Following a consistent, and challenging interview process will help you find great candidates
The importance of having a consistent recruiting, interviewing, hiring, training and ongoing coaching program for your dealership and all departments is critical.
It is the stuff your business and reputation are built on. Here are some interesting ideas you might find useful:
Resumes do not paint a clear picture of your candidates, but what it does show you is a snapshot of what they consider share-worthy and also if they are motivated enough to bother creating a current one. The power of the resume is actually in how you use it.
I would suggest that once you collect a few of them that are applying for the same position, you call them all in for a brief meeting. Unknown to them, this will be to set up the actual job interview.
The key is to have them all come in at the exact same time, so they can see that they are competing for the job, and place a higher value on the position and you.
Simply have them all waiting together and just step out of your office and call them in one by one to shake hands, chat for a few minutes and tell them you will contact them for a 30 minute formal interview in the next few days. And ask them for two additional references to see how they react to this question. These small steps are game changers and your hired staff will never forget it.
Make sure you are ready, willing and able to give your candidate your full attention for at least 25 minutes when they show up for the actual interview, which is always by appointment, as great people expect that.
Don’t talk too much. Ask quality questions then watch and listen. Allow them to get comfortable. The interviews are actually designed to be a rejection process not a selection process so look and listen for deal breakers and eliminate the unqualified quickly and professionally. Never lie or exaggerate in any way.
Give and get information to build rapport and investigate for a possible fit with your company and have a list of quality questions ready. These questions can be created from a brief internet search or you can contact me for some.
Ask them for their public social media handles during that interview and invite them to join you on your social media while they are in front of you. A sudden unprepared request and perusal will reveal quite a bit.
Once the initial interview is wrapped up, give them multiple ways to contact you. Do not contact them first, let’s see if they really want the job and will follow you up!
Because our business now requires everyone to be adept at so many methods of communication, your interview process should mirror reality. Have short face to face, phone, voice note, video, text, email and social media messages.
Let’s make sure everyone is capable of modern conversations. Take your time and have multiple short chats as it takes time for people to really show themselves to you.
Hire qualified people. The hiring process is where you explain everything that you want and expect of the person in detail.
The time, money and energy it takes to hire right is a fraction of what it takes to continually hire wrong over and over!
