How to avoid devastating frustrations with employees.
During the hiring boom in Silicon Valley, I was a hiring manager at a big corporate firm. And the two biggest things the managers said to avoid? Hiring someone lazy or crazy. That was it. If you showed up and weren’t crazy, you’d have the job! By the way, you might like this article: How Diversity Attracts Valuable People to Your Startup.
Just Show Up!
Just Show Up!
Where I live now, the same advice might apply (that is, avoiding the crazy and the lazy). I call people to do a little work on the house, and half the time they don’t show up, or they call at the last minute or the following day to say they can’t make it. Are you kidding me? I’d give someone extra credit if they asked some intelligent questions and had done some homework before showing up. Forbes has a good article: Don’t Show Up to a Job Interview Without Doing This.
Showing up is at least half the battle.
Truth in Labeling
Truth in Labeling
People put on clothes and go outside, and look pretty normal. It’s not as if everyone has a label that says I’m crazy. Wouldn’t that be helpful if they did, though? What if you could tell that a contractor wouldn’t show up? Sometimes Yelp reviews help, but not always.
The 90-day trial
The 90-Day Trial
Most people can’t fake being sane (if they’re not!) for 90 days. They will have an “incident in the parking lot,” go off on a server in a restaurant, or otherwise show their true colors within three months. Maybe a lot of places do this now. Seems like a pretty good idea!
Temp-to-Perm
Temp-to-Perm
If you don’t like confrontation, creating a temporary gig is wonderful. If there’s any problem, don’t renew the contract. It’s a once-only deal, and nobody expects anything. Similar to the 90-day trial, but without any expectations. If projects are late or lacking, don’t renew that contract.
Using Interns
Using Interns
Many companies at desirable places now have positions for interns. This seems like a good idea, too, so long as the interns are paid for their work. I’ve never been a big fan of the unpaid positions, which seem like slave labor. You might like this article Unpaid Internships: Unfair and Unethical, from the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Ask Around
Before hiring someone, I tend to ask my friends, or loose-knit groups in my area what they think of someone. For instance, there are lots of Facebook groups that cover specific geographic areas. Twitter can be helpful, too, when looking for help. And be sure to ask what someone’s strengths are so that you can focus on those.
Ask Offline
Sometimes, people don’t want to be critical of others, but if you ask what they thought of a specific person off the record, they’ll respond. Or, if you see someone who’s had some work done, you can ask what they thought of the person. For instance, one of my neighbors had a fence constructed recently, so I could simply walk over and ask. Easy peasy. Same goes for someone you might want to hire for a long-term position.
Avoided Any Hiring Mistakes?
Have you done anything special to prevent hiring mistakes? Or have you hired someone who was wonderful? Let me know in the comments! And thank you!
Follow Carol!