Hiring Good Employees:
Before You Shop for Your
Next Pro, Make a List

If hiring good employees is on your mind, don't miss this key interviewing tip.

It's what you must do BEFORE the interview - a little hint for ya' on the tip: it's a lot like grocery shopping...

Let's pretend that it’s spaghetti night at your house tonight -- you’re looking forward to whipping up a tasty meal for your family.

You open the fridge for green pepper, mushrooms and salad fixings.

Then you open the pantry to grab the sauce and the pasta. Uh oh. Where IS the pasta? Damn!

You almost have everything you need to make a delicious meal -- but you're missing something vital: pasta.

Without pasta all you've got is sauce!

What was going to be a tasty hot meal turns into a salad supper.

You've made the best of what you had, but it's not what you intended, and it's not ideal.

Hiring Managers face this scenario every day in their quest for hiring good employees. An unexpected opening in a key position means the rush is on to find a replacement. And just like a frustrated chef, the hiring manager may end up having to "make do" with what he or she finds.

That's because busy and overwhelmed managers may tend to hire the first person they meet whose background sounds good, and who says all the right things in the interview.

But oftentimes, before long, the Hiring Manager discovers - despite good intentions for hiring good employees - that the new employee is missing 'key ingredients.' The new guy is abrupt with customers, he lacks discipline, he can’t follow directions and he's defensive when he anyone gives him feedback.

The new guy sounded great in the interview. The entire interview team liked him. But he can't get the job done because he lacks key personal skills needed for success.

Things are not going according to the hiring good employees plan.

Hiring good employees IS a lot like grocery shopping, mistakes happen when you're in a rush, you don't have a plan AND you don't have a list.

If you bring the kids along, (ie: your interview team) then there's even more confusion! Everyone's putting everything what they like into the cart.

The scattered focus and competing interests make your grocery shopping experience chaotic and harried, causing you to:

• Leave the store with some things you don't need.
• Spend more than you intended.
• Miss key ingredients for key meals. (But you won't know that until you try to try make dinner next week.)

1. Create a ‘meal plan’. The ‘meal plan’ for the job is called the Performance Dashboard.

   It is 3 to 5 summary statements of what must happen in the job for the job to be successful. (See the a sample Performance Dashboard for a Sales VP, here.)


2. Create a ‘shopping list’ - this is a list of personal skills and strengths a candidate would have to have to do the things you list in your Performance Dashboard.
3. Share the ‘meal plan’ (your Performance Dashboard) and your 'shopping list' (strengths required for success) with the interview team.

   Make sure the interview team agrees with, understands and focuses on looking for the skills and traits related to your 'meal' and 'shopping' plans.

4. Train your interviewers how to ‘shop’ (interview).

   Nervous interviewers, who don’t have a ‘meal plan’ or ‘grocery list’, tend to talk too much and put all their personal preferences ‘into the cart.’ Train each interviewer how to do it right.

5. 'Check the cart' before leaving the store.

   Follow up on any and all concerns and vague answers. Consider using validated-for-hiring talent assessments and conduct detailed reference interviews and background checks on every new hire.

   Make sure you have what is needed for success in the position before you ‘leave the store.’

• #1 Priority - Takes complete ownership of our sales strategy.
• #2 Priority - Brings a sense of urgency to ensure delivery of successful revenue results.
• #3 Priority - Effectively manages, motivates and develops the sales team.
• #4 Priority - Brings significant software sales knowledge to the position to guide the executive team.
• #5 Priority - Institutes efficient and measurable sales analytic(s).

The first step to hiring good employees is to start out right. Have a clear vision of success for the position that can be clearly articulated to the interview team and your candidates.

Start looking for the people who can meet the expectations in your Performance Dashboard, and you’ll never have to settle for just a salad again.

I can help you develop a Performance Dashboard foryour key positions. Create your own Superior Performance Hiring Worksheet using 170+ of the best behavioral interview questions.

I created this immediately available, work on - at your own pace, eProduct/mini-workshop: How to Conduct an Interview for you!

eProduct: INTERVIEW TRAINING MINI-WORKSHOP:
Have you ever hired your dream candidate only to later discover they were…a nightmare?
What hiring manager hasn’t been there?

What if I told you there’s a way to recognize a potentially poor hiring decision before you extend an offer?

Find out more about this online eProduct/mini-workshop now:
How to Conduct an Interview
Pick a Winner Every Time

Work at your own pace. Immediate access.
Click here to check it out.

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