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When you start looking at the prospect of adding another member to your existing team, it is said that hiring someone because they have an impressive resume is like buying a car because you love the glossy brochure. Would you ever buy a car without looking under the hood? or going for a test drive? Your prospective employee’s contribution and their role within your business could end up causing you massive headaches. Things could get very ugly very quickly and the addition of ‘someone’ new to your team could cause unwanted friction amongst your existing team with long term consequences.

Keep the process simple and start by treating the resume like an advertisement – good for an insight but not the whole story.

Depending on the specific needs of your vacancy, a person’s academic achievements, technical skills and actual experience should not be the first items to get your attention. While they are important, it is far more important to look at their work history, the specific details of their technical working knowledge and their hands-on experience while also assessing if there are industry specific skills which match up with your company’s requirements. Not to mention your business plan or goals!

Who’s in Control?

When speaking with business owners, they always identify that they look first and foremost for common sense, a strong work ethic, initiative and sound communication skills. But how do you do this in an interview setting? After all, these are qualities and traits which are welcome in any business so why would you settle for anything less in yours? A person’s ability to think on their feet, adapt to your business needs & those of your clients and assist you in meeting your business objectives, should be some of the items at the top of your mind when reviewing someone’s capabilities & suitability. But the most effective way to ensure you select the best person for the job is to prepare for the interview and not allow the candidate to control the meeting.

Of all these traits, common sense is seen as one of the key ingredients which clients look for during the interview process and also when conducting reference checks with some of the candidate’s previous employers. This can include a person’s ability to demonstrate a flexible approach to their work and how they deal with unexpected challenges.

• How will this person respond to some of the unexpected events which arise from the market you are dealing in?
• Is he/she accustomed to working within deadline driven environments? And does she/he have the sense of urgency needed?
• Are they a quick learner? Have they shown themselves to be a quick learner in previous positions?

Some employers indicate that some of these questions can only be answered once someone is in a job and begin carrying out their duties. While this might be true, what about a their values & beliefs.

Now, how will you approach your next hiring exercise?