5 Tips for Hiring Dedicated Team Members

How’s your hiring process?

If you’re like me, and most interiorscape owners you are so busy with the day-to-day operations it can be tempting to just post a job opening as quickly as possible and hope hire the best talent. However, that can cause more problems than it solves.

I have found (mostly through bad hiring practices) that it’s important to invest the time to really think through and develop your hiring approach to attract the right people. People that will help your business grow and succeed.

So, how do you develop a process that ensures the right hire?

Here are 5 Hiring Tips to get you started:

1. Clarify Your Core Values

I can’t emphasis enough the importance of your Core Values and Mission. They should guide every business decision you make, including who and how you hire members for your team.

What are the core values that guide every aspect of your company? – from day-to-day operations and work culture to training processes and interactions with customers. Once you define your core values and have a sold mission in place you’ll find it much easier to identify potential employees who share the same attitudes and values.

For example, if your company values consistency or the position requires regular repetition of tasks, you would look for a person that enjoys routine and does not like a lot of change. By being straightforward and enthusiastic about your core values, you will naturally attract like-minded employees to your business.

2. Develop a Positive Work Culture

To keep good employees long-term, Interiorscape owners need to develop a positive work culture. For instance, A company that promotes a work-life balance, recognizes and rewards achievements, provides opportunities for advancement and professional growth, offers flexible schedules etc., will be an attractive place to work.

3. Accurately Define the Job Role

One of the most important steps to attracting the right talent is putting together a job posting that fully and accurately describes the position. Invest time to really think about what you’re looking for in a candidate, as well as what you have to offer.

One way to consider what to list in the job posting is to think about past hires that did not work out and why. For example, I’ve hired plant techs I thought would be a great fit only to find out after I hired them that they couldn’t manage the physical requirements of the job. So now I list the physical requirements in detail. I also emphasize this during the interview. This has helped save a lot of time and disappointment.

In general, the job posting should list what the position involves daily. Things like, which skills are needed and/or will be learned, any opportunities for growth and advancement. List what the candidate can expect short and long term.

Also consider including the pay range and list of benefits. This will also help vet candidates before they even send their resume.

4. Post Job Openings in the Right Places

Once you develop an excellent job posting, you need to list it in the right places. Some job site listing will work  better than others.

For example: I found Craigslist does not work well for us (too many unqualified applicants). However, Facebook has proven to be great for finding candidates. For one thing you can more accurately target the candidates you want on Facebook then through other channels. That said, I have also found good people on popular paid employment sites like Indeed.com.

5. Ask the Right Questions

Don’t drop the ball here. You’ve worked hard to think through and create an attractive job posting. And you’ve gotten it in front of the right candidates. All that energy, resources and time will be wasted if you have a badly prepared, and messy interview process.

To get started refining your interview process make a list of questions to ask. Be sure to include “cultural fit” questions based off your values and mission.

For my company I made a checklist of questions to go over with candidates. I broke the list down to two types of questions: Basic requirement questions and Behavioral questions.

Basic requirement questions regarding their availability, physical requirements, do they have a reliable vehicle etc.

The behavioral/attitudinal questions go deeper. They are designed to give me insight as to what type of person they are.

When asking behavioral or attitudinal questions I’m looking to see if the candidate would fit well with our company culture and philosophies. To come up with the behavioral questions use your Core Values Statement and your Mission Statement as guides. This will help ensure a good match for both the company and the position.

Here are five examples of behavioral questions:

• Can you tell me about an experience you had with an upset customer and how you handled it?
• How do you prioritize your work daily?
• Have you received awards or recognition for your work?
• What has been your greatest accomplishment so far?
• Have you been or are you involved in any volunteer efforts?

Because the interview is a two-way street (you’re considering them, and they are considering you) it’s important to convey your company and culture accurately. How does the candidates’ answers match up with the philosophy of your Mission Statement and Core Values?

It takes time and work to come up with a solid hiring process. But hiring the wrong person is even harder. By having an effective hiring process in place, you will get the most out of your recruiting efforts. Resulting in a candidate who will be a valuable resource to the company, not just a worker to fill a position.

If you would like a copy my interview questions and job posting you can get them here.