Recruiting is one thing, team building is another. For many founders, your first few hires hold a high level of importance in how your vision for your business is executed. This is because in the initial stages, it can be overwhelming trying to do everything, especially without an extensive budget to spread the workload.

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Surrounding yourself with genuine allies who support you and give you energy and bring skill sets that you might not have to bring the best out of everyone is key. But how do you figure this out in the recruitment process?

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⚡Identify what it is you’re looking for…

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Many new recruits require the direction and knowledge of what it is they should be achieving the vision they’re working towards before taking things on,but more importantly, to be able to find the right fit you need to establish the yard stick you’ll be measuring the talent against.

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Ask yourself what it is you’ll be prioritising with a new hire. Are you looking for someone who is self-sufficient and has an independent approach to the work, or are you looking for someone more collaborative? Are you looking for someone more outgoing or are you happy to nurture a less confident and more introverted personality?

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Taking the time out to establish what qualities you want will ultimately mean you’re easier to spot the right fit when it comes along.

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⚡Trust your gut…

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Hiring is not a perfect science, and 9 times out of 10, your intuition is probably right when it comes to making a personal judgement. At its core, this aspect of your talent search is being able to judge a candidate's character and determine whether certain qualities can complement the culture you have set in place.

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To get a clearer sense of their personality, understand what sort of people they are through their conversation to learn habits. First impressions will usually give you a good sense of who your candidate is, and so building a rapport through casual conversation, much like in our daily lives will give you a good impression of who you could potentially be working and interacting with on a daily basis.

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Look out for language used when talking through their experience. For instance, when talking through their work, saying things like “we did x and y” as opposed to “I did x or y” might suggest their abilities.

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⚡Look for the why…

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Understand the motivations behind people applying for the job.  Asking and figuring out why can help you understand what it is they are looking to gain from the role. This helps you figure out whether you are on the same page and have aligned visions that you will need to work hand in hand to build your vision.

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Additionally, figuring out what they are looking to fulfil in this role will help you understand whether you as a founder will be able to provide for their needs. The recruitment process works both ways, and so an ideal outcome involves both you and the talent reaching a mutual sense of fulfilment.

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⚡Adopt a situational approach…

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Embrace trial periods. The standard recruitment process isn’t fool proof. Quite often, many can talk the talk but not necessarily walk the walk. It can be daunting bringing someone new on board without being able to guarantee that they’ll deliver.

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However, setting up probationary periods for new recruits allows you to see the proof in the pudding over an extended period of time and ensure your hired talent is on the right trajectory for success beyond a quick-fire interview.

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Probationary periods also help employees determine whether they are happy working at your company. Often for candidates, it’s just as hard to determine whether a new environment is the right fit for them, and so having the opportunity to trial a job is beneficial for both parties and can allow both parties the opportunity to make any necessary changes if needed.

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The key takeaway here in all of this is before carrying out your search, you should take the time out to first identify your needs as a business and founder, in order to be able to identify it when you see it, but also to avoid making the wrong choice.

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What other approaches do you adopt when looking for the right qualities in a new hire? I’d love to know!

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P.S: If you’ve got any questions or need some help making a new hire, Lucy and I are always ready to chat, so feel free to reach out!

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