Knowing how to hire is an essential skill for contractors. This is a line of work that often requires building a team or working with subcontractors to deliver high-quality projects, which means that hiring is a regular occurrence.
Although contractor work has a lot of specifics when it comes to hiring, most of it is quite universal. These are tips you can apply to hire workers in any business in a more centralized, effective, and clever way.
Centralize the hiring process
Simply announcing a position or job can lead to communication problems. Some people may contact you via email, others by phone, others by WhatsApp… and it’s hard to keep track of all the contacts you’ve made.
First of all, you want to centralize your hiring process.
A good place to do this is LinkedIn. You should already have a profile page for your company there anyway, but the best part is that it allows you to advertise job openings. Potential candidates are able to apply directly from the platform, keeping everything organized and easy to find.
If someone reaches out to you asking where they can apply, direct them to LinkedIn. This is especially useful because you can check the profile page of every candidate and look for the info you want, including previous occupations, age, friends in common, etc.
References are a good start
References aren’t everything, but they can certainly help filter through a large number of options.
Obviously, qualification and experience also play a major role here, but if the candidate can direct you to a previous client or company they’ve worked with, that’s a great bonus.
You’re looking for reliable and trustworthy workers after all, so if a former boss or client tells you that this person indeed has those qualities, it’s always a good sign.
Of course, references aren’t everything. A relatively fresh worker may have the qualifications without a ton of experience – that doesn’t mean they should be immediately ruled out. There are other ways you can decide if this person is good for the job and a nice addition to your team.
Interview basics
There are many clichés when it comes to what questions you should ask in a job interview.
I won’t bother telling you the absolute basics because I’m sure those will come up naturally during the conversation. These are things like how did they come across the job opening, what’s their ambition in terms of salary, previous occupations or references, etc.
Besides, the job interview doesn’t have to be a formal corporate meeting. You can keep it professional while allowing the candidate to relax and speak normally – that’s how you’ll get to know them better.
Here are a few more interesting questions you can ask during the interview:
- How did you learn your skills?
- Which part of your job do you find the most challenging? And which is the easiest?
- If you could receive extra training in your area, what would it be?
- What do you know about our company/brand?
- How do you feel about the industry at the moment?
- What do you consider your main strengths and weaknesses?
Trust your instinct
Anyone who works with hiring will tell you that the candidate with the best qualifications and references isn’t always the best choice.
That sounds odd, I know.
Don’t get me wrong, those are obviously important notes that greatly increase someone’s chances of working for you. That’s a given. But this is why the interview portion is so important – you have to get to know your candidate on a personal level.
There’s a saying that goes something like “The people you work with are the people you’re married to.” This is someone you’ll potentially work with for months, maybe years.
So listen to your instinct. Sometimes you just “click” more with one person, so even if they’re missing one or two bullet points compared to other candidates, they may still be better to work with. There’s no way for me to tell you how to know this but trust your gut. It knows more than you think.
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