How to Hire New Employees During the Recession

The rules for hiring someone has changed, in part due to the recession and in part due to the fact that the old way of hiring (read a resume and discuss experience) no longer works. Here are the new rules:

1. Skip Experience – Identify Attitude, Energy & Intelligence

You can give people experience… it is called training and learn as you go. The three things you can’t give people is their attitude, their energy or their smarts. Either they have those things or they don’t. Hire people who have the best attitude, energy & the highest degree of intelligence. Can’t tell all those attributes from a single interview? Do multiple interviews, and get to know their history (tip #3).

2. Hire The Hungry, Not The Starving

When prospective employees are hungry for your company’s opening, they will come in with all their effort and focus and excitement. But when someone is starving to work they will jump into the first thing they can get. Desperate people do desperate things, and they will jump ship the second a better suited, better paying job comes their way.

3. History Repeats Itself

Interviews should revolve around their experiences in life. Ask them how they liked high school. What were the good parts, and bad parts? Did they like their teachers? No? Why not. Ask them about their first job. The boss sucked? OK. Ask them about other jobs. The boss was always a pain to work for? Well guess what, you are the next boss that is going to suck. History repeats itself.

4. Try Before You Buy

Implement a probationary period of 90 days. It is very hard for someone to fake it for 3 months, let alone a week. Don’t pay as much attention to their final product as, their consistency for start and finish times. See how they handle mistakes. Do they show consistent improvement? How well do they communicate? If all things are stellar for 90 days, you most likely have an employee who will be stellar for life. But, if you have problems in the first 90 days, it is time for drastic correction or termination — because a person who can’t perform during the first 90 most likely will never make at your company.

5. Show Your Commitment

The most important day for a new employee, is their first day. It is up to YOU to perform your best that day, not them. For their first day, cut out 2 hours to spend with the person. Take them for a tour of the office, talk about their background and interests, tell them about the company history. Show them the true you and build rapport that only time can afford. Also, by spending time with them you are also showing them you have a company that is in control and not in constant fire drill mode.

Just know, when you show them your commitment, they will show it to you.

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