Years ago, I read a book called ‘Hiring for Attitude’ which discussed the importance of

considering a person’s attitude and fitting into a company’s culture versus examining only the experience and skills needed for the position. While it’s great to hire someone with experience and skills, it is as important to hire someone with the right attitude that fits well into your business’s culture.

After years of hiring employees for my own company, I’ve discovered there are three key hiring tools that, in combination, create the best opportunity to hire the best candidate for your company.

Multiple Interviews

Much of the work performed by office personnel is conducted via phone conversations. Having an interview over the phone can help you determine how they come across to others on a call. In-person interviews are also important so you can get a feel for their body language. Sometimes people may have strengths in one communication style or another, so conducting two interviews helps you understand the whole picture.

Allowing other office members to interview the potential new candidate can also be helpful. When the new hire will be working in an office with others, it’s helpful to see how the different personalities get along, and how the new hire will mesh with the existing company culture.

Personality Test

Certain types of roles are typically best suited for certain personality types. Personally, I use the DiSC model, which is a personal assessment tool used to determine an individual’s strongest personality style and if it fits with the role we are looking to fill.. 

For example, DiSC stands for (D)ominance, (I)nfluence, (S)teadiness and (C)onscientiousness. There are always exceptions, but I’ve found a sales position is best suited for someone who is a high ‘I’ with a ‘D’ above the midline, whereas a billing or administrative role is better suited for an ‘SC’ style. It helps to know a candidate’s personality when determining if they are a good fit for the position, because you can’t fit a square peg into a round hole.

Timing

I hate having to scramble to hire someone. It’s stressful, and no good decisions are made when you’re racing around. I believe it’s best to invest in your staff before they are needed. Staffing your business with the right people can take a long time, so it’s much better to get started early. This may temporarily sway your payroll-to-revenue ratio, but you have to have faith in your business and its growth projections.

Believing in your business plan and your projected growth helps you properly prepare. It’s much better to hire new staff, get them trained and comfortable, and have your whole team in place as your business ramps up. This allows you to grow into your staff rather than scramble and hire the first person that applies because you’re desperate for someone to fill a seat.

Once you have used these three tools, it is a good idea to chat with your team in case anyone identifies any red flags or concerns, but keep it simple. Sometimes you can do all the right things and it still doesn’t work out, but nine out of 10 times, it will. Sometimes you know it is or is not the right fit just from a gut feeling. Pay attention to that, don’t overcomplicate the process, and you’ll be able to find the candidate you and your clients will know, like, trust, and enjoy working with.

Jim Smeaton is the President and Director of Client Care at Always Best Care Senior Services. Learn more at AlwaysBestCare.com/Asheville.