How to Always Hire the Right Person: 10 Tips

The hiring process is one of the most important aspects of running a successful business. If done correctly, it ensures that you hire people who are aligned with your core values and mission statement. However, there are many ways to go wrong during the interview process. Here are 10 mistakes to avoid.

1. Not Having Clear Expectations

Before the interview begins, make sure that you know what you want out of the candidate. What skills do you need? How much experience does he/she need? Is this person willing to relocate? Do you need someone full-time or part-time? These questions must be answered before the interview even starts. Otherwise, it could lead to disappointment later down the road.

2. Failing to Prepare Questions Ahead of Time

Another mistake is failing to prepare enough questions ahead of time. This leads to candidates feeling unprepared and nervous throughout the entire interview. To prevent this, ask yourself some key questions beforehand. For example, “What are my core values?” “How does this person align with our culture?” “Why did I choose this particular role?” Once you’ve got those questions answered, you’ll feel confident asking the rest of your questions.

3. Asking Too Many Questions During the Interview

If you don’t give the candidate enough time to answer your questions, you risk getting too few answers. Instead of asking multiple questions, try asking fewer, deeper questions. Also, don’t interrupt the candidate while she’s answering. This makes her feel uncomfortable and will likely cause her to lose focus.

1. Recognize how the applicant’s goals align with the position.

Interviewing candidates is one of the most important parts of hiring process. A good interviewer must understand what the candidate wants out of his/her career and whether it aligns with the position being offered. This understanding helps you make better decisions about whom to hire.

The best way to do this is to ask questions that help you understand how the candidate’s aspirations match up with the job description. For example, if you are interviewing someone for a sales role, you might ask questions such as:

• What does success look like for you?

• How did you learn to sell?

• Who taught you how to sell?

• Why did you decide to pursue sales?

• Have you ever been turned down for a promotion? If yes, why?

2. Treat hem appropriately

References should be vetted before hiring anyone new. You don’t want to hire someone based purely on their resume or job description. A reference check isn’t always necessary, but if it’s something you are thinking about doing, make sure you talk to people who know the person well enough to vouch for him/her. A good place to start is asking for three references.

Ask them what they like about working with the individual. What do they think he/she does best? Does he/she listen? Is he/she easy to get along with? Do they feel comfortable giving feedback? If you are looking for specific skills, ask them how they evaluated those skills. Did they see examples of his/her work? How did they evaluate his/her ability to perform certain tasks? Was there anything surprising about what they saw?

Vet them appropriately. Check out their LinkedIn profile. Look up their social media accounts. Find out where they went to school. Find out if they graduated. Make sure they aren’t hiding anything.

3. Don’t dwell too much on their history

When hiring someone, many companies focus too much on the candidate’s previous experience, rather than looking into their potential. This leads to candidates being hired based on how well they performed in the past, rather than what they might do in the future.

The best way to hire someone is to look at their skillset and determine whether they are capable of doing the job. If they aren’t, then you shouldn’t hire them. But if they are, then you need to figure out why they didn’t perform up to par in the past. You need to understand what went wrong and how they could improve. Once you know that, you can make sure they won’t repeat those mistakes in the future.

4. Think about evaluation methods besides face-to-face interviews.

Interviewing isn’t always about asking questions. In fact, it’s often better to let candidates talk about themselves without being asked anything specific. This is because you want to see how well they communicate, what motivates them, and how they interact with others. You might even use behavioral interviews to evaluate them.

A resume doesn’t necessarily tell the whole story either. Other types of assessments include writing samples, portfolio reviews, personality tests, and even social media profiles. These are just some examples; there are plenty of other options.

Don’t rely solely upon an interview to determine whether to hire someone. There is much more to consider than simply getting a yes or no answer to the question, “Do I like working here?” Many factors must be taken into consideration. For example, do you think the person fits into your culture? Does he/she bring diversity to the table? How does she/he work with others? What are her/his strengths and weaknesses? Can he/she handle pressure? Is he/she able to manage multiple projects simultaneously? Do you trust him/her? If you don’t know enough about the candidate to make such determinations, ask yourself why.

5. Make sure prospective employees spend a lot of time with your staff.

When it comes to hiring, there are three things you absolutely must do:

1. Have a good job description.

2. Interview enough people.

3. Make sure candidates spend lots of time with your team before making offers.

If you don’t follow those steps, you’ll end up with a bunch of unhappy employees and no one to blame but yourself.

In fact, according to a recent survey conducted by CareerBuilder, nearly half of employers say they’ve had trouble filling open positions because they didn’t interview enough qualified applicants. And while most companies hire based on skills and experience, many still rely too heavily on resumes. In short, if you’re struggling to fill open roles, here’s what you need to know about how to make the best hires possible.

