Hiring the right people can make all the difference in your business. From choosing the right fit for your company culture, to finding someone with the right skills, here are some tips for hiring the right team.
Look for skills you don’t have
One of the most effective things a business leader can do when it comes to hiring is to find someone with skills your your team doesn’t have. For example, many business owners are big-picture idea people. While this is great for guiding the direction of the business and providing the necessary vision to build the company, this also means they often aren’t the strongest with details and specifics. Likewise, in a small company, it’s likely that having people with many of the same skills will not serve you nearly as well as having a diversely skilled group. You likely already have people on your team who can provide the skills and support for certain business functions, but it’s likely you’ll need others to fill in the gaps in areas where you’re looking to expand.
Vet candidates appropriately
In large organizations, there are often stringent interviewing and hiring processes, but in smaller companies, the decision is often left up to one or two people. Because of this, the hiring process is often much less formal; however, that can come at a price for businesses. Hiring is an expensive process concerning both time and money, but it’s important to do a thorough job to assemble the right team. Instead of asking basic interview questions about strengths and weaknesses, try using behavioral interview questions to dive deeper into a candidate’s history and way of thinking.
Check the references
References are a controversial topic when it comes to hiring. While some people believe they don’t provide much value (after all, most job seekers will provide references who only have good things to say), there is a time and a place for references. Two of the most useful types of references to check are professional and shared connection references. A professional reference will help you to verify that a person has the job history and experience they claim on their resume and can be an easy way to assess their honesty and basic qualifications. Another good way to gather information on candidates is to ask your shared connections, such as those belonging to a professional organization or even mutual LinkedIn connections. This is likely to help get more honest feedback than references who only know the applicant.
Hiring the right team can make all the difference in your business, but your team doesn’t have to be limited to your employees alone. Sometimes it means finding the right vendor team to achieve your goals. If you’re looking to add to your marketing or events team, make sure to contact the pros at Tolbert Marketing and Events. Our diversely-skilled marketing experts can help elevate your business to the next level.
