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Improve employee engagement during the hiring process

Posted on January 8th, 2015 Read time: 2 minutes

Today's digital age has drastically improved business operations across all verticals. However, it may also be contributing to the increased rate of employee disengagement as the lines between work and personal life have become blurred.

A recent Gallup poll found just 13 percent of employee respondents to be actively engaged in their current roles. On the other hand, 63 percent of global workers are not engaged, while another 24 percent are actively disengaged. This isn't a cause for panic just yet, though. Businesses can improve employee engagement before workers even join the payroll – they just need to select the right candidates during the screening process.

A company that asks the right questions during the interview process of a new employee can better gauge personal motivations and core values. If an interviewee is a success-driven individual, this person's hard work could be the engine behind a happy and engaged future member of the company.

Certainly, the possibility of an employee mood or mindset can change after working with the business for a given amount of time, so it's critical for a business to keep its employees engaged on a consistent basis. While there are myriad pieces of advice to heed on current staff engagement, a business can do itself a favor by hiring employees it thinks will remain engaged for longer periods of time. 

Businesses must develop a balance between maintaining current employee engagement and hiring the right individuals. Multinational software corporation SAP suggests hiring competent and qualified workers who work well with one another is a driver in employee happiness and retention. During the interview process, a business must clearly define its values, mission statement, objectives and opportunities for upward mobility. These factors play a role in overall employee satisfaction down the road, and weeding out the misfits during the screening process can save both time and money.

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