I’m getting busy and I think I need help, but how do I find help? How can I be sure I’m not making a big mistake? How do I hire the right person? Can I afford to find help? Can I afford not to find help? How much can I afford to lose on a bad hire?
Starting and running a business can be intimidating. There is much to do, and many decisions to make. One of the most important decisions a business owner will face is whether and how to hire employees. And for small businesses, there is little room for error as budgets are tight and owners require the best from their few employees. I have listed a few of the questions I have agonized over, and believe me, these are only a small sampling.
I recently used technology to screen potential employees, and found someone wonderful. This article is for all who want to hire employees, but aren’t aware of how to use technology to help them find their perfect employees.
1. Use Technology to Attract Quality People
SImilar to the concept of attracting perfect customers, attracting quality people from the outset reduces screening time. So, identify your need and then use technology to find a great employee source.
For example, I needed a designer with a fresh perspective. So, I placed an advertisement in a local university career website. After a week, I received 20 resumes from qualified and motivated design students.
With little effort, technology helped me to attract great candidates while also providing the information I needed to narrow the group to seven candidates who I felt were good matches for my company.
The key is to determine where you can find the most qualified candidates from one or two sources. Then, submit detailed ads to narrow the applicant pool.
This step is crucial, but is often overlooked. When I asked advice from other business owners, I was told to place ads on online job sites. But there are many sites and I did not know where to start. In this sense, technology can be a double-edged sword. There are so many sites that employers are paralyzed. Instead, I thought about the best place to attract candidates for my business, and then focused my resources there.
2. Use Technology to Screen Your Candidates
Tip One: The Internet sees all.
I searched the names of the seven candidates on the major social sharing websites like Facebook and My Space. Five of the seven candidates had profiles. Three of the five had what I considered to be objectionable content on their profiles; so I excluded them, leaving four left.
As an aside, I searched these websites because almost all college students belong to one of these sites. You will need to tailor your searches to your candidates. You will be amazed what a simple Google search will reveal.
Again, some may object to these searches. But I rely on employees to exercise good judgment, and to understand that they represent Miss Details Design. Employees must appreciate that what they post online is public content, and that the objectionable content could affect my or my client’s reputation.
Tip Two: E-mail!
Resumes contain references and businesses with e-mail addresses. Use them. You will be pleasantly surprised as to how much people will tell you.
For example, I e-mailed the contacts for the remaining four candidates. I learned first that people were generally very enthusiastic in discussing the candidates. I received some insightful information that I probably would not have learned otherwise. Second, the responses would have taken hours to gather over the phone. Instead, I read them when I had time. I can only guess how many hours this saved me.
I cannot recommend e-mail enough. I was able to exclude one of the candidates based on the lack of positive feedback from references. And I learned that the other three were highly regarded.
3. Use Technology to Detect Timeliness
Launchers are busy, so our time is precious. I need to know that my employees will respond when I need them to.
For example, I used the pre-interview period to learn how quickly my candidates would respond to communications. I called them and told them to e-mail or call me within 48 hours if they were interested in the position. I use mobile technology for to receive e-mails, files, and voicemails, and I need my employees to do the same. Two responded within a few hours and the other in about four days. Experience has taught me that if candidates are slow to respond before getting the job, they will be even slower to respond once they get the job. So, I had two candidates left.
After the interviews, I chose a wonderful employee.
4. Trust Yourself
Business involves making decisions based on incomplete or imperfect information. While technology can inform the process, it can not guarantee that we will hire the perfect employee. We must also trust our instincts.
For example, technology helped me to narrow my search to two outstanding candidates. But once the interviews started, I just let my instincts select the person I felt would best add to my company. Do not forget that you know your business best and that technology is only a tool to help you make more informed employee decisions. In the end, business is still all about people.
So, trust yourself to make the right choice!
This article was listed in Ladies Who Launch top 5 articles and can also be read here.
October 20th, 2009
10 Comments at "Using Technology to Find Your Perfect Employees"
Great Post! I think the tip of using email to get in touch with past employers is wonderful. You don’t take your time trying to connect, or get a rushed response if they are headed out the door.
thanks!
Disagree 100% with #2. It’s a massive invasion of privacy, and while it isn’t illegal, it’s certainly unethical from my standpoint. Go here for most of the reasons, but let’s personalize this for a minute.
We’re entering an age when many people have been online for over ten years, and some of them (including me) decided some years ago to use their full real names. Is it reasonable or fair to judge them based on something they may have said or done online ten years ago? Five? Two? Where is the privacy line drawn?
You mention facebook and myspace. There’s a certain amount of circumspection that I’d expect from people, but at their hearts, these are personal social applications. I interact with people differently on the weekend when I’ve just mowed the grass than when I’m at a business meeting. Is it reasonable or fair to expect that employees will show the same degree of comportment in their personal lives as they do at work? Is that even a good idea? Is it healthy?
What if I do have controversial beliefs. One click on my name in this comment will show you that I do. Is it okay for an employer to not hire me because of political beliefs? Would it be okay out in the ‘real world’?
And where does the judgment stop? I looked your name up, and found your facebook profile, and from there found your facebook friends list. (You should really make that private, by the way.) Right now, you’ve got at least two friends with pictures of them in states of undress. Is it reasonable to judge you on that? There isn’t much ethnic diversity in the list. Can I infer that you are racist? (Just so there’s no confusion, I don’t think you’re racist!) And you’re showing a bit of cleavage in your linkedin picture. Is it okay to make a decision based on that?
I could go on, but I think you get the point. All I’m saying is that there are major ethical implications to snooping around on google with someone’s name.
Hi, and thank you so much for taking the time to post . I understand the point you are making about invading people’s privacy, and wanted to clarify that I used(and recommend others to use) the internet to find out how potential candidates are advertising and marketing themselves currently.
