The Art of Hiring: Ask Yourself These Questions First

5 Hiring Questions to Ask Yourself

[error]Anyone that’s ever had to hire an employee knows how strenuous the process is. Going through dozens of resumes, weeding out applicants, and eventually hiring someone while crossing all your fingers and hoping that they mesh well with current employees while doing a good job. Before you hire, we want to take some of that pressure off your shoulders and provide you with some questions you should ask yourself before you start setting up interviews.[/error]

[success]1. Roles[/success]

businessman-conversation-Don’t just hire someone because you need another employee to pick up some slack from the rest of your employees. Make sure that there is an actual position to fill. If your team feel overwhelmed, hiring another member may not help. Instead, look for someone to fill a managerial position to delegate the work properly so that stress levels will shrink and productivity will grow.

[framed_box width=”0″ height=”0″]Related Topic: 5 Ways To Stay Productive At Work [/framed_box]

[success]2. Think Outside The Box[/success]

getDo you really need to hire someone new or do you just need some extra help for the next few months? Consider looking into independent contractors before you go posting job opening ads. Really take the time to assess what you’re trying to achieve – is it a long-term solution to hire someone new or can you go for a short-term solution and get an independent contractor for a set period of time? Don’t be afraid to talk to your team about it, they may have some insights into this area that you’ve overlooked.

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[success]3. Length of Employment[/success]

grow-flourish-gain-promoteSpeaking of time limits – ask yourself how long you expect this new hire to stay on? 6 months? A year? More? Really think about it because if you need someone to commit to a year of employment but they have no plans of sticking around for that long, you’ll find yourself with another hiring headache in no time. Be clear in job postings and the interview process on your expectations for this new hire and time expectations.

[success]4. Work Family[/success]

costumers-folowers-group-discotionIt’s hard to find a group of people that are not only talented at what they do, but also mesh together well as a team. Adding a new person to a well established work family can either work out really well or cause major tension. Once again, talk to your team about what they expect from a co-worker and take it into consideration when hiring a new member to join your team. Their opinion matters because if a team works well together they’ll be more productive but if there’s constant bickering and backstabbing, you’ll get nowhere.

[success]5. Work and Play[/success]

foodIt’s not uncommon for many businesses – especially start ups – to spend late nights at the office. While we often recommend having a clear line of boss and employee relationships vs. friendships – however, it can happen that the lines blur. Ask yourself if this is a person you can stand to be around when it’s 11 PM and everyone is on their 8th cup of coffee and there’s a deadline to meet. Also ask yourself if this is a person with whom you wouldn’t object to getting after-work drinks or dinner with the rest of the team. After all, you have to see them 5 days a week and the last thing you want is awkwardness.

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[error]Do you have any tips for hiring new people? Is it an easy or difficult task? What would you add to this list? Comment below![/error]

photo credit: Caro Wallis via photopin cc

3 Comments

  • Vusi Sibanda says:

    Great points! Unfortunately a lot of employers don’t think about these in details before they hire people. I was hired for a full time job but after 2 weeks the boss said he had too many employees then so he ended up firing many of us. I found that ridiculous.

  • Arriety says:

    Hiring people is not as easy as it seems. It requires a lot of patience. An employer should also think about the cost of hiring new people. If the cost is too high for the company, they should consider an alternative solution.

  • Sayem Ahmed says:

    Useful tips! I need to hire a bunch of people for my upcoming company soon. I will keep your points in mind. I have worked with companies before, I have seen employers having hard times in hiring right people.

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