3 Biggest Hiring Mistakes

You're ready to rock it by adding some new team members, but where do you start?
 

Well, there's a little step you have to take in-between contacting a potential contractor and working with them that you may have missed... 
  
...you have to go through the process of actually hiring them, and let me tell you, this can be an adventure in itself if you don't know what you're doing. 
  
I've been outsourcing for over 9+ years, and after all that time, I've learned that there are 3 mistakes that you need to avoid before you jump into hiring: 
  
1)    Not knowing specifically what you want a contractor to do for you before you contact them - If you don't know exactly what you want your team member to do for you before you contact them, you'll waste so much time + money trying to figure it out after. It's easy to jump in and start working with someone because you know you need help, but if you don't know what that person will be doing for you, you're just asking for trouble. 

Here's a test you can use to determine if you should learn a skill or outsource it: 

• Will you have to do this task repeatedly? If so, it pays to learn it. If not, outsource it. 
  
• Do you want to learn how to do the task just because you love to learn (and have the time)? If so, go for it. If not, outsource it. 

2) Not having a great job posting + application process - A few years ago, I posted an ad looking for assistants and had them send in their info...and it was a disaster because I did everything wrong, and it all started with the job posting. It wasn't detailed enough, which meant that it didn't weed out the people who were not a good fit. But I don't always post ads, more often than not, I use my list of contractors and reach out to someone personally, but I make sure that my expectations are clear from that very first email so I don't waste my time or theirs.    

3) Not asking the right questions during an interview can lead to a lot of hair pulling moments - Think about this...do you even know what you would ask a potential contractor during a phone interview? I didn't really know what to ask either, but over the years I eventually figured it out. Don't go into an interview without a list of questions you want to ask, otherwise it can make you look unprofessional and you won't leave the interview knowing whether or not the person is a good fit. 
  
"Recently Melissa interviewed me for a position on her team. I must say that the interview process was one of the smoothest I've participated in. The interview questions Melissa asked me were very thought out and thorough. Because of this I really didn't have many questions for her in the end." - Darcee Sellers, Assistant 
  
So BEFORE you hire a contractor, make sure you have a list of tasks you want them to do for you, make sure you're application process or first contact is done right, and have a list of interview questions on hand that will help you weed out the folks who aren't a good fit for you and your business.