Hiring graduates is a tricky and time-consuming balancing act – you have to find the perfect candidate, beat the competition in your offer, and then hope that they are right for your company and don’t spend all day browsing Facebook and napping at their desk.
There are tons of factors at play, and a bad (or rushed) decision is costly in the long term. However, there are some great books out there that can help you get it right the first time, even in the face of challenging market conditions.
The situation: you keep hiring the wrong people
Hiring for attitude: A Revolutionary Approach to Recruiting and Selecting People with Both Tremendous Skills and Superb Attitude, by Mark Murphy
If you put skills first when hiring, and are quick to throw away any CV that doesn’t meet your academic or professional expectations, this book might change your perspective. It puts attitude above skills (while promising to help you hire candidates with both) as in the list of hiring criteria.
By looking at factors such as emotional intelligence, coachability and motivation, the book stresses how the people who tend to do well in a company aren’t always the most technically brilliant, but the people whose attitude fits perfectly with the company’s.
The situation: you’re new to conducting interviews (or hopeless at it)
High-Impact Interview Questions: 701 Behavior-Based Questions to Find the Right Person for Every Job, by Victoria A. Hoevemeyer
Not sure which interview questions you should be asking, or looking for something beyond the usual “So, tell me about yourself?” Then this book is the one – a comprehensive treasure trove of questions that you can tailor to any candidate and role. Brilliant if you’re looking for inspiration or if you feel your usual interview questions just don’t cut the mustard.
The situation: you need to learn quickly
Punk Rock People Management, by Peter Cook
Rushed for time? Need something snappy to teach you the ropes? Or simply fancy yourself as a bit anti-establishment? Corporate hiring doesn’t have to mean a corporate approach (necessarily) – this book provides techniques learnt from, um, punk rock.
Which is why it’s snappy and no-nonsense, and why the chapters are named after songs (our personal favourite is Pretty Vacant, for the section on employee engagement).
The situation: you want to hire the best (and make them better)
Topgrading: How Leading Companies Win by Hiring, Coaching and Keeping the Best People, by Bradford D. Smart
This classic HR book talks about not only how you can hire the best candidates – but how you can turn your ‘B-grade’ employees into ‘A-grade’ employees, with the help of coaching, training and encouragement.
The hiring process doesn’t end at signing the contract, after all – if you want the best staff, it’s your responsibility to keep looking after them, or risk them becoming demoralised and not giving their best.
The situation: you’re new to hiring and you’re terrified
Hiring a Superstar – the ULTIMATE Talent Finder Toolkit, by Adam Butler
This modern guide is a great starting point. Only published this year, you won’t fall prey to outdated information (a cursory look around Amazon reveals many books about ‘hiring millenials’ dated from 2000 or so, oops), and the comprehensive approach goes over all the aspects of hiring that you might be anxious about – from advertising, interviewing, to retaining your key staff.
Like this blog? Then check out the Best Books for Entrepreneurs And Business Owners!
This content was found at https://www.giveagradago.com/news/2014/07/5-great-books-on-hiring-people/129
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