Wednesday, September 16, 2015

Is Speed Hiring Any Better Than Speed Dating?


Today’s Wall Street Journal highlights the latest trend in some HR circles, namely “fast track hiring.” Quoting from the article: “Fed up with recruiting that takes weeks or months, employers are experimenting with ways to take on new employees in a matter of days or even hours.  Chipotle Mexican Grill Inc. made a highly publicized push last week to hire 4,000 workers in a single day, and other technology and media companies are accelerating the way they woo and acquire talent, from entry-level workers to directors. Managers say that things like delaying or forgoing reference checks and scheduling back-to-back interviews are helping swiftly fill jobs with good employees, although some workplace experts caution that such sprints may result in costly mistakes.” Okay, then, the next HR trend will be speed firing, followed by speed lawsuits for wrongful termination and similar. One proponent of speed hiring, Prof. John Sullivan, opines: “In recruiting, LeBron [James] is gone after one day.” I guess he missed the concept that even pro sports teams do extensive evaluations before draft day. Nothing about drafting an athlete is hasty … and given the high costs of making a bad hire even for a Chipotle food server, why rush into a mistake? The article is here.

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