Over the years, we’ve assisted our Bradenton based client HP Ingredients with many aspects of HR, including occasional recruiting. We help with the job postings, resume review, screening, scheduling interviews … taking much of the leg work off of their plate. We assist in just about every aspect of hiring except making the actual decision.
Recently, HPI management found itself in the enviable dilemma of multiple qualified applicants. Candidate A and Candidate B, each offering substantial strengths, tempered by just enough areas of uncertainty to prevent an easy “no-brainer” decision. Instead of flipping a coin, founder and president Annie Eng came up with an innovative strategy that engaged and empowered every member of this growing Neutraceutical company. According to Annie, “we depend on our employees to contribute their best effort with respect to our business objectives, so we look for people whose work ethic and opinions we can trust.”
The candidates were called in for a final interview. But this time, both met with EVERY SINGLE EMPLOYEE. HPI decided to truly “walk the walk” of entrusting success to their most important resource, the people who are most familiar with the dynamic production environment, the high standards of quality and safety, and the company’s commitment to ethical global enterprise. A post-interview vote took place, and ConsultStu received instructions to draft the offer letter. When we contacted the applicant to notify him of the impending offer, we asked about the experience. “I was definitely surprised when they told me I’d be interviewing with everyone in the company,” he told us, “but I was impressed by what it said about this employer, and how they regard their staff.”
The whole concept knocked our socks off, but it turns out tech giant Google follows a similar formula of widening the scope of hiring decision input. The tech giant uses a strategy of making hiring decisions through a team consensus, and all hiring decisions are passed along to a hiring committee for review. It may slow down the hiring process, but a team approach has improved hiring results.
Congrats to our client HP Ingredients on a bold and creative hiring strategy that paid off for everyone. Serving an array of small business clients in various industries contributes to our own HR expertise and collective experience. If your company is growing larger than your HR resources, consider our affordable “HR on-demand” services. We are here to help!
