The next time an employee retires, or leaves your company for another job, you should refrain from posting the job on forums, job boards or with staffing firms until you have looked into what your true hiring needs are. Even if you already have a job description for the position, you need to take a long look at it and make sure it is updated and explains what it is you need in an employee. Here, we will discuss how to discover your true hiring needs before actually hiring for an open job.

Update the Profile of the Job

The first step in discovering what you actually need before hiring is to update the profile of the job. You need to find out what the duties were of the employee who left the company. You can do this by speaking with the employee if you are still on good terms. If the employee retired, he or she should have no problem speaking with you about their duties. If the employee left for another job, but the relationship is still intact, contact him or her about the duties. If you realize it soon enough, ask about the job duties during the exit interview.

Figure Out if Job Must be Filled

Another option your company must look at is whether or not the job must be filled after the employee leaves. Have the job duties changed so much over the years that the duties can be divided amongst other employees? If so, then the job does not need to be filled. When working on this option, talk to the former employee’s supervisor and co-workers. You might decide that the position should be filled, or you might decide that most of the job duties can stop being performed and the rest can be divided among current employees.

Must Haves for an Employee

The next step in discovering your true hiring needs before hiring a new employee is to determine what your must haves are for a new employee. Stop looking for the perfect candidate for the job, or any open job at your company. The more you look for a perfect candidate, the more likely it is that you will be disappointed with what you come across. In order to avoid looking for the perfect candidate, you must list the requirements of the job and the necessary skills the candidate should have in order to be hired.

Is the New Employee Already on the Payroll?

Ask yourself this question when a job opens up at your company. Can someone already on the payroll fill this open job? Look at your current employees and try to determine if anyone has the skills or experience necessary to fill the open job. If so, post the opening and encourage a couple of internal candidates to apply.