I was reading an article by Fran Tarkenton about how asking questions leads to success. It seemed to me that the same tactic can be used successfully by hiring managers. How else do you find out about an applicant’s skills, background, and any history of dangerous behavior and/or illegal drug use? So many times we hear about how pressure is placed upon Human Resources managers to just get someone in the job.
But, think a minute about the analysis that goes into the purchase of a major piece of machinery or equipment. Independent opinions of the various options are sought. Testimonials of people who have bought the piece of equipment in the past are evaluated. Request for Proposals are solicited from the vendors to demonstrate why their piece of machinery is best suited for the job.
Now compare this process to what is typically done to evaluate a person hired into your firm. If the two processes are not similar, you probably have some problems. If you avoid a detail analysis of applicants before being brought into your workforce you probably experience high turnover, mistakes by the workforce, accidents, and injuries.
What can help make the case for properly screening and investigating applicants? First you have to remember that you are talking to the “C” level person. And, you need to present your argument in terms of its impact on the bottom line. Once you identify the cost of these mistakes, you can present the return on investment of conducting the screening process.
We have a blog post about how Human Resources can talk the financial language to their management team. And if you really want to get your management’s attention, read this blog post about a 14 to 1 return on investment of drug testing
