We are all in the thick of it: needing to advance our businesses after a pandemic. We have progressed
through the initial panic, and rearrangement of how we do business – remotely and in person. We have figured out how to be effective and work efficiently away from the office and at the office. Now we need to hire people to move our businesses forward. What steps can you take to make sure your hire is a great one? Is it necessary to meet them in person?
Here is a 9 step process that has worked for us:
1. Write a position description that identifies all the top 10 key objectives to accomplish in the
near term. Use this as a template to score candidate strengths to the role.
2. Know your team’s core strengths and abilities, and how they communicate. Ask yourself, when
interviewing the candidate. Does this person compliment my team?
3. Expand your interview jury. Make sure all key stakeholders, and at least one board of directors’
members are involved in the interviewing process. Investigate all concerns.
4. Take your time, you can be selective, but do let the candidate know that the process is going to
take a bit longer than usual as this is a KEY HIRE for your organization.
5. Zoom/Video interviews are very important tools. You will be able to identify most strengths and
weaknesses and communication habits in your candidates.
6. Meet candidates in person, at least once, preferably twice, to get a feel for the fit of this candidate –
7. Reference checks – be sure to get a 360-degree approach. At least one, preferably two people: supervisors (board of directors if a CEO) peers, subordinates, and a customer (commercial or clinical roles). The point here is to verify what you already know, it is a bonus if you get more information.
8. Use an assessment tool – Ipsative is best – one that will grade skills (including leadership) on a
curve. You can have an assessment custom-built for the role, and it is not that expensive. Think
of it as an insurance policy.
9. A good recruiter. We know good talent and fit when we see it. We often have many candidates
in our pool that we have worked with or met over the years and can quickly assess whether
there will be a good fit or not.
Feel free to reach out to me if you think I can help – either identify great talent for you or help you
design an assessment tool for better hires. Thank you for reading my blog, and I would love to hear from you about your experiences.
