Even after a careful screening and interviewing process, you may still have a hard time selecting the right candidate. Here are some ways to make the final decision.
𝗛𝗶𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗧𝗼𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗼𝘄
Don’t hire someone merely “good”. Invest in someone with intelligence, motivation, and adaptability since there’s a 95% chance their job will drastically change in three months.
𝙃𝙞𝙧𝙚 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚 𝙬𝙝𝙤 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙚𝙖𝙢 𝙩𝙤𝙙𝙖𝙮.
Find people full of potential who will motivate everyone to stay sharp and find meaning at work.
If you get stuck between two candidates, step back and consider not only their role today, but what their contribution could be tomorrow.
𝗥𝗲𝗳𝗲𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀
Seeking references is helpful. Find three people, ideally in different roles and from different companies to get a cross-section.
You are looking to confirm the candidate is a good choice to work in your company and to help in their management and development.
Ask open-ended questions about what they did well, what improved over time, and areas of improvement.
Seek specific examples of accomplishments, turnarounds, improvement, and areas for growth.
Reference checks take time, but not only can they confirm you selected the best candidate, they also can give you some insights on how best to onboard and manage the new hire.
𝗦𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗲𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗿𝘂𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀
𝘍𝘪𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘫𝘦𝘤𝘵: Give finalists them a final assignment relevant to their position. You should pay for their time.
𝘋𝘪𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘚𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨: Consider meeting in a different environment - over coffee or dinner, a walk, team Zoom, or even a bold move like a client meeting. Observe candidates in this realistic situation.
𝘚𝘶𝘣𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘚𝘵𝘺𝘭𝘦: Hiring teams can easily become enamored with smooth talking, attractive candidates. Bring an outsider to review qualifications.
𝘍𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸-𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩. You want someone whose effort is constant while their enthusiasm grows as they imagine working here.
𝘙𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘐𝘥𝘦𝘢. As a bootstrapping entrepreneur, this may seem crazy, but consider hiring two people if both can contribute to growth. Awesome candidates are hard to find. One can temporarily handle another role.
𝗔𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴
Decide who you want to hire first and then review their expectations.
If the salary is higher than you planned, maybe you can pay them lower to start and agree to a raise after 6 months or the next round.
Startups have an urge to solve problems quickly. Working relationships are a long-term investment and can cause success.
After investing time and effort in the recruiting process, end the search strongly based on your criteria and objective feedback.