Four nuances of successful hiring: what every startup should know
“The right people in the right places are more important than the right strategy,” said Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electrics. You can develop an ingenious strategy, purchase super equipment (if you have a factory) or think over the design of a trading floor (if you are a store owner). But without effective personnel, these tricks will not help.
How to find valuable employees, how to evaluate a candidate, how to select personnel? We will talk about this in our article.
“Where to look?” Is the eternal misfortune of entrepreneurs. They know how to manage a company, determine its goals, build a strategy. But they are lost if a candidate sits in front of them. What to ask him about? Check diplomas, evaluate the appearance (in a tie or not?), Ask questions on the resume: “Is it true that you created a sales department from scratch?”
The same thing with the hiring manager. He knows the Labor Code, the features of a market economy, the concept of personnel management ... But how to understand the main thing: can the applicant bring benefits? And is he who he claims to be?
Here is the story of a friend manager:
Ivan, the owner of the interior, fired two sellers. One had three years of experience in a shopping center, the second shone at the interview and answered “like in a book”. But in two weeks they sold almost nothing. “And did you believe them?” We asked Ivan. He spread his arms: “Everything was fine at the interview. So I thought ... "
This is the eternal problem of employers. They do not know what to focus on when selecting personnel. Therefore, they choose representative people with diplomas and solid work experience. Unreliable criteria, but better than none at all.
In our experience, only four criteria deserve attention. It is enough to remember them and make four - only four! - step.
Imagine a machine that consists of many parts and cogs. A machine is a company, cogs and gears are workers. Each screw has its own task. When a part works half-heartedly, the mechanism stops. If we talk about business, it develops more slowly and eventually gives way to competitors.
To prevent this from happening, each employee must complete the task 100%. Do not just do 10% of the work and explain “why it didn’t work out”. A valuable worker brings things to the end and achieves what is expected of him. The system administrator ensures the smooth operation of the equipment. The cleaning lady cleanly clean the reception room. The secretary sends faxes on time and clearly answers phone calls.
We call such people productive. They know how to work for the result and achieve it. It doesn’t matter if they have a degree, how old they are or how long they have worked. Ingvar Kamprad did not study at the university, but he created IKEA. And copywriter Lilian Eichler helped sell 2,000,000 obsolete etiquette books in 1919. She was only 18 years old.
The best evidence of productivity is the results the candidate has achieved. Not necessarily at work - many guys have just graduated from high school and have not yet worked. Talk with them about life, school, sports ... Find out: is there something they are proud of? What did they achieve in the previous company (at the institute, in circles and sections)? And be sure to inquire about those who previously worked.
Often we say: "At work, we work, leave personal at home." But in life this does not happen. We can fight with a bad mood, forget about problems for a while. But leaving your character at home is unrealistic. If the employee is absent-minded or vulnerable, this will affect his work. You cannot turn it off. In the best case, you can only direct energy in the right direction.
Therefore, when hiring, you need to make sure:
There are at least two ways to do this. You can inquire about the candidate. It is unlikely that the ex-leader will begin to hide the truth from a fellow entrepreneur. And you can test the candidate for personal qualities. Testing systems exist different, for example, MBTI or EXEC-U-TEST Personality. Each employer can choose a test that suits him and his company personally.
Did the candidate apply for a job? Do not think that he is passionate about the mission of the company. People have different motives. Someone relies on a high salary, someone expects to learn from the new boss. And someone just wants to "sit out" the crisis in a warm place and move on.
What happens if you hire a disinterested person? This will tell Boris, the head of the delivery department. The new manager gave him some grief. First sent the courier to the wrong address. Then he sent one parcel in the mail instead of another. Boris was perplexed: what about the newcomer? Is he stupid, inconsiderate, ineffective? We talked with an employee and made sure: he was indifferent to his work. Therefore, so often mistaken. Who cares what happens?
Another thing is when an employee is inspired. Then he can conquer any peak.
Here are some tips for checking motivation:
We already know: diplomas, certificates and certificates are just documents. You can unlearn at the best law school, memorize the right and not draw up a single contract. Or get right and never drive.
A competent candidate is one who uses knowledge in practice. This may be the chef who grew up in the kitchen. Or a designer taught by a senior colleague "without ranks and regalia." If you want to recognize such a person, give him a test task. Let him draw a picture, fix the computer or write a recipe. Or at least describe how it will act in a difficult situation (“Describe how you will solve a difficult client”). This is the only way to find the right person.
What you need to remember:
How to find valuable employees, how to evaluate a candidate, how to select personnel? We will talk about this in our article.
What problem does the employer face?
“Where to look?” Is the eternal misfortune of entrepreneurs. They know how to manage a company, determine its goals, build a strategy. But they are lost if a candidate sits in front of them. What to ask him about? Check diplomas, evaluate the appearance (in a tie or not?), Ask questions on the resume: “Is it true that you created a sales department from scratch?”
