As a manager, you have the opportunity to build your own team — what a privilege! But how can you be sure you’re making the right choices and that your hires will truly benefit the company?
You’ll agree that it’s difficult to really understand a person in just a few hours. Recruiting is indeed a profession, but above all, it’s a human skill. Sometimes you think you’ve found the perfect candidate — and sometimes you haven’t. You have to accept the risk of making a mistake now and then, because after all, you never know until you try. And even though a bad hire can have financial and emotional costs for a company and its employees, remember that to err is human — and cognitive biases are hard to overcome.
Spot skills that can benefit other team members.
What you really want to identify during an interview are the human skills a candidate can rely on to develop their expertise, and the qualities they can share with the team to foster a positive, constructive dynamic. Candidates who tick every single box are quite rare. As a manager, you need to broaden your perspective and envision how the person you’re interviewing would fit within the rest of the team. You’ll then sense whether the chemistry will work with other personalities. Cross-functional skills should be shared generously among colleagues, as they are key to cultivating a healthy, relaxed, and productive work atmosphere.
Involve your team members for better results.
Keeping motivation high could be an Olympic sport! The ideal hire would be someone who’s motivated from the start and knows how to stay that way. Some may feel indispensable and risk a poor work-life balance, while others might get bored. Of course, there are those who strike a healthy balance and manage to stay engaged almost constantly. While one candidate might show unwavering determination, another might get discouraged at the first setback. And don’t forget those with a positive, optimistic attitude compared to those who see defeat before even trying. It’s hard to predict how your future hires will behave once on the job. So, involve other team members in the hiring process. Allow yourself the luxury of multiple perspectives and instincts to increase the chances of a successful hire!
You’ve understood: making the right choices means connecting the dots, being visionary, embracing collaboration, and accepting that nothing is ever perfect.
Axeme’s advice: trust your intuition.
