The post has been empty for three months. The team covers, the evenings get longer. At last two candidates arrive: one made an excellent impression, the other had the better CV. The decision takes half an hour.
What the research shows
Structured interviews predict best
In 2022 Paul Sackett and colleagues recalculated the data from the large meta-analyses on selection methods. On average, the structured interview came out as the method that best predicts success in the job, ahead of job knowledge tests, work samples and cognitive ability tests. Structured means the same job-related questions for everyone, and assessment criteria decided in advance.
Telling the truth about the job pays
Donald Earnest, David Allen and Ronald Landis brought together the studies on realistic job previews: telling candidates about the difficult parts as well. Previews were linked to fewer departures, mainly because newcomers saw the organisation as honest. They worked better when given in person, face to face.
Hiring ends after onboarding
In a meta-analysis of 70 samples, Talya Bauer and colleagues showed that newcomers settle in well when they know what is expected of them, feel able to do it and feel accepted. Performance, satisfaction and staying in the job depend on this.
Before searching: the role
- Start from the work, not from the person who left. What should the new person be able to do in six months?
- Separate what is needed now from what can be learned. The day-one requirements are few.
- Look at the team’s workload. Sometimes the answer is not one more person, but one less task.
- Write the advert with the real conditions. Hours, availability, busy periods: better known before than after.
The structured interview
- The same questions for everyone, linked to the role. That way the answers can be compared.
- Ask about real situations. “Tell me about a time when…” says more than “How would you describe yourself?”.
- Decide the criteria first. What makes an answer good, and how it is scored.
- Assess on your own, then compare. Each person writes their judgement before the discussion, so one first impression does not carry the others.
- Describe the job as it is. The hard parts too. And leave time for the candidate’s questions.
- A short task, close to the real work. Respectful of the candidate’s time.
Deciding
Compare candidates criterion by criterion, not by overall impression. If two are close, ask which one the team will be able to support better in the first months. References are taken only with the candidate’s consent.
After the yes
Real hiring starts on the first day: workplace ready, clear first goals, a contact person, and three short check-ins after a week, a month and three months.
Annual reviews and onboarding new people →
Sources
- Sackett, P. R., Zhang, C., Berry, C. M., Lievens, F. (2022). Revisiting meta-analytic estimates of validity in personnel selection: addressing systematic overcorrection for restriction of range. Journal of Applied Psychology, 107, 2040–2068. doi.org
- Earnest, D. R., Allen, D. G., Landis, R. S. (2011). Mechanisms linking realistic job previews with turnover: a meta-analytic path analysis. Personnel Psychology, 64, 865–897. qic-wd.org
- Bauer, T. N., Bodner, T., Erdogan, B., Truxillo, D. M., Tucker, J. S. (2007). Newcomer adjustment during organizational socialization: a meta-analytic review of antecedents, outcomes, and methods. Journal of Applied Psychology, 92(3), 707–721. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov