This article from ABC News’ career correspondent is an interesting read. She visited a women’s prison to talk to the inmates about finding a job once they are released. I must admit, I was debating whether or not to read the article, but it does provide a different perspective.
I choked on my coffee when I read this sentence:
I’ve hired people because I got the immediate sense that they were kind, good, decent souls. And I’ve rejected others with awesome resumes because their demeanors were too harsh.
Please, don’t do that. Your gut is a valuable tool in hiring, but it is not objective. A better approach is to use a process that delays the introduction of gut-level decision making as long as possible. Phone screens and online assessments are the best first-pass options when hiring external candidates.
I am not certain of the author’s approach in the aforementioned hires – perhaps she did use a process and was simply making a quick point for her article. However, the vast majority of customers that we work initially contacted us because they used a form of gut-level hiring that led to poor candidates getting on their payroll. Hence our sensitivity to that ill-advised approach.