4 Keys to Hiring the Next Great Employee

In the world of hiring, are you getting it right time after time as a business owner?

If you are not getting the hires you truly desire, your business could be the one suffering the most when all is said and done.

Keep in mind that many new hires turn out to be great employees, contributing in a number of ways to their employers before leaving for one reason or another. Others, meantime, end up not only costing their employers’ time and effort, but ultimately money. When this happens, some employers learn their lessons and some do not.

With 2017 just around the corner, are you planning on making some new hires in the New Year?

If so, it would behoove you to sit back and think about what kind of employee you plan to look for.

Whether he or she is a great catch for your business will ultimately take some time to answer. Just know that each and every hire you make could very well be scrutinized by you and/or your current employees for a significant period of time.

Education and Experience Always Lead the Way

There are certain givens about hiring new employees, with the focus typically on the areas of experience and education.

While both experience and education should always be factored into the decisions you make in hiring new men and women, take a look at some other areas too.

Among the four keys to hiring the next great employee:

1. Experience – It would be hard to overlook the important role experience plays in each decision you make to hire someone. Does he or she not only have experience in your particular industry, but also in the working world in general? Another item with experience not to overlook is what type of working environments have these candidates been in? Some workers do great in small business settings, though not as well in large corporate environments. On the flip side, some workers thrive in those bigger settings, but have trouble when it is just a handful or so of co-workers to work with. By vetting the experience factor, you can improve your chances of hiring the next great employee the first time around;
2. Education – When it comes to the education factor, can a new hire ever have too much education? While the answer is typically no, you do want someone with a relevant education background to the job he or she would be matched with. For example, someone with a degree in journalism is not exactly going to be the best hire when you need an engineer. With an online liberal arts degree, candidates coming to you for interviews are well-versed in a variety of areas. Most importantly, you could be hiring the next great leader or leaders down the road for your business.

Attitudes Can’t Be Taught

1. Attitude – As you speak to candidates to work for your business (over the phone and/or –in-person), be sure to get a sense of their overall attitudes. Are they upbeat? Do they seem to have a genuine interest in your business? Would they appear to be good when it comes to working with others in a team environment? These can be difficult traits to get a feel for in one or two interviews, but they are highly important in the overall scheme of things. Someone coming in for a one-on-one interview and/or speaking over the phone exhibiting low energy and enthusiasm is typical a red flag;
2. Future – Do you remember when first interviewing for a job or jobs being asked where you see yourself in three or five years? Although not all employers pull out that famous question or one like it, many still do. Keep in mind that many businesses know how costly it can be to have continuous turnover of employees, so they don’t want a revolving door. Whether you ask it directly or beat around the bush to a degree, it is not a bad idea to get a sense of where these candidates see themselves a few years down the road. If someone is basically a job hopper, will they really do you and your business any good?

As you look to make some new hires in the New Year, are you prepared to hire the next great employee?