The hiring processes that you use are absolutely vital to the health and future of your company. After all, it’s the people that really create the character of a company, especially when you’re running a small business.
However, there are so many business owners that make poor hiring decisions over and over again. In most cases, those business owners tend to be guilty of at least one of these common hiring mistakes:
• Not clearly identifying your ideal hire. You need to take the time to write down the key characteristics of employees that you are looking to hire. What responsibilities will they be
handling? What should their skill-sets be? What should their educational or practical experience be? What types of personality traits would mesh well within your existing team? All of these are important questions to ask, and you should write down the answers and make sure everyone involved in the hiring process is on the same page.
• Not focusing on actual experiences. Too many times, interviewers focus on the kinds of answers that candidates give to hypothetical situations. Anyone can make up what they’d do in a given situation. What you should be focused on is what your candidates actually did in past situations. The way that they conducted themselves will say a lot about what you can expect from them on the job.
• Not being firm with your “must-traits” traits. Every position that you are looking to fill should have around three or four must-have traits of potential applicants. You should never be willing to compromise on these traits, and they should dominate your hiring decision.
• Not being clear about what you want out of potential hires. Anyone that you hire should have a clear understanding of your expectations for them from the get-go. If you are looking for a long-term fit, for example, your new hire shouldn’t be operating under the idea that this is a job that they can leverage into a new position somewhere else. They should understand your company’s vision, their responsibilities and their role in helping your company to meet its goals.
Are you guilty of any of these hiring mistakes? How have you seen it affect your company?
Copyright 2015 Viral Solutions LLC
by Thomas von Ahn | Chief Elephant Slayer
Viral Solutions LLC is a Digital Marketer Certified Partner, Infusionsoft Certified Consultant and a Mobit Certified Partner. We help overwhelmed small business owners duplicate themselves – so business can be fun again.