Hiring the best fit for the job shouldn’t be a full-time job. Still, “it’s hard to find good help” is a common phrase. Do you need someone with very specific skills? Can you train on the job? Will they fit in with your team?
These are just a few questions (of many) that you have to ask when hiring a new employee. Now, as some people are coming back into the office while some are still working remotely, making sure you have the right people on staff is crucial and possibly more complex.
This blog is geared toward helping you find the help you need to finish the year strong!
What Does Talent Look Like?
It’s worth considering a talent strategy to bring clarity to your hiring process. Creating a comprehensive picture of what you want and expect from all your team members may seem daunting, but it will help you hire people who are a true fit for the company culture and for the position itself.
Here are a few things to consider:
- What kind of skillset does this person have?
- Do they have experience in the desired field or other areas?
- What is their personality like?
- Do they handle complex problems and decision making with grace and ease, or do they struggle?
By creating an interview that outlines the potential hire’s attributes, values, and things they care about, you can answer many of these questions.
Hiring with Your Team
The next tip is to get your current employees involved in the recruiting and hiring process.
For example, maybe you need to hire a new driver. Start by gathering one or two of your current drivers (who will be working beside the new hire), and maybe an additional member of management. Let them be part of the interview process!
Have the job candidate meet one-on-one with each member of your hiring team. Not only will you help your current staff feel more responsible for the well-being of your company, but you’ll also be able to see how the potential hire fits with your staff.
Remember – it’s better to hire the right person, even if it takes longer than you expect… than to hire the wrong person, wasting time and money on training, and creating potential problems in the workplace.
Don’t Hyperfocus on Their Past
While it’s important to thoroughly screen potential candidates, there’s a difference between making sure you get a solid sense of the work style and capabilities of your candidate and diving too deeply into the minutiae.
Shift the interview to focus on how they would solve problems that would occur as a part of the role you’re hiring for, and sussing out their potential.
“You should have open-ended questions that are relevant to the position to see how they answer and work through the process,” … “Hire people for their future potential, too—not just their past achievements.”
– Andy Kohm of Vendop.
Hiring Quality Over Quantity
It comes down to having a consistent, thorough screening and interviewing process to see if the candidate is a cultural fit. The new hire needs to offer something to the company. Don’t just “bring someone on” out of necessity if you can help it.
The traditional methods of job boards, recruiters, or job postings are not as effective because you’re competing against so many other companies for a limited group of people. This shotgun approach that yields many resumes, but little talent.
These approaches appear to get results because you have a volume of people to consider and choose from, however, quantity doesn’t equate to quality.