Almost every employer has made the mistake of hiring someone who is great on paper, but turned out to be unqualified for the job some time later. The main reason why this happens is that employers rely too much on self-appraisals, such as resumes and LinkedIn profiles and too little on other techniques when it comes to finding the best candidate. Skywalk Group is here to prevent you from choosing the wrong person for the job with these 4 easy non-traditional hiring tips:

• An increasing number of employers are jumping on the “application first, resume later” bandwagon, and for a good reason. To assure you are not wasting time reading a lengthy resume of a person who has been blasting the same resume off to hundreds of other companies, make them fill out an application customized to your company. This will weed out the candidates who did not take the open position seriously.

• Contact the references to find out what others think of your potential employee. While most references will be full of praise for the candidates, they are still a good source of information when it comes to how well your candidate works with others and their work ethic. Also ask them about the candidate as a person, to make sure they will fit nicely into your company culture.

• When you are done asking the standard questions during the interview, give your candidate the chance to show off their skills. Depending on what job they are applying for, give them a task so you can see how they work under pressure.

• Trial periods are your best friend when it comes to hiring a new employee. They give you the chance to test drive a person and their capabilities without making you commit to hiring them full time.

The next time you are thinking of hiring a new employee, consider going beyond the traditional resume, because a candidate can look great on paper but turn out to be a poor fit for your company. If you need help finding the right candidates for your company, Skywalk Group is here to help.