Today we’re talking with Mac Prichard. He’s the founder of Mac’s List, a regional job board that helps people build skills, find jobs, and grow their careers. We talk about the hiring process from the perspective of the company and the potential hire. He tells us red flags to look out for and ways to find the jobs that aren’t posted anywhere.

It’s time to add people to your team, but where do you find the best candidates? How do you find someone that’s going to gel with the team you’ve already built? With record-low unemployment rates, it can seem like a competition to hire the best person for the job.

“It’s harder than ever for employers to find great candidates,” says Mac Prichard, Founder of Mac’s List, a Portland-based job board website. “And when they do find the right candidates, they have to work harder to persuade them to join the company.”

We recently interviewed Mac on the High Performance Leadership Podcast and asked for his input into the hiring process from the perspective of the organization. He said the key to hiring right the first time is evaluating your organization’s hiring practices.

Here are some of his tips:

1. Be clear what you’re hiring for.

Hiring managers sometimes use the hiring process as a research project. “They say ‘it’d be nice to get someone to who does this and does that,’ and they end up asking for the everything and the kitchen sink,” says Mac. As a result, they hear from all sorts of people. Now the hiring manager has to go through all the potential candidates and weed out those who don’t match.

2. List salary ranges.

It can be tempting to leave out how much you’re willing to pay for a job, but research shows you’ll get more applications if you include a salary range.

“You’re putting a price tag on the job,” says Mac. “It sends a very clear message who the position is meant for. Is it a senior position? Or is it for someone more junior?” It brings more clarity to the job posting than even the most precise job description.

3. Spend time with qualified candidates.

One interview isn’t going to cut it. Get to know the candidate by doing multiple phone screenings and in-person meetings. Invite them to lunch with key people from their potential team. Ask your team for an impression about the likely candidate.

“You have the potential to spend more time with this person than even your spouse,” says Mac. “Take the extra time to make sure it’s a good fit.”

4. Be clear with how the hiring process is going to work.

You may only bring in a handful of people to interview, but all job seekers have an interaction with your company and brand.

“They’re going to tell their friends and family if they feel like the hiring process wasn’t handled properly,” says Mac. “Set the expectations up front.”

Let them know when they can expect a call even if they’re not being considered. Tell them who they’re meeting with and when.

“Maybe they’re not the right candidate now, but they could be in the future,” says Mac. “Everyone, whether they get an interview or not, deserves an acknowledgment.”

Leaving a potential hire with a bad experience is just as bad as leaving a customer with a bad experience.

5. Use pre-employment assessments to make sure the candidate fits your team and culture.

“You can train someone in skills they don’t have, but you can’t change their personality or how they fit into a team,” says Mac.

360 Solutions offers a P60 personality assessment that gives hiring managers a way to evaluate personality before hiring. It only takes 10 minutes to take. It produces a comprehensive report that lets you know if a particular person is a good fit. Use P60s with your whole team to build benchmarks. Compare potential hires to current employees to find missing personality types or avoid potential conflict.

“Ultimately, it’s expensive to get hiring wrong,” says Mac. “And it could take time to know that you’ve made a mistake.”

Visit macslist.org to learn about the hiring process from Mac and his team. Check out 360solutions.com/assessments to learn more about 360 Solutions’ suite of assessments. Sign up at the bottom of the page to get your free personality assessment. It only takes 10 minutes, and we’ll send your full report via email.

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