What to Look for in Hiring New Employees For Your Business

[This article was written by Dawn Castell.]

If you are in a manager or HR position, you will be faced with the task of hiring new employees for your business. There are many important qualities to consider in applicants, but a few are essential to ensure you get the most high-quality, trustworthy, and effective employees possible. Here are a few things that you should definitely look for during the interviews:

Can Produce Results

In the interview, ask about past experiences and examples of work performed previously. You want to make sure that this is the kind of person who makes things happen. A self-starter who is motivated and driven will always provide you with great examples of past successes. These successes will transfer well to your company where they will be sure to add to the great community you’ve already started.

You’ve posted the job, you’ve listed the necessary qualifications, and you’ve got a pile of applicants that look great on paper. How do you narrow it down from there? Ability, education, and skill set are important factors, but here are a few more necessary qualities you’ll want to make sure you have in any new hire.

Long Term Potential

It’s always good to find out if this is a summer fling for the applicant or if he or she is putting down roots. Heavy turnover is not cost efficient for any business, and retraining leads to more errors and less productive time. Look for signs of longevity in their resume: infrequent career changes and advanced degrees show commitment and a goal-oriented mind that translates to a lifelong employee for you.

Enthusiasm

If you’re a company that sells cleaning supplies, you don’t need an employee who has a weird obsession with bleach, but someone who is passionate about sales is ideal. Unfortunately, passionate workers can be difficult to find. Studies show that 88% of people are not passionate at work. Finding something with a drive and a genuine love of the work they will be doing will make them much easier to train and an absolute delight to work with.

Fit the Work Environment

You may have found a perfect candidate who fits all of the requirements, but if you don’t think they will work with the rest of the team, you probably shouldn’t hire them. No matter what your business model is, there are always elements of group projects. Creating a team is more important than hiring the topmost candidates as the whole is so much important than the individual parts. And make sure your employees are happy where they are before you start hiring so that applicants can see for themselves if they’ll be a good fit. For many companies, such as NuSkin, company reviews are made public and potential new hires can see what the environment is like before even applying. Examples of NuSkin company reviews can give a feel for what messaging reviews can convey.

Has a Different But Complementary Skill Set to You

A mistake some make in hiring is trying to find someone like them. You don’t want a clone or a yes man, you want someone with complimentary talents and abilities. If you are a big idea person, find someone with great attention for detail. Or if you are a stickler for protocol, hire someone who is used to thinking outside the box. Having different but complementary skills will enrich your business in ways you could never have imagined.

Is Easy to Like

Trust your gut. Some may guffaw at this suggestion, but first impressions matter and actually say a lot about a person. We are able to subconsciously glean a lot of information from things as simple as a greeting. Is this person confident? Are they motivated? Are they friendly and kind? Hiring people who are easy to like is one of the best things you can do for your company. In fact, research suggests that interpersonal skills are actually more valuable in business than intelligence. If you like them, coworkers, associates, and customers will too. Don’t underestimate the power of a well placed joke or a comforting smile.

You’ve done the hard work in narrowing your search down to qualified applicants. Now get to know them a bit as a person and make sure that they will be an easy and valuable asset to your team before extending the offer.

Author Bio:

Dawn is a budding entrepreneur. After graduating with her MBA, she spent a few years working in the CPG industry and a few more working in the business tech industry before she set off to start her own business. She has been consulting with businesses, large and small, on the side ever since.