Hiring the right people for the right jobs will benefit your business, especially if you’re a smaller company trying to make it big. Hire the wrong people and not only will you make the kind of progress towards growing your business that you would like, but it might also make going to work each day a nightmare rather than a pleasure.
Most companies make hiring mistakes sometimes, but here are some that you will definitely want to avoid if you want to find the best people:
Don’t Focus Solely on Skills
Obviously, you want to find the candidate who has the best skills for the position you’re looking to fill, but you should not focus only on the skills your candidates can bring to the table. You should also take their attitudes into account. Why? Quite simply because, it doesn’t matter how good someone is at their job if they have a poor work ethic, they rub people up the wrong way, or they simply aren’t a good ‘fit’ with your other employees, they aren’t going to be much good to you.
What it’s best to do to avoid this mistake is pick the candidate who has as many of the skills you need and the right personality to fit in. You can always train them in areas where they’re lacking, but it’s unlikely you could train a perfectly qualified candidate to become less arrogant and more hardworking!
Not Getting Professional Help
If you’re a small business and you don’t have much experience in hiring and firing, using professional HR Consulting Services is a really good idea. After all, they have tons of experience in hiring and firing, and they’ll know exactly how to find the right candidates for the role.
Hiring Friends and Family
Hiring the friends and family members of yourself or your employees might seem like a good idea because they have someone to vouch for them and it’ll save you time and money in the recruiting process. However, hiring people with prior relationships can lead to personal conflicts spilling over into the workplace and less than optimum employees being hired.
So, although this is kind of a never say never situation, if you are considering it, at least so due diligence and put the candidate through the same rigours that you would anyone else applying for the role.
Ignoring Your Own Instincts
One of the worst things you can do when you’re hiring someone new is ignore your own instincts about any given candidate. They might have an amazing resume and plenty of people singing their praises, but if they make you feel uncomfortable or unsure in any way, it’s probably worth passing them over. Sure, it might seem a little unfair, or you might feel silly doing it, but you’d be surprised how often your initial instincts are right, and it’s better to get a candidate you can feel comfortable with right from the off.
Avoid these mistakes, and you’ll be sure to make the right choice next time a position opens up in your company.
