The goal of all hiring interviews is to answer these two questions: Is this person capable of doing the job? Are they the right personality fit for this company?

Sounds pretty simple, right? But companies frequently miss the mark.

Problems occur when hiring teams fail to clearly define what attributes they’re looking for in a hire. Or if they’ve defined the attributes, they fail to rigorously screen applicants for them.

What’s the solution? Use a simple tool called a scorecard to define your hiring criteria and assess candidates. Here’s how to make it:

Define Your Mission

Write what you’re trying to accomplish by filling this position. It should be stated in measurable outcomes. This is not a list of tasks. You want someone who is mission-driven rather than task-driven.

Example

The Director of Operations is responsible for managing day to day operations, enabling 25% year over year growth for the company. The Director will do this by:

Streamlining processes
expanding distribution channels 4 times over the next two years.
Evaluating and recalibrating the management team.

Identify Goals

Identify 5 goals you’d like this person to achieve. It’s helpful to indicate the timeframes that you wish for these things to occur.

Example

Month 1--becomes familiar with all functions and personnel of the company.

Month 2--creates an ideal org chart and process mapping.

Month 3--begins implementing process and personnel improvements.

Month 6--utilizes improved processes and output. Begins to expand distribution relationships.

Month 12--continues to make improvements to processes, personnel and distribution.

Identify Five Key Competencies And Skills

Though you might have a long list of desired skills, you need to pick out the five most important. It would be a deal-breaker if they were lacking any of these.

Example

5 or more years experience in similar positions.
Trained and experienced in lean manufacturing principles.
Bachelor’s degree or higher in business, food engineering or related field.
Previously established relationships with food distributors.
5+ years experience managing a manufacturing operations team.

Establish Five Desired Personal Qualities

These could be related to the role, to the company’s values or the company’s culture. There should be 5. These are deal-breakers if they don’t have them:

Examples

Decisive
Honest
Empathetic
Strong leader
Collaborative

How To Use The Scorecard

Now that you’ve defined your criteria with a scorecard, use it to guide every stage of the hiring process. Use it to:

Write an accurate job description.
Build a pipeline of candidates.
Write interview questions that assess whether your candidate meets the criteria.

Most importantly, use the scorecard as a focusing lens during the interview process. Interview days can be busy and chaotic. It can be easy to get distracted or pulled off on a tangent. Use your scorecard to stay on track, focus your observations, ask the right questions and hire the right person.

Not excited about this task? We’d be happy to hire the right person for you. Reach out to me to find out how our firm can help you.