These 4 steps below will give you an easy and ready made framework to hire the best people
Step 1: Define your ideal employee
The best candidates often exhibit these key traits:
Proven track record of success: They have a history of achieving outstanding results in previous roles – look at what they have done and how they did it – not certifications but actual experience.
Valuable skillset and experience: They possess the exact skills and knowledge your role requires.
Leadership qualities: They inspire and motivate team members, fostering high performance. Others would follow them!
Extensive network: They have a strong network of contacts, including potential future hires.
Identifying the ideal fit for your company:
Align with core values: Seek individuals who embody the same principles & values as your organization.
Demonstrated talent: Utilise your established evaluation methods to assess their capabilities.
Clear decision-making: Make a definitive “yes” or “no” decision based on your overall assessment.
If you’re not sure – think about what traits you want this person to exhibit based on your current talent you have.
Step 2: Build a strong evaluation matrix
This is the matrix I use and many of my clients used it when hiring for various roles during the scale up.
You score candidates 0-5 for each category, and they can get between 0 and 25 total. This is inspired by Codie Sanchez at Contrarian Thinking best practices!
TEMPLATE here
Step 3: Ask the right questions & run 2-3 rounds effectively
How have you solved similar problem in the past. As a recruiter you want a few concrete examples how the candidate has done this before.
Test how self aware they are about their strengths and growth areas needed. And definitely seek out for references from pas team members, managers to cross check what they have shared.
Ask if there is something they will not do in a role to test for any red flags. In a growing organisation you need to have people who will be willing to roll up their sleeves and if the candidate considers some tasks as a hard pass this might be an indication they are not the right culture fit.
Ask them what they think the company is not doing well and why.
For leadership role, ask the how they have built a team on the past, what they have learnt and who would they hire.
Step 4: Networks & Linkedin & social media tools to have a strong pool of candidates
Linkedin recruitment options is excellent as it’s free and allows you to target a big pool just make sure to embed pre-screening questions in the application
Recruitment decisions should come from the leadership team. Do not rush the hiring decisions because you are facing a pain/gap – this can lead to hiring average candidates!
Post your listings on Linkedin, other social media platforms create an opt-in list where your talent funnel will be available to tap into.
