Tips for Hiring Better and Faster: A Q&A with ECI’s Chief HR Officer, Andrew Pryor

The hiring game has been flipped upside down over the past year, forcing businesses to dedicate more time and creativity to attracting and retaining valuable team members. No matter the size of the business, the industry they serve, or the city they are based in, we have all been challenged in this market to grow strong teams.

At ECI, we are facing the same hurdles, so we recently sat down with Andrew Pryor, our Chief Human Resources Officer, to ask for his best advice for hiring skilled employees in a post-pandemic world. But before we dive into his interview, here is a little about him.

Andrew joined ECI in 2015 and spends each day striving to find the right people for our open roles and create a successful workplace for all of our team members. In 2018, Andrew was named HR Executive of the Year by the International Business Awards. He has also helped build and hone ECI’s culture which has been recognized as one of Achievers’ 50 Most Engaging Companies to Work For five years in a row. Moreover, ECI has been certified as a Great Place to Work in North America every year since 2016.

ECI: What is the biggest mistake that companies are making when it comes to hiring?

AP: They do not look at culture and tend to focus on technical skills only. Hiring managers should consider “team fit” as important as a specific technical skill. First, a manager should ask themselves: what is the culture of my current team? Do we work well remotely or in an office? Are we direct, extroverted, or introverted? Do we work independently or have more of a collaborative culture?

The next step is to formulate behavioral-based interview questions around the team’s culture. Two great questions to ask that will help identify the fit are:

• Share with me a team you were on where you really enjoyed the group dynamics.

• Give me an example of a time you were on a team and did not enjoy the experience.

ECI: How has virtual interviewing challenged the hiring process and what can businesses do to overcome that?

AP: If a job is already remote or virtual, I do not believe virtual interviewing has impacted the hiring process. If 100% of interactions with an employee will be online, it is best to have a virtual interview. You get to see and experience how an applicant will interact utilizing your virtual tools.

On the other hand, if the role is office-based, I think that is the setting you should interview someone in, particularly in the office they plan to work in. This gives them the experience of driving that route and you can interact with them in the same environment you will be working with them. It also gives the candidate a realistic job preview of the office environment.

Whether you are hiring for a virtual or in-office position, you will still want to see a candidate put their best foot forward in both scenarios: on time, dressed to impress, articulate, and asking thoughtful follow-up questions.

ECI: According to LinkedIn, 84% of SMBs struggle to find enough people to interview and hire. How can businesses find more qualified applicants?

AP: Your best resource is your current employees. Pay good referral bonuses, utilize LinkedIn networks that your current employees are part of, and share all open jobs with your employees.

In today’s competitive war for talent, many companies turn to staffing agencies that charge a finder’s fee of 20% of an employee’s salary or 40% of a contractor’s salary. Why not use some of those costs and incentivize your existing employees to share openings with friends and colleagues from their professional networks? By keeping your team updated on open roles, they can also identify promotional opportunities that will keep them engaged and growing within the business.

Social media has become a very powerful resource for employer branding. If you have a social media presence, promote the job with your followers online, and include what makes your company unique, your benefits package, or how your business makes a difference in your local community. If you are a member of a professional association, find out how to share the jobs on their channels too.

ECI: If a business does not have the money to pay more for top talent, what else can they do to entice a new hire?

AP: With inflation at an all-time high and wage inflation following closely behind, this is an issue many businesses are facing. My first thought is to ask yourself: Can my business afford flexibility? Some things to consider include:

• Flexible work hours
• Part-time work
• Mid-day schedules, so parents to drop kids off at school and pick them up after school
• Hybrid schedules, so employees can work at home some days and in the office other days
• 100% remote schedules

The more flexibility you can offer employees, the more enticing your roles are.

ECI: In today’s world, 75% of SMB owners are unsure if a candidate will succeed in the role, even after the interview, according to research from LinkedIn. What strategies can companies apply during the interview process to boost their confidence in a new hire’s ability?

AP: Behavioral Based Interviewing (BBI) is my go-to technique. Ask the candidate for specific examples of how they have behaved in past work scenarios. Using BBI, I start with the competencies necessary for the job and then develop specific questions around each competency. There are 2 main points to Behavioral Based Interviewing:

1. Never ask a “yes” or “no” question. You always want an applicant to tell you a story of something they did in their past.
2. Behaviors are always repeated. The best predictor of a candidate’s future success is learning about their past behaviors.

For example, if you were hiring an administrative assistant for your office, you will want to consider asking a question like:

• Tell me about a time when you helped your manager with a complex project.
• Share with me a particularly complicated business trip you scheduled for someone in your office and why was it complicated.

My favorite question to ask when hiring HR professionals is: “How are you used as a resource for the departments you supported?” The responses to that question can tell me how engaged that HR person was in the business. If you want to learn more about this technique, I suggest the book: High-Impact Interview Questions by Victoria A. Hoevermeyer.

Just as critical as learning about past behaviors are the questions an applicant asks of you. I want to hear questions from applicants who have researched our company and who are curious about what makes a candidate successful at our company. Some of the best questions I’ve ever been asked are:

• After six months on the job, how will I know I’m successful?
• How will I be measured?
• I noticed on your website, that the company has a huge focus on cloud-based products. Will you share your cloud security strategy?

I absolutely will not hire an applicant who has no questions to ask me during an interview. To me, that reflects a lack of intellectual curiosity. And I do not believe someone who lacks a desire to learn would be successful at our company.

For SMB’s to be successful, it is crucial to hire capable and skilled employees that will stick with you in the long run. Attractive referral bonuses and strong promotion of the role and your culture will help your business cut through the noise in the job market and stand out. Once you begin interviewing, search for the cultural fit and use Behavioral Based Interviewing strategies to hire with confidence.