Many summers ago when I applied for a job as a nanny, I was somewhat perplexed when my employer let her family members interview me. First her dad, then her sister, then her step-mother. She never once interviewed me herself. She hired me, but as I later found out, she never could make her own decisions.

But here is a different idea for you. When recruiting new candidates, why not let your current employees do the hiring? Why not let them have a say in who their future co-workers will be? (After all, they are likely the ones who will be training these same new hires). It's also a way for employees to contribute to the growth of the company. Is hiring always a top-down process?

Let's call this "collaborative hiring".

One Toronto employer has had great success with this process. After interviewing the candidate, and if all goes well, she then e-mails her staff with an attachment of the candidate's resume, and organizes an optional, informal wine and cheese event after work hours where they will get to meet the new candidate. Management is absent from this event. She then gets feedback from her staff about the candidate, and they also thank her for involving them in the process.

The benefits of collaborative hiring include a shorter orientation period for the new hire, plus attracting better quality hires (top talent).

What do you think of collaborative hiring? Do share your thoughts with us!