Are paid one-week trials for manager roles a good idea?

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I have had trouble hiring for a management role in a job that requires both technical and people skills. We’ve had some false starts of people not making it through the probationary period. Someone recommended that I try doing paid one-week trial shifts instead as an additional step of the interviewing process. What are the pros and cons of this approach? Do you think it’s fair to the applicants? If we do decide to do a paid trial week, what are the best ways for us to suss out whether the candidates are a good fit during these trial weeks?
Julie Labrie, president, BlueSky Personnel Solutions, Toronto
Here is the biggest con to consider: Any jobseekers who are currently employed would most likely not be able to take a week off work to meet this one-week trial obligation. Effectively, you’d be eliminating a valuable talent pool from your search.
It also sends the wrong message – that you are so unsure of your recruitment process that you must implement paid trials.
A one-week trial won’t give you the result you’re seeking. It’s not enough time to effectively evaluate people management skills on the job. There are better, more effective strategies for the challenge you’re facing.
First, consider incorporating psychometric testing into your recruitment process (for example, DiSC, Myers-Briggs or 16Personalities) to give you a clearer picture of how a prospective candidate will fit within your team. Do you need a people manager who is a good mediator for example, who can bring calm to chaos, or someone who brings discipline and structure to the table, like a commander? Or, do you need a coach-like champion to inspire your workforce?
Second, use behavioural interview questions in your recruitment. These questions go beyond assessing technical skills to give you deeper insights into a candidate’s attitudes, motivations, work ethic and preferred managerial style.
Finally, take the time and costs of running one-week trials and consider investing those into hiring an external HR consultant or recruiter to support your hiring needs. Leveraging that niched expertise will give you the best chance of finding the exact talent you need.
Supriya James, senior vice-president of human resources, Canadian Western Bank, Edmonton
Hiring really great talent in the current market can be challenging. While paid trial weeks can seem like an appealing solution, they have limitations, especially for management roles. One week is rarely enough time to assess a candidate’s leadership abilities, technical expertise or fit with your organization’s culture. This approach could also create unnecessary disruption in the team that you are hiring into and puts undue pressure on the candidate to perform in a high-stakes environment, which doesn’t set them up for success. Additionally, there’s the risk of exposing confidential information to someone who may not stay.
At CWB, we take a different approach. For management roles, we rely on a mix of interviews, skill tests and leadership assessments, that offer a fuller understanding of a candidate’s potential. We use this approach for both internal and external candidates. We find the more fulsome selection process gives us a higher probability of selecting the right candidate. We also prioritize internal talent development – more than half of our roles are filled internally. If someone is 60 to 70 per cent ready for a role, especially one that requires both technical and leadership skills, we would select them for the position and invest in their growth by providing the right learning and mentorship. This approach consistently drives long-term success, boosts retention and ensures a better cultural fit.
When deciding next steps, perhaps consider the following:
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