“Hire Slow, Fire Fast.” We’ve all heard it. And it makes perfect sense…
So why is it that business owners almost always do the opposite? Admit it. You’ve found yourself putting off a new hire until you just have to have someone NOW! And then you take the first person that seems close to what you are looking for. And you spend the next year or so making it work.
It’s time to break the cycle! And here’s some quick Q and A to help you hire better talent! (I get these questions from clients a lot!)
How long should I give myself to hire?
I recommend 4 weeks for an unskilled position and 6-8 weeks for a skilled position.
Where should I post the job?
I like Indeed. But you can also use Monster, Zip Recruiter, Craigslist, your local classifieds, or post at your local universities.
It seems like I get blasted with unqualified applicants. What do I need to do differently?
Yep, pretty much 50% of the resumes I get are terrible. If you focus on writing a better job post, your job will stand out and get more applicants. You still have to sort through all of the unqualified applicants. But at least you have more good ones to choose from.
What do I do if I need someone now?
Have a temp agency send someone. They will do the vetting work for you and get you someone that will be a good bandaid over your hiring problem until you can go through the full hiring process.
What is the difference between taking 2 weeks to hire vs 4?
Here’s the timeline. You post the job for 1 week to get more applicants in. Then you do first interviews, that takes another week. If you make the hire at that point, you haven’t given yourself time to do second interviews, skills assessments, or call references. And you will also force yourself to hire off of your first round of applicants. You will feel a lot of pressure to choose someone even if they are not really what you were looking for.
What if someone unexpectedly quits?
I always have a little trouble with this one. I rarely have someone unexpectedly quit. Do they quit without telling me beforehand? Yes. But they almost always start displaying signs that they are on their way out before they actually tell me. Their quality of work starts dropping. They are less engaged on calls. They may miss a meeting. They give warning signs. So my goal is to pick up on the signs and start planning ahead. In the past I have hired someone with a similar skill set and gotten them doing basic training before the person even quit. When someone quits. I always ask them to give me 2 more weeks to help with the transition. But be aware, once they quit, they check out pretty quickly.
But what if they really do quit unexpectedly?
So this does happen. Some unforeseen health problem, car accident, or sudden inheritance comes along and a great team member all of the sudden decides to leave. What do you do then? I ask them to give me two weeks and I have other people on the team all pick up slack for the remaining 1-2 weeks until I have a replacement secured. It’s not the ideal situation. But, it’s better in the long run for your team members to get the right person in place. Otherwise everyone could be picking up slack for a long time!
Is there any way to speed this up?
Of course. There are always ways to speed it up. If you have someone on the team that can dedicate 100% of their time to hiring, they can get through first interviews, second interviews, skills assessments and calling references sooner. But most of my readers are small business owners who do a good bit of the hiring themselves. And it’s hard for you to set aside all other tasks in order to focus on hiring.
Does it really affect the talent that dramatically?
Absolutely! My team is made up of really talented folks who work with high levels of integrity. They are all virtual Independent Contractors, they do the same work for other people, they have a proven track record. They are consistent in their performance. They are innovative and creative and do more than just get the job done! Running a great team is one of the most rewarding parts of business ownership. But you can’t rush great talent. Give your hiring process the time that it takes to find the right people!