Make Good Hiring Decisions

This Week with Sara Fitts looks at how small business owners can surround themselves with the best people possible when they make good hiring decisions. The business will thrive and the workplace climate will lead to greater satisfaction for the owner and the employees. Whether the business employs one person or 100+, good hiring decisions are necessary for the success of the business, the sanity of the owner, and productivity and efficiency of the employees.

While there are many things to consider in the overall hiring process, these are my rules for making good hiring decisions.

• Know why you need the position you are filling. It's your business, but be able to justify (if only to yourself) why this position needs to be filled.
• Identify 5 - 10 characteristics that you must have in the person you hire for this position. It's your business, but know what you ideally want to have in this position before you know who it is that will fill it.
• Write the job description - and list every detail involved. Later this will help in assessing and evaluating the performance of the employee in this position.
• Post the vacancy broadly enough to get a good sample of talent. Utilize all means necessary to recruit the best possible candidates.
• Interview all candidates in the same day if possible.
• Make your hiring decision as if your life depended on it - because the wrong person in the position can make your life miserable. It's your business, but if you surround yourself with the wrong people, you will be less productive, more stressed, and your workplace will be chaotic. Sure, you can fire the person later, but you'll be wasting precious time, effort, and energy.
• Evaluate performance on a regular basis. It's your business and you need to keep it on track for success, efficiency, and productivity.