How to Hire a Great Team: 4 Best Practices

2018-07-25

A poor hiring decision can torpedo your business, drain your energy, and otherwise cost more than they bring to the table—which is the opposite of what you want in a good employee! In this article, we collect the experts’ advice on best hiring practices for adding right-fit installers and other employees to your team.

1) Be slow to hire.

Don’t hire just to get a warm body in place to “plug a leak” in your team. “Make sure you’re not hiring in a frenzy,” productivity expert Katie Mazzocco cautions. “Know that you have a need, be ready to hire, and then, be strategic about it.”

In other words, know your pipeline and prepare in advance for your busy season. Get your “bench” of new installers ready and trained before your existing team is tested to its limit.

2) Tie your hiring strategy to your goals.

“Map out what’s needed in your company and how that’s attached to your goals.” Mazzocco recommends. “Reverse engineer to determine exactly who you need to bring onto your team.” Consider the big picture: how will this person help your business move forward?

For example, let’s say you’ve been working primarily in the residential market but want to expand into more commercial markets. As you review job applications or put your job description together (more on that in a minute), consider filtering your search to contractors with business-to-business experience, or sales reps who already have a rich network of commercial contacts.

3) Write a detailed job description.

As Anita Campbell pointed out in SmallBizTrends.com, this step is not “unimportant busywork. It’s anything but.” The more specific and thorough you are about what and who you want, the less time you’ll waste in the hiring process—and the more likely you’ll get the right applicants. What are the physical requirements of the job? How much weight do they need to be able to lift? What equipment should they know how to operate?

A great “hack”: Choose the superstar installer on your team you wish you could clone, and base your job description on what they bring to the table, whether it’s work ethic, attention to detail, a self-starter—or someone who takes direction well.

4) Use strategic assessments to build a balanced team.

When you choose and position employees in accordance with their strengths using an assessment like Strengths Finders or Kolbe, you can intentionally select and develop employees who complement you and each other—to build a more well-rounded team. For example, one of the most common hiring missteps is to promote an expert installer—highly skilled at the technical aspects of his role—to manage a team, without considering his skill or aptitude for leading people.

A good supplier is like a good team member, supporting and growing your business. How can we help support and grow yours? Click here to schedule a chat with one of our flooring experts today.