5 Ways To Improve Your Nonprofit's Hiring

Has your nonprofit been having trouble hiring employees? Have the past few people you've hired turned out to be, uh, less than ideal? Then it might be time to change up your hiring process.

Bringing on new employees always comes with risk, but that doesn't mean you should just throw up your hands and accept it. Too many hiring managers select new employees based on a gut feeling rather than the raw facts. If this sounds familiar to you, then you are going to have to make some changes. With that in mind, here are five hiring tips that will give you a better chance of bringing in the right employee:

• Start thinking about recruiting before you need new people. You never know when you're going to get that dreaded two-week notice.
• Interview multiple candidates. Just because your first candidate blows you away doesn't mean you should stop considering other people. That next applicant could be just as, if not, more impressive. If an employee doesn't work out, you don't want to regret not doing your due diligence.
• Avoid generic questions. Asking only things like "Why do you want the job?" will not get you a good feel of what this person is like.
• Check references. This seems obvious, but not all employers actually question the references they get from applicants. There are strict laws about what you can ask former employers, so make sure you don't ask anything relating to the employee's skills, attitude, attendance, etc.
• Set expectations. Let the applicant know what will be expected of them should they be chosen to work at your nonprofit. This is the best way to prevent any misunderstandings they may have regarding the position.