In a study completed by Dr. John Hunter at Michigan State University, hiring managers were only 14% effective when using the traditional resume'/interview format for hiring. If you add background checks the percentage goes to 26%. That means that using traditional methods, you are only likely to get the right person 1 time for every 4 hires you make.

Is this information surprising? I don’t know why it would be…were you ever trained to interview and hire the right people? Probably not. I don't recall “Interviewing 101” as a choice for coursework in my business curriculum. Was it on yours? How many business owners and managers have had actual training on how to interview and hire the right people? Darned few, I am guessing.

We hire based on our personal biases. Do we like the person? Do we seem to connect with them and they with us? In a typical hiring process 90% of the hiring decision happens in the interview. Is this really the best way to hire?

Sure, we have all been interviewed and used that experience to form our own interviewing style. We read some cool questions somewhere and incorporated them into our routine. We may have had mentors along the way who helped. For the most important hires we formed a committee. Bottom line is this: we still tend to hire from the gut.

So let's improve the odds you are picking the right people. The process starts with benchmarking the job. It is a facilitated process that creates the system for hiring the right person for the job. The benchmarking process starts with the question "Why does the job exist?" and asks further "If the job could talk, what would it say?" We then organize and focus the information to create a laser focused job profile.

Further, a benchmark focuses on the Key Accountabilities of the job, not just the responsibilities. There is a big difference between the two, although for most organizations the distinction is never made. Responsibilities are what the job requires an employee to do (tasks) and how they need to do it (behaviors). Accountabilities may be described as the chief reason or reasons why the tasks and behaviors need to be performed and how performance will affect company goals and the ability to serve customers.

Defining accountabilities leads to the creation of a complete selection and employee development process. The process starts with hard skills but doesn’t focus there. It is not the hard skills—the how to and when to--that cause failure in a job, but the soft skills--attitudes and habits--that keep someone from succeeding. We hire for knowledge and skills, but end up firing for attitudes and habits.

The work product of a successful benchmarking process includes:

• A targeted advertisement to be used in classified advertising or internal posting for the job.
• A set of interview questions that target specific behaviors, rewards and personal talents and skills required for the job.
• The opportunity for subsequent training in how to ask the questions (the easy part) as well as understanding the right answers so you will know them when you hear them (the harder part).
• A job manual containing everything you need to know about the job.
• Assessments for candidates that compare individual results directly to the benchmark.
• A template for future career growth and development once you hire them--a way that the hiring manager can get to know the employee better before they walk in the door--what to expect and how to help them become top performers.
• Specific, measurable key accountabilities for the job that leads to clear expectations on both the employers and employees part.

The point? If you hire right, turnover is reduced. People are more likely to stay happy and engaged in their work because they are a good fit. You are more likely to keep a highly motivated, excited and energized work force.

Here is the key. When you hire employees, you are putting your business in their hands. Don’t you want to be as sure as possible they are the right hands?