BUSINESS HOW-TO
Strategic Hiring Nobody’s Perfect, But With the Right Team, You’ll Get a Lot Closer
E ntrepreneurs have a habit of biting off more than they can chew. I’m guilty of it, and I’m sure you’ve experienced it too. The truth is that as much as we want to do everything, we can’t. There are things we simply aren’t good at. When you take on tasks you’re ill-suited for, you’re not going to like the results. Even if you put 100% into the task, if you don’t have the talent, experience, or education necessary for it, the result could be disastrous. This is why you need to hire team members who are suited to these tasks and can handle the areas of your business you cannot. I’m a sales guy. I have a background in sales, and that’s how I was raised, so to speak. But not all entrepreneurs are suited for sales. If you don’t know the first thing about sales, you can certainly learn. But if you’re trying to build and grow a successful and profitable business, learning sales while balancing everything else can be a burden. You’ll be burned out in no time, so your best course of action is to hire someone who already has a proven track record in sales. This is called strategic hiring . To hire strategically, the first thing you need to do is have a heart-to-heart
with yourself. What are your strengths and weaknesses as an entrepreneur? Be brutally honest. Your goal is to hire candidates to fill the roles you fall short in. Lying to yourself about any shortcomings will make hiring ideal candidates much harder. You also need to be aware of your business culture and how your brand is perceived publicly because this also plays a role in the hiring process. It’s not easy to attract high- quality candidates, so make sure your company and brand are something they’ll want to be a part of. What can you tell candidates about what your brand stands for and what they can expect from your company culture? The ideal candidates will want an answer upfront so they can determine if the position is right for them. Once you’ve taken a look at your business culture and brand and identified key business areas that would benefit from a skilled employee, you need to create a job description. Be as clear and as thorough as possible about what the position will entail so candidates will know exactly what they’re signing up for. Also be clear about what skills, background, education, etc.,
you’re looking for from candidates. It’s on you to sell the job to them. Strategic hiring requires strategic interviewing. I can’t tell you how many candidates look great on paper, then completely bomb the interview. But we quickly continue searching for the person who looks good on paper and soars through the interview. Set your expectations high, be tough, look for red flags, and have candidates interview with more than one person to get different perspectives. It’s up to you how strict you are with candidates, but you don’t want to waste time with candidates who don’t check most (if not all) of the boxes. Look for people who have the skills you need, ace the interview, and match your culture and team, which is what this all comes back to. Every member of the team must work together. If a candidate gives you any hint that they might be a wrench in the machine, move on. But if they check
your boxes and you feel confident that they will succeed in the role you cannot, your strategic hiring process has paid off, and you can confidently make an offer. –Shaun
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