What if you have determined that the market for you product, service or other value creation is stronger than your present ability to meet the demand? It is a desirable problem to find that you are turning away a significant amount of business because you do not have the manpower to deliver. Scaling up a business requires that you must first construct a team. Often this entails promoting your best people and training others to fill their big shoes. However putting your company’s hard earned reputation into the hands of new people is never without risk and you need to do it right.
Mistakes in hiring are a time suck and can seriously set your company back, but there is no foolproof method to get it right every time. People may start out enthusiastic but life happens, a better opportunity comes along, they suddenly come into a large inheritance, lottery winnings, a few may get pulled into a communal cult or decide to drop of the grid. The future is uncertain, however your job as a leader is to determine the best fit for the hire. That always means that you want someone who is truly going to like their work. So you start with ajob description.
The thing about a job description is that it should reflect the actual work that is expected of the person without embellishment. People are wired differently, what might seem like drudgery to you is some else’s happy place. For instance take organizing. Danny from the sitcom Full House comes to mind, I imagine that had he ever lost his gig at the television station, he probably would have been just as effective as a professional organizer or party planner. More relevant than what is on a person’s resume are those projects they have performed in the past where they felt like winners from the experience.
Ask for particular highlights and pay attention to the candidate’s response. If they light up when describing the experience it is most likely authentic, if details are vague they are probably telling you what they think you want to hear.
Too many interviewers focus on the employer's specific experience when it comes to looking for a particular skill set. Many skills are actually highly transferrable from one line to another. So a better approach is to prepare a few technical questions that allow you the interviewer to find out what the applicant really knows about the subject. It should be an informal conversation and must not feel like an inquisition. The key is to give them time, or rather, if necessary, insist that they take a moment to reflect on the question before they answer. You might even look at your notes for a few minutes until the candidate indicates when he is ready to respond. I good question might be asking him or her to draft an outline for a particular project. In which case you could furnish him a pencil and pad of paper. Another good one is to ask him to make a list of what he thinks the priorities are should he land this position?
Think about it. In a real work situation what is the first thing that you would do, jump to a conclusion? Of course not, you take time to think over the matter. Give the candidate the chance to formulate his answer to the best of her ability. If the person does not take the time to do this, the interest of the candidate in the particular job is questionable. You also pay close attention to the manner in which the person is approaching a problem This is ultimately more important than having the correct answer from the onset.
Keep in mind that when the economy is weak you can expect to be flooded with people who are looking to land a job whether or not it might be a good fit for them. You need people who reliable. That is why you must check employment references. Ask questions that encourage the respondent to answer truthfully, such as: Would you work with this person again if you had the chance?
It is usually best to hire on a temporary basis and to give your probationary employee a chance to show you what he or she is capable of on a short term project. How well does the employee communicate, does he follow specifications and if he is an innovator can he deliver within budget and on time? You can tell a lot about a person’s priorities and efficiency by what they focus on first. Pay attention to what they get right and what they might have missed. How well do they back up their recommendations with hard data and fact? How does she react when you express your disagreement?
The best way to get a great hire is to ask the right questions up front. But the asking should be conversational and informal. The interviewer must be emotionally engaged and certainly not seem distant or cold. Remember that the interview is really a two way street. The candidate is also checking you out and it is important to him that he feel comfortable in your presence. When it comes to your business it pays to keep strong focus on the mission and recruit people who are not only pleasant to be around but who also are going to own their jobs. Take this approach rather than relying solely on applications and resumes and you will wind up with a much more effective team.
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