It can be tempting to just surround yourself with the people whose company you enjoy, but from an HR perspective, you need to take some things into consideration to ensure that you’re hiring for fit. 

This week on the podcast, HR consultant Niki Ramirez and I walk through some of these hiring considerations that are extremely important but all too frequently overlooked. We talk about how your recruitment process is seen by everyone--your clients, prospective clients, competitors--and why you need to keep an eye on your mission, vision, and values. I share my current hiring process and how I test to make sure a candidate is a good culture fit, and Niki shares why hiring someone who is a culture stretch can benefit your business.

Whether you’re a small business owner who’s in the process of looking for their first hire or a more established company that wants to review the previous additions to your team, now is a good time to learn how to navigate the world of hiring and HR compliance. Listen in as Niki shares some great tips on everything from making job descriptions to interviewing short-listed prospects. Plus, learn how you can get hold of her HR checklist that can be useful for your prospecting efforts!

About Niki Ramirez:

Niki Ramirez is an industry expert and certified human resource professional with over 20 years of successful experience in leadership and human resources management. She has taken what she learned in Fortune 500 HR and created an impactful and practical approach to balancing HR in small businesses that focuses on both employees’ and employer’s needs.

Central to everything that she does is the belief that all success that is accomplished is through the dedication and efforts of great employees. Niki is a firm believer in the powers of collaboration and communication. She carries with her a strong desire to empower employers and their employees to work in partnership to design and implement meaningful workplace and human resources programs rooted in collaboration, respect, trust and open communication.

Niki’s ultimate goal is to create a positive ripple in the world, through her unique approach to human resources. Niki’s professional background includes serving in operational management and leadership roles, as a corporate human resources consultant, as well as community college adjunct faculty, and a human resources executive. In addition to her three HR professional certifications, Niki is bi-lingual in Spanish/English, holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish from Arizona State University, and an MBA in HR Management from the University of Phoenix.

Links and Resources:

• HR Answers
• Instagram – HR Answers
• Join the Inner Circle

Time Stamps:

• [2:14 ] - Best practices when hiring
• [2:33 ] - Are you situated to be an employer
• [3:43 ] - Interviewing and selection
• [4:05 ] - Communicating values when recruiting and everyone will see that
• [5:15 ] - Start consistent messaging during recruitment
• [7:10 ] - How to share recruitment is a big piece of the process
• [9:33 ] - So many parts of the hiring process
• [10:52 ] - Amber’s current hiring process
• [14:01 ] - Create additional points of data for employee profile
• [16:06 ] - Series of screening questions in writing before first phone interview
• [18:16 ] - Questions to determine if candidates align with mission, vision, values
• [22:10 ] - Use interview to develop a potential relationship
• [23:47 ] - Benefits of collecting an employment application
• [27:46 ] - Only hire the “hell yes” candidates
• [29:28 ] - Be consistent in your process
• [30:11 ] - As part of the interview process, do this top secret thing
• [34:16 ] - There are things you can’t ask about
• [37:43 ] - Develop your questions in a way that allows for open conversation
• [40:35 ] - How to use checklists during interviews so you can have a better interview flow
• [42:16 ] - Amber’s strategy for finding a good cultural fit
• [45:07 ] - Your brain runs with an operating system; Niki’s is HR compliant
• [50:10 ] - Bring up potential deal-breakers with prospective employee