Ahh... Hiring.
If there were one area of business that could determine whether or not success is imminent, it would be how well a company can hire and recruit quality help.
Hiring presents new opportunity, new growth, new potential. It creates a spirit of freshness in the business. Newness. Healthy competition, and camaraderie. Anytime it's time to hire, I have a different sense of awareness as a business owner and I'm keen to find the perfect fit for our company.
But, I can fully understand why many struggle with hiring... many have been "burned" in the past by previous hires, or, they aren't confident in their current process and are afraid to hire the wrong individual.
Make no mistake about it - hiring is not a choice, it's a necessity for growth in a business. So, you need to learn to love it.
I've found through my experience in business, I've learned more what "not" to do rather than what "to do" when it comes to hiring, so I figured I'd share with you the 3 most common mistakes to avoid when it comes to hiring quality help for your company.
Mistake #1: "Can you start tomorrow?"
Every week I coach contractors on my podcast, the Contractor Secrets Podcast. Here, we dive deep into different areas of business that cause friction and prohibit growth. Now I'm sure you could guess, hiring comes up more often than any other topic.
Whenever I'm doing a coaching session and someone expresses their frustrations with their team members, I like to dive deeper into how that team member became employed. You can typically find the root issue of a employee-related problem all the way back to the time they were hired.
"So, how did you find this guy?"
"Well, I got his name through a buddy of mine... he said he was a good painter and needed a job"
"Ah, lucky you. And what was the hiring process like for this guy?"
"Well, I called him, we spoke a little bit, and I asked if he could start tomorrow"
dAnd at this point, I'm able to identify the big problem here.
What I've learned in business is that if something is "easy" for someone to attain it's also "easy" for them to let go.
In other words, if there's no barrier to entry, there's nothing to hold on to when times get tough. There's no "cost" associated with poor work ethic, poor attitude, poor behavior.
If something isn't earned, in any capacity, there's no intrinsic value to hold onto when things get tough.
On the flip-side, if there's not a barrier to entry in your business, you're opening the flood gates to just about anyone.
Having a barrier to entry in your hiring process is the first step to weed out those that aren't qualified, or don't value the opportunity.
My advice: Always take your applicants through a hiring process. The hiring process should be laid out directly, from the initial application to the final handshake after a
working interview
. Creating achieve-able steps in your hiring process is a great way to see who's in it to win it, and who's not.
If you're interested in learning a 7-Step hiring process, check out this course on my exact hiring process that I take my applicants through.
If done correctly, you will find that not only will the quality of your applicants improve, your company will also elevate as the people in it work with a sense of appreciation and value toward what they're doing, and who they're doing it for.
Mistake #2: Avoid Emotional Hiring
Everyone's got a story.
If anyone has a heart to help others, it's me. I love people, and I own a purpose-driven business where I truly tap into the motivation of my business being able to provide and create a better life for those that are involved in it.
So if anyone gets emotional, it's me.
But during the hiring process, I had to learn to shut off that valve.
Getting emotional about an applicant's personal situation can distort your decision making process, and I have fell victim to this.
One example I can share is when I did an interview with a guy that brought his son to the actual interview. Instead of me focusing on this applicants intangible qualities, like character, awareness, willingness to be coachable, willingness to take responsibility, willingness to grow, the focus of the entire interview surrounded his son, and how he was in a legal battle to fight for custody for him.
He emphasized how his inability to find a job has caused massive stress and how the job would alleviate that stress.
Coming from poverty growing up, I could relate. I couldn't focus or think clearly when it came time to make my hiring decision, so I made an emotional decision and opted to forgo my normal hiring process that I trusted and that has brought me consistent results.
I found myself battling an individual that was never satisfied and required more attention than everyone else to keep them happy and motivated.
In most cases, early on in your business, you're still finding your footing. You're still learning how to sustain the help you have - it's important to bring on individuals that do not have drama and are highly dependent on you to solve their problems. The truth is, those problems existed long before you came along, and they will continue to exist long after you.
My advice: Help others from a certain point - do not help others that expect you to build their foundation for them. When hiring, stay vigilant in your approach - do not let emotions take over and override your logical decision making process.
When hiring, stay vigilant in your approach - do not let emotions take over and override your logical decision making process.
#3 Avoid Desperation Hiring
Hiring is a lot like marketing.
The worst time to market is when you have absolutely no jobs in your pipeline.
Why? Because the lack of immediate results will stress you out, and the results that do come your way may not be in your best interest - in other words, you'll take jobs you normally wouldn't take just to create some income out of desperation. This could lead to a perpetual cycle of stress, lack of income, and frustration.
However, the best time to market is when you have a full pipeline - this ensures that the pipeline will continue to stay full and you can be selective of which jobs come your way. If you're a seasoned business owner, you know that keeping the pipeline full requires constant marketing throughout the year - not just when you need it.
The reality is, we never know when we're going to need to hire - however, a good business owner is always prepared and utilizes resources at their disposal to ensure they're never at the mercy of things outside of their control, and the integrity of the business operations will never be compromised.
The reality is, we never know when we're going to need to hire - however, a good business owner is always prepared and utilizes resources at their disposal to ensure they're never at the mercy of things outside of their control, and the integrity of the business operations will never be compromised.
My Advice: ABH! Always Be Hiring.
I hope you enjoyed these tips! If you want to connect with me, follow me on Instagram, or Sign up for DripJobs!
Happy Hiring!
