Stop Hunting Unicorns (Key Recruitment Tips)

Your business doesn't need perfect staff, if you recruit and structure in the right way.

Recruitment is one of the hardest and most important things any business owner will do, especially when looking for key team members.

It holds so many businesses back, as owners are understandably nervous of introducing an unknown quantity into the team. They could upset team members, you could lose staff, they could be hard work to manage, they could be bad at their job, you could lose customers...it all feels like too much, perhaps it could just wait one more week?

Don't delay, new people are how your business will grow, how you will achieve the work balance you crave and even one day the sale value you need to retire. 

Key Tips

I interviewed and employed hundreds of staff in my career as a business owner. I found some of the most important things to remember when recruiting are:

1. Perfect candidates (Unicorns) don't exist, stop looking for them - good news is you don't need unicorns! If you have a role within your business which is so on a knife edge, that only someone with the perfect blend of technical, commercial and people skills can do it. Change the role! Make it achievable, the role is wrong, not the candidates.
   
   
2. Make sure working for your company is possible - leading on from the first point, spend time looking at all the tasks needed in your company, what the processes are and who is best placed to do them. Most unicorn hunts start with an unreasonable job specification, so try and simplify and streamline everything. Do this well and you might not even need a particularly good horse!
   
   
3. Employ people not skills - where possible train staff yourself, so you can focus entirely on the person. If you need to hire a skill set, still put the character ahead of experience or qualifications (within limits of course).
   
   
4. Only employ decent folk - you will have to trust this person, so make sure that you use the core internal question when interviewing of, "Can I see myself trusting them to do the job?"
   
   
5. Humility over ego every time - I don't accept the superstar is worth it narrative. A strong team beats a strong individual every time. So employ reasonable people with a little humility, or you'll lose hundreds of hours pandering to their ego and apologising to the rest of your team.
   
   
6. Be fussy, don't settle -  you don't have to employ the first person you interview, or even one of the first batch. Get comfortable with turning people down. You are not looking for perfect but you are looking for the right person, someone you can trust.
   
   
7. Repeatable success - if you want to maximise your success rate every time, build a simple process including;

• Job specification - have a simple job specification for every role, so candidates know what they are applying for.
• Vetting - have a crib sheet with a list of things to check CVs and applications for. Various HR checks are also required but I won't cover those here.
• Application - have a simple application form (make it easy to complete)
• Interview questions - Have a thought through question sheet, which flows and is easy to follow. Include points the candidates must know to make their own decision, including progression paths and benefits (you don't want to forget anything important!).
• Interview method - always in pairs, each give honest opinions at the end. Score the candidate on areas like; experience, skills, trustworthiness, fit with business culture, communication and gut feel (weight the scoring towards the person, not skills)
• Decision letters - have templates so you can provide a reply to every candidate
• Probation checks - have a process of checks during probation periods, make sure someone has it diarised and you get feedback. Check in yourself too, so you can make an early decision in the worst case.

You will get it wrong (so make tough decisions early)

If you want your business to be bigger than you (and I strongly suggest you do), you have to be a good recruiter. It's the only way to unlock this potential blockage in your business.

Becoming an effective recruiter (with robust processes), will save you time, stress, money, and it will turbo charge your company. Stop hunting for unicorns, you don't need them, go and get yourself a horse instead.

Thank you for reading. To read other blog posts click here: https://pivotaluk.co.uk/my-blog 

For a free consultation on recruitment strategy, or other areas of business, please contact me at chansen@pivotaluk.co.uk

 I have been lucky enough to successfully buy, grow, mature, sell and exit my own business. I now use this experience to help other business owners on their journey.

Retained Advisor // Mentor or Coach // Strategy // Business Health Check