more importantly, you can learn about soft skills, such as judgment and maturity. If a profile is filled with photos of heavy drinking or revealing shots, that may not stop you (though, uh, maybe it should), but at least you’re aware of their decision making.
You may be surprised by the information that is out there. For example, one company discovered a candidate’s Facebook statements supporting assassination of the president. It’s pretty unlikely that you would get that sort of a search result (hopefully). Still, it is worth noting just how revealing posts and tweets could be.
Check out your own press, too. Sites like Glassdoor often include reviews by current and former employees. Find out what information about your company is out there.
Whether it is about compensation or opportunities for advancement, assume that candidates are doing their homework on you, too. If most of your press is about the generous benefits or extra vacation time, make sure that people are applying for the right reasons.
Up your game in the interview. Ask the obvious necessary questions – their experience, why they want the job, etc. But don’t miss the opportunity to learn a lot more.
For example, ask them about their opinion of their former employer — an angry outburst could indicate that they are holding a grudge. Really, there’s no excuse for someone to bad mouth a former job. Either they have learned from the experience, or at least put the unpleasant history behind them.
Be sure to also ask why, exactly, they are interested in this position. You want to filter out people who are not truly committed to this role. Either they are biding time until something better comes along, or they have little motivation in general.
And every, every candidate should have questions. If they don’t, move on. It’s that simple.
These unusual hiring tips can give you unusual — but important — information.
It can take more time to go the extra mile when you are hiring. It’s easy to take references at face value, to trust the general background check and not dig deeper, or get wowed by an impressive candidate. But if you employ some of these more unusual hiring tips, you can make a decision feeling truly confident about your choice.
