Hiring costs money, and for many small businesses, those hiring costs are far from a drop in the bucket. They’ve made many an employer initiate a rigorous process of interviewing and countless math tests, grammar quizzes, reading comprehension tests, portfolio sharing, reference reviewing, you name it—in hopes of finding the perfect candidate. But too often, they’re still disappointed when they find out “the one” might not be who they’d hoped for.
The problem is, sometimes the most qualified people for the job might not be the best interviewees, or have the most impressive resumes. So how can you do your due diligence to hire the best person for the job, without overlooking the not-so-obvious candidates?
Here are some tried and true ways to hire that can not only save your resources, but give you a sneak peak into your prospective new hire, before you hire.
Hire for a short-term need
Instead of hiring an immediate placement, try hiring for a short-term project or even a temporary position while another team member is on vacation. Not only will you see what a candidate is like day-to-day and how they respond to the pressures of the job, but how they fit in with the people around them (and how they actually do the job). If they turn out to be wrong for the job, no harm, no foul. When the project expires, so will their short-term gig. But if they are a great fit, you may happily find yourself extending a job offer before too long.
Your resume is a potential employers window into you and your professional background and aspirations. When paired with a cover letter.Read about Skills Employers Want To See On Your Resume
Start off with a sample project
Resumes document what a person did in the past, but aren’t a surefire way to show what they’ll do for you. Instead, hire based on skill to see what a person is actually capable of. Give your candidates a sample project to complete or problem to solve. If they do a good job, take some time to get to know them better, including their goals, their vision and their reason for wanting to work with your company. In the long run, does it actually matter where they went to school, what they majored in or where they worked before? A job well-done helps you know what to expect in the future from someone who may not have stood out in the resume department.
Test Personalities
Cultural fit is a huge factor in company success. Before you pour your business dollars into hiring someone who might not really excel at the job, have them take a personality test (like the Myer Briggs test), to determine their personality profile, strengths, weaknesses and preferences in terms of work, etc. Not only can this help prevent hiring someone who doesn’t fit with your brand, but it will ensure that your employees will be happy in the job they’re doing—and happy employees are thriving employees.
