Hiring good employees is one of the toughest challenges facing businesses of every size, but the consequences of hiring a bad employee can be particularly crippling if you’re a small business owner. Having the right people in the right jobs is essential to moving your company forward, creating a solid company culture, and putting your mission statement into action. The right employee can help improve morale throughout the company by setting a good example and providing you with thoughtful, innovative work. But the wrong employee can get your company stuck in the mud by wasting time and disrupting the motivation of your other workers. Forbes recently outlined some common hiring mistakes that small business owners tend to make. These include:
- Rushing the hiring process.
When you have an empty spot, it’s very tempting to try and fill it as fast as possible. But if you do this, you will almost certainly be doing a disservice to your business. Take the time you need to do the job right and find a person who is a solid fit for the position at hand and fits well within your work environment.
- Dragging your feet.
It’s also a mistake to wait for the perfect candidate, because the perfect candidate may not exist. Ultimately you want to find someone who has the majority of the qualities you’re looking for and who you think will fit well in your workplace culture. Once you examine the options and find the best possible fit, pull the trigger before that person takes a different position.
- Relying solely on instinct.
Another big mistake that small business owners make is hiring people based on first impressions. Just because someone comes across well in an interview doesn’t mean that they’re going to be good at their job. It’s essential to look at the qualifications of an employee and check their references before making any big decisions.
- Not knowing what you’re looking for.
It’s also very important to outline the specific requirements of the open position and make sure that your new hire fits those competencies as closely as possible. You may have an extremely charming potential hire walk into your office who blows you away with their jokes and wit, but that simply doesn’t mean that they’re going to be a good software programmer. Find the right person for the specific job at hand by looking at the facts, which include their resume, references, personality type, and decision-making abilities.
Level Up Leadership offers assessment tools that can help you find the right employee for your open positions. Looking beyond personality and credentials, our assessment services can help you find new employees that have the potential to grow and succeed within your business through strong decision-making skills, a positive attitude, and dedication to the vision of your company. To learn more, please contact our team today. We’d welcome the opportunity to speak with you about where you are in the hiring process and offer suggestions as to how our services can be of value to your organization.
Leave a Reply