The same thing with the hiring manager. He knows the Labor Code, the features of a market economy, the concept of personnel management ... But how to understand the main thing: can the applicant bring benefits? And is he who he claims to be?
Here is the story of a friend manager:
Ivan, the owner of the interior, fired two sellers. One had three years of experience in a shopping center, the second shone at the interview and answered “like in a book”. But in two weeks they sold almost nothing. “And did you believe them?” We asked Ivan. He spread his arms: “Everything was fine at the interview. So I thought ... "
This is the eternal problem of employers. They do not know what to focus on when selecting personnel. Therefore, they choose representative people with diplomas and solid work experience. Unreliable criteria, but better than none at all.
In our experience, only four criteria deserve attention. It is enough to remember them and make four - only four! - step.
Step one. Evaluate job applicant productivity
Imagine a machine that consists of many parts and cogs. A machine is a company, cogs and gears are workers. Each screw has its own task. When a part works half-heartedly, the mechanism stops. If we talk about business, it develops more slowly and eventually gives way to competitors.
To prevent this from happening, each employee must complete the task 100%. Do not just do 10% of the work and explain “why it didn’t work out”. A valuable worker brings things to the end and achieves what is expected of him. The system administrator ensures the smooth operation of the equipment. The cleaning lady cleanly clean the reception room. The secretary sends faxes on time and clearly answers phone calls.
We call such people productive. They know how to work for the result and achieve it. It doesn’t matter if they have a degree, how old they are or how long they have worked. Ingvar Kamprad did not study at the university, but he created IKEA. And copywriter Lilian Eichler helped sell 2,000,000 obsolete etiquette books in 1919. She was only 18 years old.
The best evidence of productivity is the results the candidate has achieved. Not necessarily at work - many guys have just graduated from high school and have not yet worked. Talk with them about life, school, sports ... Find out: is there something they are proud of? What did they achieve in the previous company (at the institute, in circles and sections)? And be sure to inquire about those who previously worked.
Step Two Learn about the candidate’s personality
Often we say: "At work, we work, leave personal at home." But in life this does not happen. We can fight with a bad mood, forget about problems for a while. But leaving your character at home is unrealistic. If the employee is absent-minded or vulnerable, this will affect his work. You cannot turn it off. In the best case, you can only direct energy in the right direction.
Therefore, when hiring, you need to make sure:
- whether the candidate will take root in your company;
- whether it will be difficult for him to cope with his duties;
- how to manage it and whether to take it at all.
There are at least two ways to do this. You can inquire about the candidate. It is unlikely that the ex-leader will begin to hide the truth from a fellow entrepreneur. And you can test the candidate for personal qualities. Testing systems exist different, for example, MBTI or EXEC-U-TEST Personality. Each employer can choose a test that suits him and his company personally.
Step Three Determine candidate motivation
Did the candidate apply for a job? Do not think that he is passionate about the mission of the company. People have different motives. Someone relies on a high salary, someone expects to learn from the new boss. And someone just wants to "sit out" the crisis in a warm place and move on.
What happens if you hire a disinterested person? This will tell Boris, the head of the delivery department. The new manager gave him some grief. First sent the courier to the wrong address. Then he sent one parcel in the mail instead of another. Boris was perplexed: what about the newcomer? Is he stupid, inconsiderate, ineffective? We talked with an employee and made sure: he was indifferent to his work. Therefore, so often mistaken. Who cares what happens?
Another thing is when an employee is inspired. Then he can conquer any peak.
Here are some tips for checking motivation:
- Listen to what the candidate says. If he is interested only in salary, he will work only for her sake. If he is silent and “agrees on everything” - he simply “wants to wait.” And if he asks: “What are my responsibilities? What will I do? ”- he is yours.
- Tell the candidate about the mission of the company. Tell us how you make your customers life calm, easy and joyful. Tell who your startup will be useful and how it will serve the community. If the candidate lights up, you will work together.
- You can ask “forehead”: “Why did you choose us?” The applicant does not always wait for such a question, so he can let it slip.
Step Four Test candidate knowledge
We already know: diplomas, certificates and certificates are just documents. You can unlearn at the best law school, memorize the right and not draw up a single contract. Or get right and never drive.
A competent candidate is one who uses knowledge in practice. This may be the chef who grew up in the kitchen. Or a designer taught by a senior colleague "without ranks and regalia." If you want to recognize such a person, give him a test task. Let him draw a picture, fix the computer or write a recipe. Or at least describe how it will act in a difficult situation (“Describe how you will solve a difficult client”). This is the only way to find the right person.
What you need to remember:
- There are 4 factors for evaluating a candidate.
- The most important is productivity (ability to work for the result). Its proof is the presence of results in the past.
- The character of the candidate also affects his work. To inquire about him, inquire or test the applicant.
- A good candidate not only can, but also wants to work. The best option is the one who is interested in the company's mission.
- The last factor is the knowledge of the applicant. To test them, use the test task.