So, How Do You Hire the Right People?

Given the economy that we are faced with today, the pressure to hire the right people is more important than ever.

Here are a few ways to make smart choices when hiring someone and avoid costly mistakes:

1. Focus on the future. Don't focus only on their past accomplishments and performances, but also on where they see themselves in the future. What skills do they possess that could get them to the next level. Though past performance can be a worth while predictor of success to come, it's not a guarantee. The skills that got candidates to their current level won't necessarily get them to the next one.

Start by understanding the organization's business strategy and the talent and experience you will need to execute it. Then define the role's functional requirements and specific candidate requirements carefully – AND STICK TO THEM.

2. Make Sure They "Fit" Are they a good fit culturally? Putting a young executive with little international experience in a key job in Asia, where tact and decorum are often essential to success, invites disaster. But companies keep making that mistake. Likewise, putting a star from the marketing department in charge of your research and innovation group could cause trouble. These are different worlds, and not all leaders operate effectively in both.

Second, what's the leadership style of your candidates, and would it fit with their function, colleagues and overall context?

An inability to build relationships is the biggest reason why promising leaders derail. Also high on the list: poor communication and team-building skills. Assess your candidates' behavior thoroughly for areas of concern.

Include your brand personality traits as part of the criteria for who you hire.

For many smaller B2B companies, sales reps create the first impression with the market. If you’re trying to project an image that’s friendly, warm and accessible, don’t hire an abrasive, domineering and intimidating rep.

3) Ask open-ended questions. Let the applicant do most of the talking. Do not be satisfied with blank statements. “I lifted our dragging sale numbers”. How? Were you directly responsible for the company’s turnaround, or were you part of a team? Ask for specific examples. Probe further. And further.

4) Give the candidate the opportunity to ask questions If they don’t have any, this is not a good sign. Where’s their curiosity and passion? This represents the candidate’s opportunity to interview the company.

5) Watch for body language and eye contact. A person's body language and gestures can say a lot about them. Hone in on the candidate, and see what you can gather through their actions.

6) Personality – What You Know Changes, Who You Are Doesn’t – The most common — and fatal — hiring mistake is to find someone with the right skills but the wrong mind-set and hire them based on the the premise that you can change them. Bad idea. The single best predictor of future behavior is past behavior. Your personality is basically going to be the same throughout your life. Make sure the personality of who you hire "fits" the personality of the company.

7) Create a Transition Plan For New Hires to Follow – Your hiring work doesn't end when the candidate accepts your offer and gets to work. As part of the hiring process, create a plan for bringing your new hires onboard, transitioning them into their roles and further developing their leadership and business skills. They need to understand the culture. They need to build relationships. They need to fully understand their challenges and opportunities. None of that will happen on its own, but many companies seem to expect that it will.

Another way to select people who’ll thrive in your company is to identify the personal characteristics of people who are already thriving and hire people just like them.

Some companies work to understand their "star performers", identify their target behaviors and attitudes, and then develop interview questions to find people with those characteristics and traits.

Taking these steps will increase your probability of success but not eliminate risk entirely. Picking good people has always been an art. But there's a science to it as well. Their ability to fit in and drive performance will enhance your credibility, as well.

Great leaders surround themselves with great people. The trick is to known what great looks like. The key to hiring great people it to be clear about what you’re looking for in others and always be actively looking for those characteristics in the people you’re looking to hire. Good Luck!