Believe it or not, hiring like a pro doesn’t require a fancy hiring management funnel or a suite of personality tests. To get the right people all you need to do is answer these two simple questions:
 
1. Do they have the skills?
 
Take a look at the position description you’ve written. Are you looking for skills like: smart, works hard, ambitious etc? If so, you’re looking for attributes not skills. And if you go off attributes alone you’ll end up hiring people who only seem impressive. You won’t have any idea how these people think, what their quality of work will be or how they will perform in the role because you haven’t asked for evidence. Don’t be surprised when they don’t deliver!
 
To avoid a hiring disaster, you must understand the precise skills the role will require for success. Look at the following two examples:
 

• Job task: Talking on the phone to clients.
• Skills needed: Good conversational skills, good listener, empathy.

 

• Job task: Writing promotional material.
• Skills needed: Creativity, good writing skills, good marketing skills.

 
Once you’ve worked out what skills you’re looking for, be sure to ask your potential hire to provide you tangible examples of their ability to perform said skills. This might be physical examples of their work or times they have put their skills into action. The STAR model is helpful here. Get the candidate to explain the situation in which they used a specific skill, the task they were required to perform, the actions they took and finally the result they achieved. Remember, if they talk the talk, they must be able to walk the walk!
 
2. Are they going to get along well with the rest of the team?
 
A new hire fitting in with the existing team is critical. If they don’t fit in, not only will they be unproductive and not enjoy working for your company but they will likely have a negative impact on other employees too.
 
To avoid this scenario and ensure a good fit, you first need to define your company’s culture: who are you and what are you trying to do? A mission statement is a good place to start – it won’t define your culture but it should identify the values that drive you and your employees to show up and work hard every day.
 
Write your job ads with this mission statement in mind. These ads should reflect both your company’s brand and its culture. If yours is an informal, family friendly workplace with childcare on site, say so. If yours is a sophisticated workplace with a prestigious history, say that.
 
When it comes to the interview process, include culture questions. Your first interview with the candidate should be over the phone to see what first impression they make. Next, the candidate should be invited to a face-to-face meeting with the department head, who can screen for a culture fit by asking the right questions.
 
Happy hiring!