Help wanted | Why making your first hire the right one is even more important during a downturn
“Advice Squad” is written by members of the Maine chapter of the Association for Consulting Expertise, a trade organization of 88 consultants around the state. This issue’s column is written by Barbara Hart, owner and hiring consultant at HireWell LLC.
Are you looking to hire a key person? Maybe you’re thinking, “In this economy, that should be easy!”
Not so fast. Despite unemployment numbers, owners and managers of small companies in Maine are finding hiring can take weeks or even months. Why? Because strong companies are hanging on to their best employees, and if those workers feel relatively safe, they’re not apt to look for the next right job. What’s more, rising unemployment means when you advertise an opening you’re going to have to review many resumes.
So finding the right person is no easier now than it was a couple of years ago. In any economy, hiring well takes time, and these days it’s even more crucial to increase your odds of hiring the right person the first time.
The most important steps occur before you interview a candidate. First, define the position fully. Have a job description and a clear understanding of the type of person you want; his or her education, experience and skills; how you want him or her to fit in and how you want that position to grow. Most small companies stop at the job title and some vague notion of what they need, with little thought to creating a complete job description or understanding what type of person would excel in the position.
One chiropractor I worked with went through four office managers in seven years. We developed a description and identified the sort of worker who would best manage his practice. It was a small, quiet office and the new employee would have to be meticulous with billing and insurance coding. Also, the chiropractor had meetings and classes outside the office and the new hire would have to be there alone three mornings a weeka.
I identified three candidates for interviews and the chiropractor was ready to make an offer to the first one we met. She was what he called a “live wire” — outgoing, bright and personable. But she would have been bored and lonely within a month. Ultimately, we hired an easygoing, detail-oriented person who had to be coached a bit about working with patients. Still, she’s been happy there, doing great work for three years.
Another important step to finding the right person is to place ads that state your requirements clearly. Don’t be coy about duties, hours, benefits or salary range, especially if you’re a smaller company and have no HR staff. As a business owner or manager, you don’t have time to review candidates who will not take a position in your salary range. And don’t forget to list the skills or experiences you would welcome but don’t require.
Promote your company or organization in your ads. Tell why people enjoy working there, share your website information and cite your successes. If you place more than one ad, make sure they all tell the same story.
Smart sifting
You will get a pile of applications and resumes. Develop a check sheet or spreadsheet to rate them on minimum and optimum requirements. If they don’t meet the “must have” requirements, let them know they will not be considered. In this economy, you’ll get resumes from people who are truly overqualified, or simply not suited for the position. Recently, a PhD applied for a project management position and included a long list of scientific publications. He certainly met the minimum requirements, but his presentation showed no understanding of small business or the desire to work in that position for any length of time.
A friend currently reviewing resumes for a part-time director of a nonprofit is stunned by the applications. Some don’t meet the minimum requirements and others with MBAs have clearly held positions that pay much more. Should she hire someone overqualified? In this case, perhaps. A strong hire could work autonomously and move the organization forward quickly. That person may not stay more than a year or two, but his or her efforts could pay dividends.
On the other hand, I recently had to find a marketing coordinator — a college graduate with two years of experience. Professionals with 20 years of experience applied for that job. The company is building a management team and we sought someone who the two team leaders — each with fewer than 10 years of experience — could train. In that case, hiring the overqualified candidate made little sense.
Most managers hire too quickly and keep the wrong person too long. In this “pre-boom” economy, take the time to find the right person for your company’s future.
Barbara Hart can be reached at editorial@mainebiz.biz.
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