When hiring new team members, remember to look at their cultural fit with your business. Here are ten tips that will give you a head start on making sure the person you hire is a great fit!

Last week, I reviewed 238 resumes and interviewed 20 people!

Over the last decade, I have reviewed thousands of resumes and interviewed hundreds of people for roles including executives, tradespeople, first-time workers, and everything in between.

Why am I telling you this?

Because hiring talented team members is one of my superhero skills.

Often people who are early in their business journey wait too long, and others that have larger teams and a longer history hire too quickly. 

Those who are making a first-time hire are accustomed to building a business based on hustle.  Often, systems and business infrastructure are not in place and the entrepreneur has no idea how they will find the time to teach someone all the intricacies of their business. 

On the flip side, those with larger teams may be getting feedback from everyone on their team that more help is needed.  The team appears to be drowning in work and the recommended solution is often – we need more help.

That's why we've compiled this list of 10 tips for hiring that will help make the process easier and more successful:

1. Start by evaluating the need objectively while breaking down tasks, hours, and workload for the current team, be realistic in your review.

2. Plan for any changes and decide the urgency of these shifts.  The current job market is competitive.  If you aren’t looking to hire for another six months, there is no sense in running ads now.

3. Remember that hiring is very people and culture-centric.  Adding someone that doesn’t ‘fit’ won’t work no matter how many years of experience they have.  Always start with a culture-first mindset and ensure that the position will be a fit for the candidate as much as the candidate is a fit for your organization.

4. Create a detailed job posting with the specifics of your company.  Implied details are not necessary.  Example:  Reception will be answering calls, or a Taxi Driver will be driving.  Focus on what makes this reception position better or different than others that will be also posted.  You want the candidate to be excited to send you their resume and appreciative for the opportunity to interview.

5. Always include specific instructions for how to apply – those that don’t follow instructions are likely not a good fit for your company.  This is a great way to cut out at least 30% of applications.

6. When setting up interviews use a scheduling tool such as Calendly, or Dubsado where people can select a time from your availability.  This is significantly less time-consuming than trying to work out appointment details in multiple emails or telephone tag.  Ensure the system is sending a confirmation email that includes a cancel link – people change their mind ALL THE TIME, and if cancelling doesn’t require calling you are way less likely to have a no-show.

7. Give the candidate enough time to speak, especially if they are nervous.  Use open-ended questions at the start.  The goal of a good interview is to ensure that every suitable candidate wants the position.  Provide enough information about the company culture and position that the candidate is making an educated choice should you choose to make an offer.

8. Do not use a script!  Start with a plan and then allow the interview to guide the conversation.  My typical interview starts with “Tell me a little bit about what you are looking for”.  For those that look promising, I always ask what their ideal compensation package looks like.  This is a great opportunity for the candidate to give insight into what they value most.

9. Use an employee fit test to evaluate finalist candidates where it applies.  For administrative positions, at minimum, an ‘attention to detail’ test.   I also often recommend evaluations for personal attributes like leadership and cooperation.   Employ Test is a very useful service for this, their tests are super easy to administrate, reasonably priced, and the results are very insightful.

10. Focus on attitude and attributes over teachable skills.  Interviewing to determine if someone knows an industry acronym will not give you enough information to decide on suitability.  Rather, ask about what a typical day in a previous role looked like.  Often, job duties are very different at different companies.  A similar title does not always guarantee previous experience.  The value of resourcefulness, work ethic, and a good attitude should never be underestimated.

Looking to grow your team?  We can help!

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