Not every entrepreneur or supervisor can be expected to be an expert in every subject or every role for which they hire. The fact is, there are going to be some positions you need to fill that you may not know anything about. So what do you do? How can you make an informed decision that benefits the company and gets you an employee who will add value?
This isn’t necessarily an easy hiring task, but if you take your time, do your homework and really think about how the person will potentially fit within the company culture you’ve created, you have a good chance of making a strong hire.
Below, we go over a few tips and some useful advice that will hopefully position you to find that dynamic new employee who brings to the table exactly what your company needs.
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Hopefully, the role for which you are hiring is well-defined. A positive hiring experience begins with a detailed job description. The position description that you post as you begin your candidate search should include the following:
Consider the position description the benchmark that you will use to guide you in your search process. This is an invaluable tool, one that can make your task a lot easier, even if you are unsure about the role itself given that you lack some knowledge in the specific area.
Your organization is growing. You need to recruit for a position about which you don’t really have a great deal of knowledge. In some ways, it feels as if you are going into the recruiting/hiring process blind. Fortunately, this scenario doesn’t have to end up in a disastrous hire. Below are five tips for finding that perfect person to fill a role about which you yourself may be unfamiliar.
Think back to your school days. When faced with a topic about which you were unsure, you did research. Be it going online and finding out all that you can about a topic or field, talking to experts on the subject or consulting with supervisors who understand the role that needs to be filled, you have to become research savvy and fill gaps in your knowledge regarding a job you don’t necessarily understand.
While you currently might not have an individual in this specific role, you likely have people working in jobs that are related. Take some time to talk to them about the upcoming position. What do they see as the key needs for the role? What type of person do they envision being successful in the role? Their insight could prove invaluable.
There’s a reason why LinkedIn is so incredibly popular among business owners and professionals. The concept of a far-reaching network, such that spurred the enormous growth of the platform could definitely work to your advantage as far as finding out more about a position you might know little about. Explore various profiles of individuals who hold similar roles, and don’t be afraid to reach out and ask for help or advice on this matter.
RELATED: 7 Tips for Hiring During (and After) COVID-19 >>In other words, don’t fake it. If you don’t know something during the interview process, then don’t just try and bluff your way through. This is something that could quickly turn off a potential employee. Instead, just be honest with the person. If you don’t understand something they’ve said, say so.
It might be the case that regardless of how hard you try, you simply don’t feel comfortable hiring for a position about which you know nothing. And that is okay. There are professional HR consultants and recruiting services out there that specialize in filling roles for companies. Depending on the level of help you need, you can go with a firm that consults with you during the recruiting phase or one that takes care of the entire hiring process for you.
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We want to see our clients thrive and grow, and we realize that in order to do that you need the right people on board. We can work with you through the recruiting and hiring process, enabling you to more effectively identify potential candidates who will actually add value to the company. Contact us today to see how we might be of assistance to you.