April 29, 2021

Why is it Important to be Patient When Hiring in 2021?

In short, haste makes waste.  Companies are facing hiring hurdles in 2021.  Some companies are not getting enough candidates to apply while others are not getting enough qualified candidates to apply. 
 
On Wednesday, April 28th, Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said that an apparent hiring bottleneck in the labor market has made it difficult for employers to hire workers despite a persistently high jobless rate.  He predicts that this will likely end in the coming months.  Powell mentioned several reasons for the labor market shortage, even though the unemployment rate is down to 6% and some 9.7 million Americans say they are actively looking for work according to the Labor Department’s February jobs report.  As some of you battle with these challenges, please check out our October 2018 newsletter “How to Expand your Applicant Pool.
 
Following are examples of good and bad hires while visiting my favorite stores, restaurants and other places of business at very large and small companies. Before you make any future hasty hiring decisions, please remember that almost every day when you visit other businesses you engage with an employee that does not meet your expectations similar to one of these examples.  This is not any hiring manager’s goal.  Were the poor hires a hasty hire, results of a poor hiring process or other reasons?  Be patient and your new hires will exceed expectations more often than not.
 
Home improvement cashier in the garden department – Very energetic, more so than most of the hires at this store.  She was also a very quick thinker.  She could be working at any register in their store on the busiest of days.  She was also friendly with the right approach.  Great hire!  The same store hired someone that made an inappropriate hand gesture at a friend recently in the parking lot, somewhat perplexing.  Same company, two vastly different hires.
 
Golf Course at the Pro Shop - This person could not have been more unfriendly.  Being that he is the first person you run into on most days, he is a bad hire.  Fortunately, for this course the next person I interreacted with was the starter.  Very friendly and approachable.  Good hire.
 
Taco Shop – At first, I found this person to be too abrupt and unfriendly when she took orders over the phone or handled the register.  However, I have found this person to be lightning fast when taking orders at a busy shop.  She could make improvements with some small talk, but after you get to know her you appreciate her strengths.  Some customers who are not regulars may not like her.  Training can help.
 
Seafood Takeout.  This meal is not inexpensive and several of their employees who have taken my orders are not friendly.  Bad hires.  They should do a better job of hiring more friendly and upbeat people at the counter. 
 
Ice Cream Shop – a very friendly teenager who was quick and witty.  She made good suggestions on flavors and made sure I did not order too much.  She is a close relative of mine and an Excellent hire.
 
The employees are the face of these businesses and it’s very important for the hiring manager to hire the right person.  I apologize for being redundant, but when you make a good investment of your time with hiring and use appropriate and predictive selection methods you will reap the rewards more often than when you do not.  This is not to say that you cannot make good hiring decisions when you are hasty, but the odds are not as good.  Please contact us to discuss this in more detail.  Good Luck with Hiring!