All entrepreneurs can agree that there is no substitute in surrounding yourself with quality individuals for the company. Entrepreneurs will also agree that it is costly to surround yourself with individuals that are not in the best interest of the company. How do you protect yourself? Here are four suggestions.
Tough face-to-face interviews
Most anyone you are going to interview for a key position is going to have fairly good oral skills to say the least, especially salespeople. During the interview you have got to get to the heart of the matter. What specifically has the person done and accomplished during the last few years? Use the interviewee’s resume as a guide and ask open-ended questions to dig out exactly what the candidate has done in the past. Ask for details. Make notes. Clarify discrepancies. Question gaps, and identify accomplishments. When you are done with the interview you should understand the interviewee’s proven record and his or her feeling about it. If you don’t feel comfortable extracting such information, then turn it over to another person that is.
Reference Check
Call two or more of their references and ask them to tell you about the candidate. See if their information about the candidate matches your notes. Try to get additional information about the candidate’s attitude and personality. If you are operating a smaller company, chemistry between individuals is important. The more you know about a person the better you will be able to guide him or her to succeed in the company.
Scenario questioning
Ask your potential candidates some “what if” questions. For example:
- How would you increase the company’s sales?
- Tell me your approach to inventory control
- How would you go about assuring that there will be zero defects when our products are shipped to our customers?
There are many scenarios that can be scenario questions depending on what the company is. Scenario questioning can help you separate the people who know what they are talking about, and those who are playing it by ear and hope they can handle whatever arises. It’s the difference between proven experience and potential. It’s okay to hire potential as long as you know what you are getting, and you are willing to fill in for the lack of experience in one way or another to get done what needs to get done.
Multiple Interviews
Now matter how bright you are as an entrepreneur, you will tend to hire in your own image. We all do it. It’s wise to gather other peoples reactions to candidates you are considering hiring. It’s possible that some of your colleagues are better at sniffing out flaws or weaknesses in people.
Conclusion
A new enterprise must have people with needed skills in its early days. An entrepreneur must look for properly skilled people who want more than a job. The best way to judge what a person can do and wants is to assess their actions in the recent past. Once that person is onboard, he or she influences, or is influenced by the company culture. It takes a conscious effort on the entrepreneur’s part to define, cultivate, and maintain a discrete culture as new members join the company. A company’s culture may serve as a sail, or an anchor for the enterprise. Invest time and energy in your company’s culture. Hire Smart.
Derived from “Entrepreneuring: The 10 Commandments for Building a Growth Company.”
By
Steven C. Brandt
Tags: Entreprenuers, hire smart, hiring a staff, new enterprise, starting a company, successful entrepreneurs
