Don’t hurry to hire
Don’t rush to fill that vacant job. You have an opportunity to strengthen your team and cure a problem you’ve probably had for a long time.
It’s worth waiting for
It’s worth going to extremes to ensure that you find the right person when you’re making a new hire.
You’ve waited to make a change. You’ve put up with disappointing performance. You’ve learned how hard you have to work to fill in the performance gap — explaining the non-performance to others, making excuses and doing some of the work yourself.
Better for you, better for them
The departed employee’s co-workers have had it even worse, because they’ve had to fill the gap when the work didn’t get done, had to cover for the other person’s non-performance, or had to deal with the problems that arose from oversights or mistakes.
Ask your remaining employees to assume added responsibilities until you find the right person to fill the job — a person with the right skills, the right judgment and the right fit for your company.
Tell them that you know they’ll have to work harder in the short-term, but you believe that having a worthy co-worker will make it all worthwhile for them. I bet they’ll agree.
Talent, fit and grit: that’s the ticket
There’s no substitute for talent — for sheer ability. Without it, a new hire simply won’t be up to the task, and you’ll never get the results you need.
But fit and grit are equally important. If an employee isn’t well suited to your company and the tasks you need them to do, then they’re likely to fail. And they’ll never live up to the promise of their talent if they lack tenacity and persistence.
It’s handy to evaluate candidates by drawing up a template from your employees who are already succeeding in that job: their relevant experience and skill-set; their intelligence, energy, character and commitment; their history of accomplishment and their personality.
Ask yourself:
- Are they a genuine fit for our company?
- Do they have the sheer talent we need?
- Do they have a history of success that demonstrates their commitment, their tenacity and persistence?
- Are we adjusting the job requirements so they’ll qualify?
- Are they worth investing in, or should we keep looking?
Take your time, this is important
Don’t hurry to fill a vacant job.
Ask your other employees to assume added responsibilities until you find just the right person to fill the job.
Take your time, this is important
Being short a team member always feels vaguely uncomfortable. But you’ve waited a long time to have a team that’s worthy of you.
I promise it will be worthwhile for you to wait a little longer and work a little harder to find just the right person. After all, you hope to be working with them for a long time, don’t you? So don’t hurry to hire.