Small Business, Big Lessons® – Measure Twice, Cut Once

Ever hear the saying “measure twice and cut once?” It is what carpenters live by. It means taking the time to ensure your accuracy before cutting a piece of wood. There’s nothing worse than needing to go back to the lumber yard to finish a job or try to make something fit – especially if cut too short, and the same lesson can be applied to hiring. Better to have an extra few people interviewing then to make an avoidable mistake, and one bad hire can drain the energy from the organization and the leader. The performance management process can take energy away from the business and the rest of the team to deal with an under performer.

A few tips to avoid this are define the qualifications and soft skills that are critical for the role. Brief the interview team and debrief everyone as well as the candidates listening to all feedback objectively.

1)    Qualifications – These are the “technical” skills to perform a role. What are the experience and educational requirements for the role? Define the must haves, nice to haves, and what can be trained and how long it would take to ramp. Publish all of that as part of the job description. Ensure the interview team is clear on the requirements and will ask all candidates a few similar questions for comparison. Each member of the interview team should have a unique focus area and be clear on that upfront.

2)    Soft skills  – Soft skills are harder to assess. Using behavioral interviewing is one possible way to uncover capabilities. Just like the qualifications above, determine the required soft skills and create a common set of questions and dived them among the interview team. A question that starts off with “tell me about a time you were ….” fill in the blank is a behavioral based question. Some of the areas I feel are important are candor, teamwork, and humble. Define what is important to you and focus on those areas.

3)    Debrief – Whenever possible, hold a debrief session with the interview team. Let every member comment first before you ask clarifying questions or share your insights and ensure you ask questions to address any of your concerns. Measure each candidate to the original requirements and soft skills. Be careful not to deviate too far, especially if you personally liked a candidate. Remember – this is business!

Think through

Whenever you are hiring, it is critical to identify the job requirements before interviewing. Also ensure the interview team understands the requirements and each has a unique area to focus on and few common questions. Spend the time to debrief and listen to all feedback. If you are hearing a pattern that conflicts with what you left the interview with, dig deeper to understand the discrepancy. Most importantly, trust your gut. The worst hires I have made are people that on paper had the qualifications, but my gut had a concern. There are signs that are subtle that you may pick up on and try to dismiss. Ensure you get past those before extending an offer. Measure twice – cut once!

Feel free to post comments or email them to me. Small Business, Big Lessons ® – What have you learning hiring people?

 

About the Author:

Gregory Woloszczuk is an entrepreneur and experienced tech executive that helps small business owners grow their top and bottom line. Gregory believes in straight talk and helping others see things they need to see but may not want to with a focus on taking responsibly for one’s own business. He and his wife, Maureen, started GMW Carolina in 2006.

 

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