To get better at hiring... get out of the supermarket
599 words or 2 min 23 sec of recruitment gold. I spent almost 20 years in recruitment.... so you don't have to. I hope it helps.
Hiring should not be like browsing supermarkets... making endless decisions on very similar-looking groceries...
How many people should you interview for your job? It's not as many as you think...
In a world filled with endless possibilities and options, the idea of limiting choices might seem... like madness.
When it comes to hiring though...
It should be your aim
Plenty of research has shown that limiting the choices in your life can lead to greater satisfaction and critically for hiring... improved decision-making.
The Paralysis of Analysis
...or DECISION DEADLOCK
In his book "The Paradox of Choice: Why More Is Less," psychologist Barry Schwartz explains how too many choices lead to decision paralysis.
And being dissatisfied with the outcome...
When we have too many choices... we basically...can't decide
No shi*t, right?
But why?
Big Bad Barry suggests that it's the fear of making the wrong choice or missing out on something better.
Barry didn't ask me about my experience when writing his book (probably for the best) but I have seen this 100s of times...
A professor called Sheena Iyengar proved this with a study on jam...
She saw that while customers were initially attracted to a display with a vast assortment of jams... they were actually more likely to make buy jams when there were fewer options...
Anybody that has ever shopped in Aldi will have experienced this...
What I also see is that the success of a hire (judged by tenure and growth in the role) is no better when a decision is laboured over than when one is made quickly...
Selection Stress = Mind Mess
Loads of choices can lead to decision fatigue and mental exhaustion.
The more decisions we need to make the less mental energy we have for subsequent choices...
This is the nub of the problem... it results in suboptimal decision-making and impulsive hiring choices... THE VERY THING HAVING A LARGE NUMBER OF OPTIONS WAS DESIGNED TO AVOID...
Don't just take it from me though...
The psychologist Roy F. Baumeister said that by limiting choice, we conserve energy for more important decisions.
So you can have more confidence in the quality of your final decision...
Which is what you want, right?
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Fewer Options = More Attention.
Why spread your time over dozens of candidates/interviews when the results from fewer candidates are at least as good, often better?
Hire like a minimalist lives...
Limit the non-essential distractions and choices
(like those three people you planned to see just for comparison...)
Choice Regret
We've all felt it...
The 'what ifs, the 'maybes'...
More options = more choice regret.
It means that even when you successfully make the hire... it's tough to feel satisfied.
By choosing from a smaller pool of candidates, you tend to feel more content with your decisions...
Create your own rules...
"I will interview three people for this role and offer one"
...ALWAYS leads to better results than "I will interview until somebody impresses"
Don't think I am suggesting you should accept mediocrity when hiring though
Just make deliberate choices about what really matters in the hire...
And then stick to it.
If you can't qualify what that is yet... wait until you can.
Setting boundaries when it comes to hiring will create discipline and focus.
Which in turn will result in a hire and a hiring process you can feel good about.
...and last I checked feeling good > feeling bad.
Hiring is my day job. Don't make it yours.
I post daily on how to get better at Data and Technology hiring - hit follow to stay in the know.
If you need support growing your team send me a message, I have something that could help. mclark@newlandscience.com
Founder
1yThere is a reason that chocolate bars are near the tills... supermarkets know that we make poor decisions when we're tired of shopping... How different is hiring?