It’s been two months since I’ve written a blog post and I surely have missed inspiring you. In fact, I have been busy trying to select right staff for my childcare center.
Someone once told me that hiring the right staff is like trying on a new pair of shoes, you just got to keep trying until you get the right fit.
Well, I don’t necessarily agree with that philosophy, because I believe it will lead to a high turnover. In fact, over the course of ten years I noticed that my turnover was low as I connected with my team and created a family like culture.
However, there seems to be a new mindset in the workplace today and it seems like it can be a challenge to find the perfect fit for your job openings. Including: finding staff who are accountable to doing their job with excellence and who are skilled to work with children.
I have recently reviewed my onboarding process to access whether or not I was missing any important steps. My onboarding Process includes:
- A face-to-face interview after reviewing the applicants resume on Indeed.com
- a 30–45-minute Classroom observation
- I check references
- I asked lots of open-ended questions during the interview including, real life scenarios.
- I check out the applicant’s attire
- I pay close attention to their answers to my questions.
- Background check is complete before applicant starts work
- Once the applicant is offered a position, there’s’ an orientation and a full week of on-the-job training and lots of coaching the first 90-days.
However, after completing leadership training today titled, leading from the heart, I discovered there were two key steps that I was missing:
- I was not hiring with my brand in mind. In fact, when I selected the applicant, I did not consider if the applicant was a reflection of my brand.
- Also, I have shaken many hands of applicants, and the handshake was weak. I just thought the applicant was nervous.
With both of the key steps above in mind, I realized why many of my recent hires resulted in a high turn- over. I did not consider my brand when hiring and the weak handshake was not considered.
Furthermore, what I did consider was whether or not the applicant was experienced and could keep children safe. I also considered the applicants track record in childcare.
As an employer for over 26 years, I truly feel inspired to pay closer attention to the applicant’s, handshake and going forward, I will now ask myself the following question: Is this applicant a true reflection of my Brand?
What are your thoughts about today’s post? What are your thoughts about the Handshake test and considering your brand when hiring? If this post, inspired you today, leave me a comment below.
With Hiring the right staff in mind,
Dr. Shiketa Morgan
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