From The Editor | May 27, 2015

From ASCII Chicago: 5 Hiring Don'ts

jim roddy

By Jim Roddy, VP of Marketing, RSPA

VAR And MSP Stand Out In A Crowded Market

I was honored to kick off the ASCII Success Summit today at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare in Chicago with my hiring best practices presentation titled “Hire Like You Just Beat Cancer.” It’s always great to connect with solution provider executives and try to solve important small business problems.

I’d like to share with you a portion of my presentation that details five actions you should not take when hiring:

#1: Don’t hire someone with below-average presentation.

This especially applies if the position will interact with your customers, your suppliers, or the public. Your hires don’t need to be supermodels, but they must exude professionalism. Presentation includes the candidate’s grooming, posture, grammar, enthusiasm, and a sense of substance.

#2: Don’t offer a job to a candidate who won’t work at your company in 10 years.

You might be thinking, “Nobody stays with their employer for 10 years anymore.” On average that is true, but you can and should hold out to be above average. You should be striving to build an org that will thrive for the long-term, not just fill seats temporarily. Of course, there are no guarantees that an employee will stay with your company but if you uncover reasons likely to cause a candidate to leave sooner, don’t hire that person.

#3: Don’t hire candidates who frequently switch companies or careers.

A candidate with a résumé pattern of jobs with fewer than three years’ tenure will probably leave your company long before 10 years have passed. But don’t automatically count switching companies against a candidate. Ask them why they left those companies, and don’t hold against the candidate the employer going bankrupt or closing a location.

#4: Don’t offer a full-time job to a candidate whose history shows no financial need to work.

These candidates will quit when the job becomes hard or frustrating. Most people work for the money. If they don’t need the money, they won’t work. You knew that already, but hiring managers overlook that fact too often.

#5: Don’t predetermine how much your company is willing to pay a candidate to fill your open position.

When you find a candidate who will raise the performance of our company … scoop them up! Pay whatever it takes to hire a candidate who will provide bench strength and achieve your company goals. Of course, you have to be able to cover the expense. But don’t cheap out.

The ASCII Success Summit – Chicago is being held May 27-28 at the Hyatt Regency O’Hare in Chicago. It is one of eight solution provider-focused conferences ASCII will host in 2015. For more information on ASCII, go to www.BSMinfo.com/go/InsideASCII.