This article is written from my point of view - a boutique firm business owner. Up until now I have been the face of my business and I get a lot of referrals by building relationships with my clients. My first employee not only has to have great skills but they have to represent my firm at networking events, meetings and on the phone; their behavior really has an effect on my company’s culture and ideals.
Mostly the search on the internet is to make sure they are who they say they are. I look at what they choose to display on their pages. I don’t discriminate and want to make sure that they don’t either. If I see a white power, or swastika on their page I might want to think twice about hiring this person. Unless there is some glaring scary thing that I NEED to know about their past this isn’t what I am advocating when I say “use technology to screen candidates.” Of course I agree there will be some people that might take searches a little too far, but this is definitely not what I am saying.
On the brighter side: these searches really gave me a look into their personality and helped in choosing a truly unique thinker, someone creative, fun! This is of course only part of getting to know someone, but I really found it to be a plus - when trying to make time to get to know the candidates, work with my clients, and keep up on the day-to-day’s of running a business.
Thank you again Matt for your opinion.
I have to disagree with Matt. Internet searches of a potential employee make practical business sense and are not unethical. An employer is not invading a potential employee’s privacy by viewing his or her facebook page. Once you have put yourself on the web it is there for everyone to see. You do not have any expectation of privacy to your web presence.
An internet search of a potential employee is just another tool - no different from resumes, interviews, and references. The only difference is that it allows you to see a different side of the potential employee than they may present at an interview. It allows you to learn more about that person, how he or she presents him or herself, and if that person is a good fit for the position and your company. This is especially important for a small business owner who will be working closely with that employee and when the employee will be representing the company to the public.
Obviously there is the risk that some employers will use the internet to discriminate against potential employees. If an employer uses internet searches to eliminate potential employees based upon gender, race, national origin, religion, age over 40, disability, and in some states sexual orientation than it may be unlawful. But, if an employer uses this as simply another tool to determine if the candidate is a good fit for the company than there is nothing unlawful or unethical! It can be a valuable tool when used appropriately.
I have to disagree with a couple of points in Matt’s post. It’s not an invasion of privacy if someone posts their personal information to a PUBLIC social network. If you don’t want someone to read what you have on your myspace or facebook then don’t put it there. This is not a private forum. If you put the information out there you have to understand that people, even people you don’t know, even prospective employers are going to read it.
One other thing, I think we are all smart enough to know that a post 10 years ago is probably not relevant today. Also you seem to be making assumptions that she is looking them up to find something wrong with them. But it’s just the opposite, she is looking them up to find what’s right and weather they will be a good fit for her company. Wouldn’t it be great to know that you have things in common with this person even before you meet them for the first time. It’s not that different from dating. Don’t you want to know everything you can about someone before going into a relationship with them? I do.
Miss Details, I think your ideas are great. In fact I will use them when scanning candidates when I hire.
What does the length of time you’ve been online have to do with anything?
I agree with Hillary. It makes perfect business sense to do an internet search on a potential candidate.
Common sense dictates that we use caution in what we say and do and post on the internet. Look at some of our politicians! Many have been caught in a scandal because of something they’ve said or done in the past. Therefore, the argument about an expectation of privacy on the internet is a worthless one.
If a potential candidate is careless about what they say or the photos they post online, what does that say about them as a potential employee? It would say that they would be a careless steward of my company and the job I needed them to do.
Like everything else, you must think about the consequences of your actions before you act!
Wow! You included a lot of information in this post, and I’m still digesting a lot of it. I’m glad for the tip on using email because I do think you’ll get more honest feedback from an email than you would over the phone.
Many employers, law enforcement agencies, and lawyers are using social networking sites for research. Recently I read an article from the Associated Press about prosecutors asking for (and getting) stronger sentences because of information posted on social networking sites. Here’s a link that I found by googling “prosecutor facebook stiffer sentence”: http://www.dailymail.com/News/NationandWorld/200807190075
After getting my MBA, I worked for a Big Five accounting firm in its management consulting division. We were hired because we understood that we represented our employer with high visibility clients, and impeccable behavior was required. It is well within your right as an employer to want your employees to represent you well.
Sometimes I think this younger generation that is “wired from birth” has forgotten that privacy and decorum are still desired behaviors.
Great tips Miss Details! Thank you! And I have to say that I agree with Hillary and Dorothy regarding the internet and the expectation of privacy while being searched by a potential employer…just be your authentic self people, then you will attract those you are meant to attract. It’s like telling a lie and then having to keep up with it, forgetting what the lie was, that can be stressful…if you stay true you don’t have to remember the lie! ~;o)
This article has inspired me to use social networks more closely when thinking about doing business or networking with others! Thank you!
Hi Mat,
I think you are overlooking the fact that every business has a brand whether it’s owner realizes or not. What Miss Details suggests here is actually less intrusive than what personality tests do when you apply for any job.
Did you know those tests not only dig in your cognitive but also get into your subconscious aspects of your character? now that is intrusive, but it has been the standard of all HR industry and is not going anywhere any soon. Pretty much if you want the job… you will not second guess of doing those tests, it’s the procedure.
Another thing to think about. Do you know that there is something called “Data Mining” that is a systematic use of algorithms where advertisers use the information of ourselves that we happily provide them to strategically bombard us with the right kind of advertisement according to our personal interests and that when you signed the agreement for facebook you agreed no only on what Miss Details suggests but also on that?
Well, I think the next time you apply for any social media application you should really read the agreement, that way you will prevent exactly that… to be overlooked and scrutinized by perfect strangers. as Jamiroquai would anticipate early on in the nineties… “it’s a crazy world we are living in… “Virtual Insanity”.
Good for people to know.
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