When it comes to hiring, the most important aspects are trust and connection, according to Ben Hardy, an executive coach at McFarlin Stanford.
“It’s all about relationship and if you’re not able to develop those relationships, you need to figure out how,” he said at Grunder’s GROW! 2018 conference in Tampa, Florida.
Think outside the box.
People aren’t going to come to you the way they did in the ‘90s, Hardy said, adding that finding employees is kind of like dating. You’re not just sitting at home waiting for a date to come to you, he said. You go to the places you’ll find someone.
He said to think of your ideal candidate and where you can find them. What does the ideal candidate want and how do you market to them?
For example, he said landscape workers are often the outdoorsy types. So, a company he worked with went on Facebook to post in groups for those interested in the outdoors. He said the company was able to build a team that did so well they had to open up another business.
You also have to figure out when you’re going to be able to find people. As Hardy says, you have to find your season. That might mean that you have to bring someone on a few weeks or months before you actually need them but otherwise you won’t get those ideal candidates.
A month before and a month after the semester began were the ideal times to advertise around the Brigham Young University area. “The thing that we found was there were a lot of married couples whose spouses were still in school and they were just looking for a good job,” he said.
But note that the ideal candidate will look different in every market, he said.
Treat candidates right.
“Right now, nobody has candidates just flooding through the gates,” Hardy said. You have to take care of the people you can find.
Start by being punctual. You don’t want someone filling out an application and then sitting around and waiting for hours after they’re done. Hardy said you should sit down with the candidate and talk to them when they first arrive. Walk them through the application process if you can.
Sell them on your company and tell them your story, he said. “If somebody doesn’t want to be a part of it, that’s fine, it’s not a good fit,” he said.
“When you’re dating you’re trying to impress each other. You need to do the same thing with your candidates,” he said.
Set up multiple interviews and interviews for field staff while they’re in the building. Never, ever leave them hanging, he said. Don’t let the candidate walk out the door without a job offer or commitment.
Onboarding the smart way.
Onboarding is the part where most people fail, Hardy said. This is the time to teach your culture and set the standard you expect. Talk about attitude and communication, and what will make someone a success at your company.
You need to communicate unspoken rules, where to go with questions and internal systems. This includes reviewing the employee handbook and telling employees where to go with their questions.
The No. 1 reason why these systems fall apart after they’re in place is there’s no project manager, he said. “You need to have someone who owns it at the end of the day. If you don’t have that, it will all fall apart. If you don’t have someone who takes responsibility, no one will take responsibility.”
Read other coverage from Grunder's GROW! 2018 conference here.