Let’s face it, your business is more than just your bread and butter. If you’re anything like me, it’s your baby, your pride and joy, and your biggest frustration. Keeping your business thriving isn’t an easy task nor can it be done alone. As the owner of a Scottsdale printing company, I’ve learned that to weather the bad storms you need to surround yourself with the right people, and that begins by assembling a team you can count on.
Hiring the right talent for your business can often be a tricky endeavor that many business owners fail at simply because they hire for all the wrong reasons.
To prevent that from happening to you, I’ve listed some things to keep in mind when hiring next. Follow these rules and I guarantee you’ll have no problem finding the right talent for your business.
1. Know Your Company
By this I mean know the mission, values, and culture of your company. If these aren’t clearly defined and communicated, it’s hard for employees (let alone new people) to understand what you’re all about. It’s crucial to know right from the start whether a potential employee shares the same values as the company. After all, a candidate may look great on paper, but without those common core values, problems may arise.
2. Define the Requirements
This may seem like a no brainer, but lots of companies hire with only a vague notion of what they’re looking for. If you have a clear cut set of criteria, then it’s easier to weed out those that don’t quite meet the bar. But if you don’t know what you really want, it’s likely that you’ll settle for something that’s not 100 percent right.
3. Utilize Personality Tests
I highly believe in personality profile assessments. This tool adequately identifies the personality traits needed in order to not only fit the company culture, but also the individual role. If there is a benchmark of behaviors and motivators with the position, then the applicant must meet those requirements in order to have a long lasting, successful career.
4. Get Feedback From Your Employees
It is important to get feedback from the rest of your staff on the final applicants for the position. Have the candidates sit down with each different division of your company and learn more about your overall company process. Your team should be able to tell you which candidates they feel most confident in and comfortable with.
5. Take Your Time
Whatever you do, don’t rush the process. Hiring a good employee may take some time. Obviously, you need to hold interviews with potential clients to really get to know them and see if they would be a good fit for your business, but don’t be afraid to take your time to ponder the decision and hold a second or third interview if need be.
Finding the right employee is like striking gold in California – not unheard of, but a difficult feat nonetheless. Just remember, it’ll all be worth it in the end.