The Art of Hiring The Best People

Here’s something that will give you food for thought: In the next one and a half year, close to 50% of the people that you hired will fail you.

They will be either be fired or get a review of their poor performance. And close to 90% of these people, who fail, will succumb to a variety of reasons like low EQ, motivation, non-learning behavior, character or any such attitude problems. Sony Corporation co-founder, Akio Morita once said, “No matter how good or successful you are, or how clever or crafty, your business and its future are in the hands of the people you hire.” He does make a lot of sense, doesn’t he?

Many other stakeholders such as investors, vendors, and customers are very vital to your growth, agreed. But, without good employees, all this is not possible. If you do not have good employees who can live your vision, then it makes no meaning to have any vision at all. The people who work for you matter the most when it comes to your success. If you have good people, they will contribute in a major way to your success.

More often, hiring decisions are critical for the above-mentioned reasons. So with this article, we will discuss some means that allow you to make some sound hiring decisions. And searching and recruiting has become very difficult. Sometimes, you might find the right person to fill in the shoes. But, the problem is that when his experience matches to requirements but his attitude doesn’t. If the attitude is incorrect, it becomes very difficult to work with that person. If the candidate lacks experience or knowledge, that can always be provided.

Remember, you can provide tools but not mind-set. So, more than the right skill, a right mind-set is imperative. And people spend little time in hiring and just fill up the vacancy without thinking much about the later consequences. But, companies today also evaluate the attitude. People especially in the hospitality industry are very concerned. Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts have an amazing mechanism to recruit people. Even social-networking giant Facebook invests too much time on its hiring process. Recruiters have understood the fact that people turn the tables for the company. They can either be amazing assets or even prove themselves as devastating liabilities.

Some companies have been very vocal about the process they follow for hiring people. Companies like Southwest Airlines totally focus on hiring people with the right attitude. Once they hire the right people, they focus on imparting them the correct training. And they spend too much energy and resources in training people. And yes, companies with great employees have gone to make fortune stories. So, the greatest assets of any company are inarguably – the people.

Some companies have many screening rounds that ensure that they make the best judgment while selecting the candidate. Companies like Four Seasons follow this practice. All they look for is someone who would stay long and be helpful in building the company. Facebook has a practice of letting the prospect employee meet the boss and colleagues. This is a good check to know if the person is good cultural fit.

So, how exactly do you determine that the candidate has the right attitude?

1) Determine the Performers and Non-Performers: Determine who your performers are. Jot down positive and negative aspects of the top people. Also, identify who are your under-performers. Determine a behavioral pattern, if any. And evaluate who can be on your team for the big game.

2) Look for Similar Value System: It is always good to have employees who share your beliefs and have a similar value system. Some areas can be grey, but important ones that have an influence on the business should be no different. Certain core principles of the company can never be compromised with.

3) Check their EQ: Emotional quotient is very important. Their ability to maintain their demeanour in the most difficult times shows a lot about them. Some people break down very easily with a little flak. Therefore mental strength is a very vital component for a great performer. Some people readily take accountability for their actions; some don’t. Look for people who can demonstrate good EQ.

Well, evaluating EQ can be quite a challenging task. And you cannot ask someone if they have a good EQ during an interview because no one ever denies such questions. Well, honesty is rare. So, taking people at their face value can be risky. Therefore, the best way is to ask them if they any experience where they have demonstrated a pressure-handling skills or coped up with major setbacks, or handled challenges in the past. You can also ask them about their ability to change according to situations. Remember, adapting to various situations is a very important skill.

4) Check their Inter-personal skills: Look at how they interact with other people. Look at how they treat other people. This is an important indicator because they are likely to behave similarly with others in the future. So, just observe how they behave and interact with people in your office, in the reception area, in the parking, etc. Yes, you cannot stalk them, but you can at least get feedback about their behavior from the people who interacted with them. So, based on the feedback you can decide if they are really worth hiring.

5) Identify & Understand their Motives:

Sometimes, you need to understand what type of candidate that you are hiring. Is he self-motivated? Will he able to motivate and inspire others? Does he have the capacity to drive other people? Or will he constantly need the push to get going?

Typically for managerial roles, you need people who can lead others. They have to be motivated themselves to be able to motivate others. Therefore, you cannot hire someone who is not enough self-motivated. Someone who looks beyond his designation should always be considered.

Another question that you might want to ask yourself is that ‘would I be interested in spending time with this guy outside the office?’ If the answer is yes, then probably you should consider hiring him. You can take a quick poll with the colleagues how they feel about the new candidate as well. This will give you a fair idea about the candidate, and let you know if he is a good fit or not.

Therefore, it is always advisable to invest time, efforts or any other resource on hiring because a wrong hire can cause far more damage. And good hire can do wonders for you. It takes time to find the right match who has correct attitude and skills. So next time you are hiring, make sure that you look beyond the resume. Therefore, always make a good investment in people; they will give you returns manifold.

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