By Maria Scheleen, Guest Columnist
Hiring good employees is arguably the most crucial aspect of running an agency. After all, if you’re not recruiting the right individuals to begin with, your ability to succeed in nearly every other aspect of the hiring process is greatly compromised.
First, there’s the time spent trying to acclimate the new hire to your team, often to no avail. You also must deal with the havoc that the “wrong” employee can create: the business you may lose, the costs you incur, and the pressures on other employees. All in all, it’s a scenario best avoided. Following are three common types of poor hires and strategies for avoiding them:
The “SOS” Hire. You need a mobile designer for an urgent project and can’t find someone with precisely the right skills—except for Dan, who is proficient in CSS, HTML, JavaScript, jQuery and Photoshop, as well as a number of other pertinent software. Dan’s technical expertise is so impressive and hard to come by that you’re willing to overlook the fact that he showed up late for the interview and checked his smartphone throughout.
Don’t let an urgent need blind you to a flawed candidate. If you’re in a bind, buy yourself some time by bringing in someone on a project basis.
The Mirror Image Hire. This candidate reminds you of someone you’re familiar with and admire… you! You adore how the applicant (like you) is a Pinterest fanatic and has a portfolio of work that’s similar to your own. Although she doesn’t seem at ease when presenting her ideas (something you can relate to), you’re hoping she can polish her speaking skills with time.
While it’s completely natural to gravitate toward applicants with similar interests, you may be better off recruiting someone whose skills complement, rather than mimic, your own.
The Groupthink Hire. Your seven team members have each met with three top contenders for an open project manager position, and they are divided on who should get the spot. Finally, you decide to hire Annie, because she sparked the least debate.
While it can be useful to gather feedback about candidates from team members who will be working closely with the new employee, hiring by committee can cause you to select the least objectionable candidate rather than the strongest one. It’s better to let employees privately share their perceptions about job applicants with you, and then have one or two people make the final choice.
Identifying and hiring the right team members for your agency can be harrowing for even the most adept managers. But you can increase the chances of choosing the right person by avoiding common hiring pitfalls, like those mentioned above.
Maria Scheleen is the Seattle branch manager of The Creative Group, a specialized staffing service placing interactive, design, marketing, advertising and public relations professionals with a variety of firms. Visit www.creativegroup.com or contact 206-749-9046.
