How To Hire For Success

So you’re at a place where you need to hire employees. Fantastic! How can you improve the odds that you’ll hire well? Follow some basic guidelines.

1. Know what you want
The mistake we make is paying attention to the position and not the people. In order to hire effectively you need to have real clarity around what you want in an employee. You can teach someone a task. You can’t teach someone attitude. So, put down on paper what you want in an individual. Start with the simple stuff like:

- They come to work on time every day
- They are positive- They are good at working on their own
- They are team players

Now go deeper. What is it that you really seek in employees. Do you want them to make decisions on their own? Do you want them to be team builders or just team players? Do you want them to be creative or stick to the script? The more you understand about what you want in an employee the better you’ll interview.

2. Know yourself
Who you are and how you operate really matters when hiring. If you are the type who is very hands-off, you don’t want to hire people who need a lot of direction. See what I mean? How do you communicate? How do you like to be communicated with? How much time do you spend in the office? How well do you know the tasks of the position you are hiring for?

Personality is key – yours and theirs. So take some time to do an assessment of your style, beliefs, and attitudes. You want to hire people who you mesh with. Don’t hire them for task and expect them to change to fit your style. That’s just asking for trouble.

3. Interview for depth
I think it’s critically important to develop an interviewing process that is solid. It deserves some real time and attention before you ever advertise the opening. Craft your questions and put them in writing. These questions should not only shed light on the candidate’s skill, but on their beliefs and personality. You are trying to get to know them on a deeper level. You want to be sure you are hiring people who will fit with your culture.

Have other employees interview them as well. Gaining the perspective of others, especially those who will be working with the candidate, can help you make the right pick. If you don’t currently have employees, ask your advisors, trusted colleagues, or coach to participate in the interviewing process.

Take care to give hiring serious attention. Who you hire will have a huge impact on the success of your company. Making good choices when it comes to personality, drive, skill, and fit will save you grief and downtime in the future. You don’t want to be spending time dealing with staff issues if you can help it. And you can help it when you create a system to hire for success.