The most important part of any hiring process – aside from picking the right candidate – is weeding out incompatible prospects. But finding someone who is a hard worker, a good fit, and won’t eat anybody’s food in the break room fridge can seem like a tall order. Luckily here are a few tips to help you find the best new hire for your brand.
- Consider your culture. The day-to-day quality of an employee’s job can affect their work quality…and yours. Even though someone may seem right for a certain role, they may not be able to fulfill their duties if they aren’t a good cultural fit. Have a lot of team-based projects? Is your office very loud? Quiet? Is there a dress code? Be sure to fill all candidates in about the day-to-day workings of your company. This will keep you from hiring anyone who might be miserable and leave in two weeks, or bring the team down with a bad attitude.
- Define the job both to yourself and to them. Before you post a job description, go through and make a specific list of what you’re looking for, down to the smallest detail. Do you need someone who can work solo, or someone who is good on a team? What will day-to-day tasks look like? Err on the side of being too specific: this will weed out candidates who are not a good fit. (Or who are just too lazy to read the whole job description!)
- Focus on the soft skills. Just because someone has a great resume doesn’t mean they’re a great fit for your company. When doing interviews, get a feel for the kind of social skills a candidate has. Are they amicable and polite, or rude and brusque? Touching back on the “culture” point: it’s important to consider how a person’s soft skills – like interpersonal interaction – will translate in the workplace. If you have an uneasy feeling about a prospect that looked good on paper but rubbed you the wrong way in person, it may be prudent to consider other options.
- Snoop social media. Another good way to scope out a candidate’s viability is to do a quick Facebook search. This will tell you a few things: 1. If they’re smart enough to keep their social media on lock (especially while job hunting!) and 2. If there are any skeletons buried not so deeply in their closet. Any savvy person knows to keep their social media professional. If you come across someone who doesn’t, it’s probably a sign that they’ve not savvy enough to be working for you.
- Expect to be interviewed. Any candidate worth his or her salt will come to an interview armed with questions about your company. Be sure to have plenty of info about what you expect of them, what their day-to-day will look like, and other questions they might have about the position. Additionally, be prepared to sell yourself a little! They may be the one being interviewed, but you want to hire someone who is excited to work for your team.
Hiring new employees is sometimes the most daunting part of running a business. It can be difficult to figure out who will work for you, and vice versa. But with some thoughtful techniques you’re sure to find a new employee who will stick with you (and your company) for years to come.
Andrea Kinnison is the Content Strategist for Material.com, an ecommerce store builder. When not helping entrepreneurs build their online stores, she enjoys reading, writing and exploring her hometown of Austin, Texas.