Follow These 6 Steps for Developing Successful Staffing

Hiring and staffing is a challenging aspect of any business. It can be overwhelming to see the entire process through from writing a job description to making the offer. Dr. Robert Rubin of DePaul University walked us through the Six Steps of Successful Staffing to help us see this challenge from a different angle. Here are our top six.

  1. Know exactly what you are looking for before seeking to fill the position.

What is the current vision of the organization and how should this new hire embody this vision? What are the skills needed to complete the duties of the position? What is required to do the job effectively vs. what is preferred? (i.e. college degree)

  1. Create a detailed job description with all possible information that the applicant would want to know.

Don’t forget to include elements such as workplace conditions, position purpose, educational requirements and percentage of time allotted for each duty. O*NET is a great resource for finding specific duties and skills associated with job positions – check it out!

  1. Ensure that candidates are a good fit and want to work with your organization.

Make sure you are hiring someone that is aware of both the positives and negatives aspects of the job. Be upfront about what they should expect and how success will be defined. Setting expectations during the hiring process will reduce surprises and obstacles down the road.

  1. Use job applications, not resume screening, to ensure a more structured, measurable process.

Trying to understand a person based on their resume is tricky. By using a job application, the employer has the control over what information is provided by all applicants vs. the applicant selecting what you know about him/her.

A job application also helps to eliminate biases.  This will help you compare consistent information across applicants vs. individual design and content considerations.

  1. Situational and behavioral interview questions are more effective than descriptive.

It is difficult to match a candidate’s answers to descriptive questions (i.e. tell me about yourself, what are your strengths/weaknesses?) to specific skills and job duties for the position. If instead you place the candidate in the setting of the job and ask questions to see how they would react and how they have acted in the past, you’ll gain a deeper insight into their capability for success in the position.

  1. Know what you’re measuring before using personality tests to hire.

Personality tests are great to learn more about a person but should not be the only tool to use when hiring. These tests determine preferences, characteristics of the individual, IQ or EQ. Yet, will the test measure the candidate’s future performance potential? Skill and ability to perform the job is what is most important in your qualification process.


For more information, members can download Dr. Rubin’s presentation here.

CFBC’s newest Strategic Partner, Pscyhed LLC, specializes in HR, leadership coaching and mentoring. Please reach out to George Karavattuveetil for additional human resource questions or needs.




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