How a Search Committee Could Benefit Your Organization

Understanding when to use a search committee enables it to become a valuable part of your recruiting efforts.

Steve has been very busy in his efforts to hire somebody for a high profile position within his organization. After spending endless hours sifting through resumes, conducting initial phone interviews, doing on-site interviews, and making the final hiring decision, Steve has finally hired a qualified candidate named Jeff. There was no argument that Jeff was qualified for the position, but Steve was only one opinion and only one view point. Within a few weeks of hiring Jeff, it was apparent to everyone around that Steve had missed something. Although qualified, Jeff was not a cultural fit for the organization. In fact, Jeff was pushing all the wrong buttons and going in all the wrong directions. Jeff was not a fit for the organization and Steve had to let him go. It was now time for Steve to begin the time consuming and costly hiring process all over again.

Could the above situation have been avoided? Maybe not entirely, but the likelihood of it happening could have been greatly reduced if Steve had utilized a search committee in his recruiting efforts.

What is a search committee?

A search committee is a group of individuals gathered together for the purpose of assisting an administrator or hiring manager in recruiting and screening candidates for a vacant position.

Why would I use a search committee?

By forming a search committee, the hiring manager is able to harness the large amount of work that comes with reviewing resumes, conducting initial interviews, and doing on-site interviews. In addition, a search committee provides consistency in reviewing each candidate and the entire hiring process benefits from having multiple perspectives.

When should I use a search committee?

It is best to utilize a search committee when hiring for senior level administrative positions and positions that will have a high public relations impact on your organization.

Who should be a part of a search committee?

Search committee's should be formed with the idea of having a diversity of ideas, opinions, and perceptions. Members of a search committee should include:

1. People who have valued knowledge about the vacant position
2. People who are respected
3. Representatives from areas that the new hire will impact
4. Representative from both genders
5. People of different races and cultural backgrounds

How many members should be on the search committee?

The size of the search committee should reflect the importance of the vacant position. With that being said, a search committee should not exceed 11 members nor have no fewer than three members. Keep in mind that the larger the search committee is, the more time it takes to complete the hiring process.

What are the duties of the search committee?

Search committee's should be active in:

• Determining a timeline for the hiring process
• Identifying where to advertise for the vacant position
• Conduct initial interviews
• Participate in on-site interviews
• Help determine which candidates will advance to each stage of the hiring process
• Help determine the final candidate selected to fill the vacant position

When utilizing a search committee to become part of the hiring process for a vacant position, you are opening a door to new ideas and perspectives. These different and sometimes new thoughts should be encouraged and discussed. It is the objective of the search committee to find and hire the candidate who no only can do the job, but would be the best fit for the organization and the culture within.

To subscribe to this blog, enter your email address:


Delivered by FeedBurner

Importance of New Hire Orientation

New hire orientation programs have a significant effect on the success of the new employee

It was Melissa’s first day at her new job. She was so excited for this new adventure, but also nervous! After being directed to her new workstation, she was handed an employee manual and was told to read it while the other employees went about their daily work. During lunch, Melissa was left to eat alone. After lunch, Melissa went back to reading the employee manual. For the remainder of the week, Melissa was told to do this and then that with little to no training to support her efforts. She made mistakes which made her more nervous than she was before. By the end of the week, the hiring manager was wondering if she had made a mistake and Melissa was thinking the same thing. Melissa quit the job at the end of the day on Friday.

With all of the resources invested in hiring a new employee, this is an example of how those resources were wasted. This was not Melissa’s fault, but rather the fault of the office for not having an effective new hire orientation program in place.

New hire employee orientation should provide new employees with the basic information such as policies and procedures, position specific training, individual mentoring, and organization integration.

• Policies and Procedures – Helping the new employee understand these basic rules will help them understand the organization, while knowing what is expected of them (behavior, attendance, organizational processes, etc.).
• Position Specific Training – In order to do their job effectively, a new employee must receive training that is designed for their specific position. During this training, expectations should be communicated as to what type of performance is expected from the person in this position.
• Individual Mentoring – Each new employee should be assigned a mentor for their first 30 days. This mentor is a current employee who is familiar with the position that the new employee is now in and is the person who the new employee turns to with any questions about the position or the organization. It is also the responsibility of the mentor to ensure that the new employee does not eat lunch alone during their first few days on the job.
• Organization Integration – Helping the new employee smoothly integrate into the organization and its culture is a vital part to having the new employee feel welcome and become productive quickly. This integration begins when the employee walks through the front doors for the first time. They should be warmly welcomed and introduced to everybody in the office where they will be working. It is also important to have their workstation setup for them specifically. This setup should include all technical items (email, workstation, network, etc.).

Having an effective new hire orientation program will help a new employee by reducing their jitters, their entry shock, and employee stress of the new employee. Putting them at ease early will help them become a functional and contributing member of the office quickly and smoothly.

For more information on this and other topics related to HR, HIPAA, OSHA, and Medicare, please email support@hcsiinc.com or visit our website at http://www.hcsiinc.com