Are you going for an interview or are you interviewing a potential team member? No matter which side you’re on, it can be extremely stressful on both sides. As an entrepreneur making those decisions of hiring the right people is certainly something that can keep you awake at night. I get it. It’s really hard to trust people. But understanding having a process and a strategy, communication plan, and clear direction on how you want a team member to perform is all in your hands. It’s incredibly risky to trust others with your business. However if you don’t stick your neck out there and grow with people you will never grow. It’s that simple. Here are five tips that can help you consider finding the right people.
1. Pre Qualify
As with anything, the key to running an effective job interview is thorough preparation. Had the candidate take some type of personality test even before you interview them. As an entrepreneur you should know exactly what you need from someone in the hiring process. If you don’t, stop what you’re doing now. Make a list of exactly what you need this person to do to ensure that both of you are efficient. I take a very different approach as I don’t as much pay attention to a resume as I do how people’s brains are wired. What makes them happy. What makes them tick. And what are their Strengths. There’s so many things that I can teach but there is something I cannot teach. It’s called passion. Passion for people.
2. Ask Questions
Interviewing isn’t the kind of activity that usually gets buffered by trends. However, in this day and age, quality of life sometimes comes before money. Find out what drives the person and what is important to them. It’s different for everyone. Do they want to work from home? Can they work from home? Are they a self starter? Once I hired an assistant who was amazing in an office environment, but the minute she went to “working from home” everything changed. And not for the good. Once you have pre-qualified a candidate, use their resume as a point of reference. For example, mirror what the resume says and ask for situational experiences.
3. Standardize
In my experience, it’s best to ask the same questions and listen to how they are answered. Again, based on how their brain is wired, you can quickly pick up where their focus is. If you are doing video interviews, which I would recommend doing them in person or via video, never on the phone as it’s hard to get a persons antics from the phone, it’s easier to go back and review all of your candidates.
4. Environment
Ask about their “perfect” environment. If you ask, for instance, “What was your greatest frustration with your previous job?” If you simply ask, people will tell you what they want. Based on their response you can also tell if they dwell on negativity or find the best in any situation. Also ask, what can you offer and bring to the table that no one else can provide. This will give you a small taste of how confident they are in themselves.
5. Follow Up
Ask the person you are interviewing to follow up. And be very intentional. For example, if you are interested, follow up with me via email on Friday before the end of the business day and we will then make a decision. Based on how they follow directions will tell you how they will perform as a team member. Remember, you are not hiring your friends and people you like. You are looking for people who are not like you who can uncover blind spots where you need other perspectives.
In conclusion, I would recommend to have an internship program to give the person a try before hiring them on full time. That has been one of my most valuable takeaways as a business owner. If you don’t have an intern program, get my internship manual here.
