Establish a Hiring Strategy that Eliminates Poor Quality Candidates

Morgan Stanley recently announced plans to expand their presence in Baltimore. Part of this expansion includes hiring 800 employees. That almost doubles the employees they have in our area. While aggressive expansion is often exciting for its projected business potential, it needs to be tempered with a solid hiring and onboarding strategy. The hiring element of any expansion can be particularly damaging if executed poorly because the volume requirements can shift the focus to just filling roles rather than filling them with quality candidates. Setting a hiring strategy that consistently identifies quality candidates is critical to make sure that bad hires are screened out before ever being considered for a role.

Did you know 40-60% of those that have applied for a job already knew that they did not meet the qualifications? They either met “most” of the qualifications or simply just wanted to work for that company. This dynamic mean that a hiring company is forced to do significant screening for those that can do the job and those that hope they can do the job.

When we work with our own hires or assist in the hiring process with sales or leadership teams, we default to a hiring strategy with an initial evaluation on a candidates suitability for the role. Assessments and pre-screenings prove to shorten the interview process and filter out undesirable applicants very quickly, saving considerable time for those involved in the hiring process. This process ensures a baseline suitability between the candidate, the role, and the company culture.

Most people do not change their style easily. So strong employee fit and engagement must start at the beginning of employment. Introducing clear job models and hiring assessments early in the hiring process that are targeted toward finding candidates who match in terms of skills, abilities, and the culture, helps reduce hiring mistakes.

Hiring a can be a tricky process to navigate especially when a large number of roles need to be filled. However a screening element in your hiring process should ensure that only qualified applicants move further into the process for consideration and eliminates the possibility of bringing on a candidate that is generally a bad fit for the job or company.