What will Happen with Hiring in 2011?

2010 was a year of stabilization for many companies. After an exciting, and incredibly dismal 2009, this year was one of a slow return to normalcy. But what does 2011 look like?

I’m learning that HRM Innovations seems to be a good indicator of what’s happening in the business world overall. At the end of 2009 and early in 2010 HRM helped with layoffs. By mid 2010 we’d been asked to do some hiring and executive placements. In the last month, four clients asked us about designing selection systems for them.

With that, we’re predicting a year of hiring, but with a twist. Employers know that, due to the economy, there is a lot of great talent out there and they want to find a way to identify it and to bring it on board. The trick is in identifying the best talent.

As you can imagine, I’ve made some “interesting” hiring decisions. In one case many years ago, I hired a manager who interviewed well, but had failed the personality assessment that we were using at the time. In hindsight, that should have been a sign to at least do more investigation, but we were in a hurry, and the interview was good. How bad could it be?

Frankly, it was so bad that I spent the next several years resolving employee conflicts in the department and holding weekly coaching sessions with the manager. As an indicator, our only discrimination claim, ever, came from that department. I found myself regretting that hiring decision on a daily basis until finally convincing our reluctant leadership team it was time to cut the cord.

How much did that hiring decision cost us? Way more than it should have.

Hopefully your organization will join the ranks of those that are hiring in 2011. If it does, take the time to develop a system to select the best talent available. I know it’s hard to find the time when you have too much on your plate already, but it really is worth it in the long run.

If you need help, give us a call. I’ve learned from my mistakes and that could help you.

Best wishes for a prosperous and Happy New Year!