Would You Want That Job?
Today’s staggering cost of hiring an employee means employers can’t “wing it.” Not only must you ask the right questions, during the interview, you must also be adequately prepared for the interview. And preparation begins as early as defining the job itself.
##**What exactly are you hiring for, anyway?**##
Develop a job description that will make sense to potential new hires, as well as to your organization. Make sure what you’re hiring for is an actual job, not a list of wildly disparate duties requiring vastly different skill sets. For example, if you’re trying to find a person with large responsibilities in marketing, budgeting, marketing, and inventory management, you might want to rethink the position. If you don’t, any hew hire, no matter how talented, will quickly feel underpaid, overworked and discouraged. And odds are, soon you’ll have to go back to the drawing board after he or she seizes another opportunity. So, if you need sales help, the job description should cover sales work. If a warehouse and inventory manager is what you’re seeking, create a job description that reflects those duties.
##**Would you want the job you’ve posted?**##
Remember, you are hiring an employee, not an owner. For entrepreneurs and other stakeholders, this can be a hard truth to face. While you should certainly shoot for a go-getter, remember that a new hire will not have the same skin in the game that you do, and may not be willing to dive into every aspect of the organization. This person will not be an owner, proprietor, or shareholder – he or she will be an employee performing a job.
##**The “other duties as needed” pitfall**##
This can be a dangerous catch-all phrase, especially if a new employee finds himself spending most of his workday performing duties that fall thereunder. Is this miscellaneous category really hiding a landmine of tasks? Would an otherwise qualified person become resentful or frustrated upon learning about these additional responsibilities? Would you?
##**Don’t go it alone**##
Solicit team members to help craft and shape the job description until it reflects a cohesive and realistic position. Query whether the requirements should fall under one job, or should some of them be reassigned? A new hire who feels pulled in too many directions during the workday will be unable to deliver her best and won’t want to stay long-term.
Next, hammer down the requirements an ideal candidate needs to succeed. Education; technology and software skills; communication skills (and define who the audience will be); the kinds of daily scenarios he or she will encounter; and whether problem-solving skills feature prominently in the position are key things any interviewee needs to know.
##**Hire with a career in mind**##
By taking the time to architect a “doable” job description that is free of invisible pitfalls and has the blessing of your organization, you’ll be ready to step forward and attract the right hire: someone with a career in mind, instead of someone who feels overwhelmed and is quietly waiting to bolt.