6. Pay close attention to the inquiries they pose.

When you interview someone, it’s important to pay close attention to what they say. You want to know how well they communicate, whether they are honest, and how much they care about the job. Asking open-ended questions allows you to find out exactly what type of person they are. Here are six types of questions to use during interviews.

1. How do you handle stress?

2. What motivates you to work hard?

3. Why did you choose our school over others?

4. What do you like most about working here?

5. Tell me about a time when you had to make a tough decision.

6. Describe a situation where you had to act quickly.

7. Work with them first

If you want to hire someone, don’t just bring them into your office and ask them to start working immediately. Instead, take some time to work together in a collaborative setting. You’ll learn about each other’s strengths and weaknesses, and you’ll see how well you mesh. You’ll also find out whether they’re a good cultural fit for your team.

This approach works best if you’ve already worked together on something similar. If you haven’t done anything like that, consider bringing them in to help brainstorm ideas for a project that could use their skillset. Then, once you have a list of things you’d like them to do, assign them a small portion of the task.

8. Place a high priority on cultural fit and be very aware of your corporate culture.

Culture fit is about finding people whose personalities match up well with yours and who are willing to work together toward common goals. If you don’t know what makes your organization unique, it will be difficult to determine whether a potential hire will mesh with your existing employees.

Your company culture is defined by the beliefs, values, and actions of your employees. But how do you figure out if a candidate shares those same traits? You’ll want to ask yourself some tough questions during an interview, such as:

• What does my company stand for?

• How important is teamwork to me?

• How much freedom do I give my employees?

• Do I like working hard?

• How do I treat others?

If you’re looking to build a strong team, consider hiring candidates who align with your company culture. And remember, just because someone doesn’t seem like a good cultural fit now doesn’t mean he won’t become one later.

9. Inquire about their areas of weakness.

Ask them what they’ve always wanted to do but never had the chance to try. If they say something like “I’m terrible at math,” it could mean they want to work in finance, while someone else wants to work in marketing. Or maybe they just don’t know where they’d make the most impact.

If they mention things like sports, cooking, or art, there’s a good chance they enjoy those activities. You can use that information to help them find a career path that suits their interests.

10. Hire a person who, in the event of a switch of jobs, you could work for

Hiring people who will work for you is important. Think about how you would react if the roles were reversed; would you want to work for someone else? What are some things you would like to accomplish? If you don’t know where to start, here are 10 questions to ask yourself when hiring someone new.

1. How do I define success?

2. What do I want out of my career?

3. Why did I choose this profession?

4. Who am I trying to impress?

5. Do I trust myself?

6. Where does my passion lie?

7. Does my resume reflect my skills?

8. Can I deliver?

9. Is it realistic to think I can make $X amount per month?

10. Am I willing to put in the effort needed to succeed?

Avoid the Standard Job Interview

The standard job interview doesn’t work anymore. In fact, it never did. Employers are now asking for something different. And while there are many ways to find great talent, one of the best methods is to hire people based on how well they fit within your culture.

That’s why we asked our team of recruiters to come up with some unconventional questions that might make you rethink the way you interview potential hires. Here are five questions you shouldn’t ask during an interview. Instead, try asking the following:

1. What do you like doing in your free time?

2. How does your family feel about your career choice?

3. Do you prefer working alone or with others?

4. If you could change anything about yourself, what would it be?

5. Why do you want to work here?

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the consequences of a bad hire?

If you hire the wrong person for a job, not only could it be an inconvenient experience for both parties involved, but it could also waste a lot of your company’s valuable resources.

New or smaller firms face special risks when hiring key employees because they often lack the resources to vet candidates thoroughly.

Why find candidates that add to your company culture?

The rise of culture add is partly due to the fact that it makes sense. In 2018, we saw companies like Uber, Airbnb, and Deliveroo become household names because they had strong cultures. Culture add gives businesses a competitive advantage against competitors that don’t have such a strong culture.

But there are some problems with culture add. For example, it’s hard to measure. And it’s easy to hire someone who fits into your existing culture rather than someone who adds value.

So how do you know whether you’re hiring for culture or just culture? Here are five things to consider when looking for people who add to your culture.

1. Do they care about the same things as you?

You want people who share the same values as you. This includes having the same aspirations and goals. If you ask yourself questions like “Do I aspire to build a billion dollar company?”, or “Am I driven to make my customers happy?”, then you’ll probably find out that you share similar values.

2. Are they passionate about the same things as me?

If you’re asking yourself questions like “Does this job excite me?”, or “Can I see myself doing this work for the rest of my life?”, then you’re likely talking about something that really matters to you. Passion is contagious, so if you surround yourself with people who are passionate about the same thing as you, then you’ll start to feel the same way too.