Hiring employees is a big step for a small business, whether it’s your first one or you are adding to your existing staff. Aside from the financial commitment, there are so many variables to consider: Will this person fit in? Is he really qualified for the job? What if it doesn’t work out? In addition to following some of the more traditional advice (consider freelancers, get referrals, don’t over hire) you can apply lessons from some of the world biggest employers to use during the interview process to really discover if indeed this is the right person to hire. For example, below are three critical questions that Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon.com, asks (and requires hiring managers to ask) before bringing someone on board. And, it’s probably no coincidence that other business leaders share his thoughts. Will you admire this person ? Interviewers typically operate from a position of power. The winning candidate may be the one who best caters to the interviewer’s vanities. Bezos likes to flip that approach: Put your ego aside and look for someone with your strengths and more. This is a kissing cousin to another approach leaders often use: the hire-your-replacement strategy, where you interview people who have the skills and the personality to grow into your position. Then, you hire the person who is most likely to do the job better than you can do it. "I hire people brighter than me and I get out of their way." Lee Iacocca Ford Will this person raise the level of effectiveness for our company? If your business is hotly competitive, don’t settle for someone who wants to grow with your company. Pick the person who wants to make the company better. "If we weren't still hiring great people and pushing ahead at full speed, it would be easy to fall behind and become a mediocre company." Bill Gates Microsoft Where can this person shine ? In the sports world, winning organizations recruit the most talented players and then find the best situations for each player to succeed. The best business leaders embed their culture of winning into their hiring practices, too. They recruit excellent “players” and exploit their talents by putting put them in the situations where each can thrive. "Often the best solution to a management problem is the right person." Edwin Booz Booz Allen & Hamilton What are some of the key questions you ask in interviews to spot superior performers?
↧