There’s a reason top performer companies expand rapidly, and average companies plateau.
It’s not their strategy. Not their product. And definitely not their marketing budget.
Hint:
It’s their people.
The good news? Those superstar teams didn’t just get lucky interviewing-wise. They nailed hiring by creating a repeatable system that minimizes risk with every hire.
Here’s everything you need to know about a top performer hiring system:
- Why does most hiring fail?
- How much does poor hiring cost your business?
- What does a top performer hiring system actually look like?
- How to create a structured hiring process (step by step)
- Interviewing tools that will make your life easier
Here’s what to dig into.
Why Most Hiring Processes Fail
Here’s the reality.
The majority of hiring processes are barely a system at all.
“You need to fill a role. Post a job. Read some résumés. Conduct interviews. Whatever. Hire who you like best.”
Sound familiar?
That’s not a process. That’s random chance.
No wonder 74% of employers say they’ve made a bad hire.
Already know that story. According to research by Leadership IQ, 46% of new hires FAIL within the first 18 months. Close to HALF.
They don’t fail because they’re bad people. They fail because companies lack the process to hire better ones.
And that’s where a top performer hiring system comes in.
What Your Hiring Process Is Costing Your Business
The average bad hire costs companies 30% of an employee’s first-year earnings. But that doesn’t account for the hidden costs.
What most people don’t realise is how far poor quality hires can hurt a business.
Here are some examples.
When one employee underperforms…
- Productivity takes a hit as team members pick up the slack.
- Morale plummets and the entire culture suffers.
- Management spends valuable time and resources coaching underperformers.
- Finances take a double hit from lost productivity, recruitment fees, and onboarding costs.
Replace that employee? It could cost 1.5x to 2x their annual salary when you consider hiring, onboarding, and training costs.
But as harsh as those numbers are, the solution is simple: get rid of reactive hiring and replace it with a rock solid system.
What Does a Top Performer Hiring System Look Like?
Take a look at any high performing business. There’s one common thread throughout their company culture: fantastic employees.
They don’t just happen by magic. Sure, companies get lucky now and then. But a top performer hiring system helps businesses hire exceptional employees…consistently.
The most successful systems combine two simple things:
- A structured interview process
- Objective assessment scoring employees against predefined success metrics.
The Topgrading recruiting and hiring method is one of the leading examples of what hiring should look like. It’s built around placing only A-players in every role and has been used at some of the largest, most successful companies in the world.
Here’s the key to remember:
A-players raise the performance level of those around them. When exceptional people are hired and helped to grow into their roles, everybody wins.
Candidates should be scoring points on the interview leaderboard based on how closely they fit the success metrics. Everything else is just noise.
How to Build a Structured Hiring Process
Theory is great and all, but how does a business actually build a system?
Here are five simple steps to a better hiring process:
Step 1: Identify Role Requirements Based on Outcomes
Before even thinking about posting that job, sit down and get clear on the following:
“What does success look like in this role?”
“How do we know if someone is performing, or just scraping by?”
“What does this person need to achieve in 30, 60, and 90 days?”
When the answers are clear, write them down. That’s the hiring scorecard.
Step 2: Ask Behavioural Interview Questions
Talking to candidates is great, but structured questions are where the gold lives.
Traditional Q&As are easy to manipulate. Behavioral interview questions are not.
“Tell me about a time when…”
Focus on past behaviour to predict future performance. Every question asked should be framed this way.
Step 3: Score Every Candidate Against the Same Criteria
Stop making hiring decisions off gut feel.
Asking different questions to every candidate undervalues top performers and risks hiring someone based purely on “chemistry.”
Objective assessment processes score every candidate against the same hiring scorecard. Removing as much grey area as possible leads to better hiring decisions.
Step 4: Interview References the Right Way
Did you know most reference checks are pointless?
Instead of asking if the candidate was responsible and liked their job, ask specific questions.
How did they rank compared to their peers? What were they great at? Where did they need to improve? More will be learned about the candidate from these questions than three rounds of interviews.
Step 5: Use Probationary Periods Effectively
Not sure about the process? Use probationary periods to find out if someone is the right fit before giving them full employment status.
When onboarding, make sure expectations are clear from day one. Then check in at 30 days, 60 days, and 90 days to ensure everyone is on the same page.
Sounds straightforward when broken down like this, right?
A Quick Guide to Hiring Interview Tools
Expensive assessment software or intimidating hiring tools aren’t necessary.
Building a top performer hiring system can be done with these four simple resources:
- Hiring scorecards — a document that lists hiring requirements and scores candidates objectively.
- Behavioural interview question banks — questions tailored to the core competencies a role requires.
- Skills-based assessments — testing candidates on the skills needed for the specific role. These can be as simple as one or two job-related tasks.
- Applicant Tracking Systems — keeping all candidate information in one place. Typically software that makes it easy to score and rank candidates against job criteria.
Interviewing Doesn’t Have to Be Difficult
For businesses that want to grow, systems are everything. Everything else is secondary.
A hiring system is THE most powerful investment a company can make.
Better hires = higher productivity.
Higher productivity = faster growth.
Get the picture?
Here’s a quick recap:
- Hire based on outcomes vs tasks.
- Use behavioural interviews.
- Score candidates objectively.
- Do effective reference checks.
- Use probation to ensure a good fit.
Don’t leave hiring to chance. Spend the time building an interview process once and watch it work every single time a new employee is needed.
