Let’s face it. Entrepreneurs/founders cannot grow their companies single-handedly. To flourish, one needs to hire well trained and experienced employees to fill various posts in the company. As you already know, this is not an easy task. If several factors are not taken into consideration, a founder may end up hiring the wrong person. According to experts, bad hires cost companies between $25 to $50,000. To avoid making mistakes and incurring such a bill, here are 7 factors to consider when choosing employees.
#1. Qualifications
Is your preferred candidate competent enough to handle the responsibilities that come with the post? Does the candidate possess the right education qualifications for the job? When sorting through the many job applications sent to you, check to see if the applicants meet the education requirements.
If the post requires that the job applicant has a diploma or degree in a certain field, make sure this is true. For instance, if you are hiring web developers or mobile app developers and the minimum requirements for the job requirements as a degree in software engineering, ascertain this to be true.
As a founder, never settle for less than the minimum educational qualifications.
#2. Previous work experience
As the second most important factor when considering new hires, previous work experience is very important. How? For starters, you are assured that the candidate can start working within a moment’s notice. Secondly, you don’t need to train the employee from scratch. If the role does not offer any training, then hiring candidates with previous work experience is highly advised.
It is important to note that if the post requires a candidate with previous work experience, you stand to lock out graduates with a lot of potentials. Also, if you hire someone with previous work experience, you may need to rethink about the salary package. So, when coming with up with requirements for the post, think and rethink.
#3. Compatibility
For a company to be successful, employees must work as a team. Also, they must fit with the current work culture. When hiring, it is important to consider if the candidate is compatible with your work culture and the rest of the employees. To find this out, curate questions about your organizational culture and teamwork.
Here are a few to get you started.
- Tell me about yourself?
- Do you prefer working as an individual or as a team?
- What would be the ideal organization culture for you?
- Describe a typical working week?
- What do you know about our company?
- Why do you want to work in this company?
From the answers, you should be able to determine if the candidate is compatible or not.
Alternatively, you can hire professionals from Living HR consulting to help you find a candidate compatible with your company.
#4. The Candidates character
Does the candidate have any values which align with those of your company? Is the candidate honest and diligent? Is the candidate above reproach? To know more about the candidate’s personality, ask targeted interview questions. By doing so, you will come out with a candidate who fits in the company and the role.
Here are a few interview questions to ask the candidate to learn more about their personality.
- Tell us about yourself using hashtags?
- If your best friend was present, what would he or she tell us about you?
- What motivates you each morning?
- If I Googled you, what would I find?
Apart from the questions above, you should also focus on the candidate’s soft skills such as communication, social intelligence, emotional intelligence, and interpersonal skills.
#5. Career history
What you need to know is that there is a difference between work experience and career history. A career history is a detailed summary of all past jobs held by the candidate. In this section, candidates indicate the job title, company name, and dates of employment. Using this information, you can determine if the candidate is the right fit or not.
How?
If the candidate has worked in similar posts like the one you advertised for or has held each job post for a long time typically more than 1 year, then they are the right fit. You don’t want to hire a job hopper. This because they won’t stay long once hired.
#6. Career goals
Do you want an employee who is innovative and will make a great impact on your company? Then, you need to consider their career goals. If the candidate is ambitious, he or she will play a critical role in your business. During the interview, ask the candidate to highlight his or her career goals.
#7. Self-confidence
If your preferred candidate(s) has low self-esteem, then their confidence can be threatened. Asa founder, you don’t want this in your employee. What you should be looking for are candidates with a confident attitude. Such candidates believe in themselves. They are able to handle any job and even exceed your expectation. By hiring such individuals, your business will stand to benefit greatly.
Final Thoughts
There you have it. 7 factors to consider when hiring a new employee. Taking into consideration the above factors will not only allow you to hire the best but the right candidate.
Good luck!
