The time will come when you’ll need to interview someone to
join your business or your existing team. If you work in a
large organisation then this could be someone from inside
the company. You might even be the owner of a small business
and about to start your first employee. Whatever the
situation, you’re going to have to make a decision about
whether this person is suitable for the job or not.
I’m aware that in some organisations a middle manager may
have a new team member picked for them. The applicant is
either hired by the Human Resources department or the senior
manager.
If you’re in this situation then you must fight against it
by communicating with your manager. You must assert yourself
in this situation and give feedback to your manager.
I appreciate the difficulty of this situation (I’ve been
there). You’ll find out how to do it in my e-book – “How to
get more Sales by Motivating your Team”
It’ll be extremely difficult to be a successful manager
unless you decide who’ll be on your team. You need to have
total faith and belief in every member of your team and they
need to know that.
It may be the case that you work for an organisation with
sophisticated selection systems. Or you might own or work
for a small company where you write the job advertisement,
do all interviewing and make the coffee.
Whatever the situation, there comes a time when you’ll be
eyeball to eyeball with a potential team member.
Before you can ask a question or conduct an interview, you
need to be very clear in your own mind – you need to know
exactly what you’re looking for.
Now you might jump in here and say – “I know what I’m
looking for – a new receptionist or a maintenance engineer,
or a sales agent and I want a good one.” But what do you
mean by a good one?
What you’re looking for is someone:
*Who can deliver the outcomes you need
*Who’ll fit with the company structure
*Who’ll fit with the existing team
*Who’ll respond to your style of managing
*Who’ll be happy in the job
Let’s look at each of these points in turn.
Deliver the Outcomes
The outcomes (you might call them goals, targets or
objectives) for your business could be varied but I’m sure
they’d be along the lines of – Finding new customers –
holding onto the ones you have and getting them to buy more
of your products or services. However for an individual team
member the outcomes you need from them are probably more
specific.
These could be outcomes such as:
*More orders (You’d want this from a sales person)
*More happy customers who come back and also tell their
friends (from someone in a customer service position)
*Fast maintenance turnaround (if the person is an engineer
or technician)
*Well presented and delicious food (from a cook or chef)
*A well run and efficient office (from an admin person)
Outcomes are what you and your team are judged on. So you
need to be clear in your own mind what outcomes you want
from the person you interview.
Fit with the Company Structure
You also need to think about whether the person you
interview will be happy in your company and your culture.
Some people who move from a large company to a much smaller
one often find it hard to adjust and vice versa.
You must ensure that the person you employ will be happy
working within your structure. That’s why good interviewing
techniques are vital.
Fit with the team
Will the job applicant fit well with the existing team?
Maybe your team are a group of loners who don’t communicate
with each other but it’s unlikely. They probably all
communicate with each other have breaks together and
generally chat amongst themselves.
You can’t pick people who’re all the same – who wants a set
of clones in the team? However you need to pick someone who
is on the same wave-length as the rest of the team.
Perhaps you could involve a team member at a second
interview, they might have a better feel for whether the
person would fit or not.
Respond to your style
How will the person respond to you, will they be able to
work with your style of management?
I’ve had applicants at an interview complain about their
existing boss – “Do you know that he expects me to do such
and such.” And I’ve thought to myself, “That’s exactly what
I’d be expecting also.”
You’ve must have a good connection with the person you bring
into your team. That doesn’t mean that you’re going to be
best buddies but you’ll need to be able to work together.
Consider if you’re the kind of manager who likes to work
closely with your team and regularly check their progress.
If so, you’ll need an individual who wants structure and
detail and is comfortable with close monitoring.
If on the other hand, you’re the kind of manager who sets
outcomes and leaves the team to get on with it without much
help from you. Then you’re going to need someone who is
happy to work with minimum supervision.
They need to be happy
Job applicants don’t know what they’re getting into when
they start a new job. They might think they know but how can
they when they’ve never worked in your team or your company
before. Just as it’s a risk for you when you start someone
new, it’s also a risk for them. You’ll never totally
eliminate the risk but it’s your job minimise the risk for
both you and the applicant.
Discover how you can interview and recruit the best people
for your team!
Alan Fairweather is the author of “How to get More Sales
by Picking the Best Team” This book is packed with
practical things that you can do to – make your life easier
and achieve your business goals.
Click here now:
