If you've ever hired someone only to realize later that doing so was a huge mistake, well, welcome to the club. Hiring new talent is one of the trickiest tasks for business owners, and getting it wrong is nothing short of expensive, time-consuming, awkward, and growth-hindering. On the flip side, when we get it right, the heavens seemingly open. We get more work done, our team begins to jell, and our companies seem to just naturally succeed. Whether you run a small organization or startup, a large corporation or family-run business comprised of four generations, identifying and hiring the right people for jobs within your company is critical. How can you get it right?
First, what not to do. The tried but not-so-true approach most companies take is this: review resumes, interview “qualified” candidates, and maybe check their references. That process is faulty because it collects completely subjective data. There are hundreds of resume writing services; perhaps your candidate used one to “pretty up” his or her resume and attract attention. Outgoing people interview better; your candidate may have been fun in the conference room but that doesn’t necessarily mean he can do the job better. And absolutely no one is going to give you the name name of someone who will give a bad reference. The entire traditional approach is doomed from start to finish.
So how do you attract the right person? Start with the WHO.
Nope, not the band. You start the hiring process by seeking out the kind of person you’re looking for, not what qualifications he or she has. You can teach someone your business. You can teach them whatever new computer skills are required to do it. What you can’t can’t teach is how to think. Psychologists say that our personalities are fixed by about the age of 6, so attempts at changing people are futile. Put a square peg in a round hole, and you get to be the hammer.
There are several instruments on the market to help you assess “the WHO” – just make sure the assessment meets the EEOC guidelines for hiring.
Regardless of the tool, determine the characteristics the position demands. Do you need a leader or detail oriented person? A persuasive or technical thinker? Must this person have the ability to think outside the box? What exactly does the position demand? Identifying personal characteristics, WHO you need, is the first step to finding and keeping your best employees.
Write the job ad to attract the person you need.
A good job ad is just that, an ad. Please do not write a job description. Your goal is to find true talent, not the average person trolling the job boards. Tailor your ad to the WHO. For sales, emphasize freedom, independence, and entrepreneurial atmosphere. For operations, emphasize organization, quality, and detail orientation. If you know what attitudes and behaviors are important to you, it's easy to filter candidates accordingly. Just a side note: just because a person seems like a fit for your organization, it doesn’t mean he or she is a fit for the particular open position.
Make the interview really count.
When you interview, look deeper than an explanation of the candidate’s past work.
Some great questions to ask:
- Who are you going to be 10 years from today?
- Why do you work?
- What makes you get up in the morning and do what you do?
These questions can tell you a lot about a candidate's drive and ambition, which is important in helping you understand how the person works, and whether or not your prospective employee will grow with your business.
Tailor questions to the position. For a sales position, request candidates to, “Tell me a time you broke a rule, why did you did it, explain the outcome.” Or, “Tell me the last three times you turned no into a yes.” “How did you handle the last conflict at work?” For operations, ask questions such as, “How do you feel about delegating?” “How does your experience relate to the current job?” “What did you like most and least about your last role?”
Involve your current employees in the interview process and make sure the candidate has the opportunity to ask plenty of questions, too.
Once you think you have the right WHO, go out for a test drive. For a sales position, have the candidate give a presentation to check communication skills. For an operations position, have the candidate complete similar tasks to the ones you will need him to complete at work, so that you can review accuracy. Personality is key, but true skills need to be assessed.
Our next educational event, “Right People, Right Jobs,” takes place next week. Eileen Stephens will present. Eileen is a Business Consultant and Licensee of Culture Index, a program that identifies seven work related traits. She has spent 20+ years in consulting, marketing, and sales leadership, and is an expert in identifying, recruiting, and training successful teams. Eileen helps business owners and executives use the Culture Index program to build and promote their staff, thereby creating successful, productive teams. In this highly interactive presentation, Eileen will review how you can identify seven innate traits in candidates that relate to their success or demise in your organization. We hope you’ll join us.
It’s worth the expense and time to get the right people on board. Hiring the wrong people will cost you. Hiring the right people will drive your company.
