In my work with small businesses I have developed six of the best hiring What Are the Advantages of Hiring a Consultant? practices to improve business performance and workforce development. These “high performance” hiring practices work because they seek to create and support an aligned workforce. As best hiring practices they are part of our effort to hire smart and increase the productivity and profit of the businesses we support as an HR consulting firm.First, develop a better understanding of your company’s needs by defining and communicating your long-term company strategy and plan. This may sound basic, and perhaps it is, but you would be surprised how many small businesses do not define their long-term company strategy and plan, much less communicate it to employees – and potential new hires. Developing that strategy and plan is the most important first step to develop a unity and purpose for you and your employees.Second, communicate that strategy and plan as a recruitment strategy – attracting who you want and need for your future success. Once you have developed the strategy and the plan communicate it to those who have interest in your company. I have interview hundreds of applicants who invariably ask what the client company’s goals and purpose are. They want to know, they want to understand – they also want to identify if those goals and purpose are similar to their own goals.Third, refine the application and interviewing process to solicit information about current talents as well as future potential and interests. Too many small business owners do not take advantage of the application and interview process to develop questions concerning talents and interests. Develop opinion, behavioral, and competency-based questions that require the applicant to think, reflect, and project. If you have a question on the utility of developing a dynamic application and interview process do yourself a favor – calculate the true cost of hiring, and make sure you calculate the lost profitability that occurs during the training period for the new hire.Fourth, identify an applicant’s current potential to perform the functions of a job by understanding what is important in the job and matching that to what is present in the applicant. Too often small businesses don’t think through the ability of an applicant to perform functions other than what they have applied for. There are many instances I have witnessed where the “shoe did not fit, but they put in on anyway.” The results were predictable. They asked my company to do the subsequent hire – the smart way.Fifth, assess and understand how an applicant’s long-term potential can match with the company’s long-term strategy. If I could think of one phrase that can characterize many company hiring practices it is short-sighted. That applicant has sought you out for a reason – take all the time necessary to assess and understand their short and long term potential. Ask them. Now, does it match where you want to drive your bus?Sixth, enable job role changes to better fit a person’s natural talents – by understanding a person’s natural strengths and adapting the job role(s) as needed. You will need to use assessment instruments to understand these talents and strengths, but the minimal investment in doing so can pay huge long term dividends if you can make adjustments to a job role to better fit a person’s natural talents – and then encourage him to pursue those talents.Applying the best hiring practices in your small business is not difficult.