Today’s conversation is about hiring the right people, making sure that you get the right person on your team because if you make a bad decision there, it can have a dramatic effect on your team and your business. Let’s have a conversation about what I call ‘The Triangle of Hiring.’

I believe this idea is crucial to understand.

There are 3 key elements to hiring the right person:

1. Skills – That question is really “Are they good at what they do?” You can discover that from behavioural interviewing, asking “Tell me about a time when…” rather than “Tell me what you would do if…”. The focus here is on discovering the competence level of the individual. Other checks might be education level, past projects and references.

2. Personality – Do I like you? Do I want to work with you? Are you going to fit in the team? These questions are about ‘fit.’ Having someone fit seamlessly in your team is just as–if not more–important than skills.

3. Character – “Can I trust you? Do they have the character, loyalty and integrity to work as part of the team?” Usually you discover that in the first 90-day probation period. Look carefully for this, because if you see character crack early, this can lead to major holes in the future.

So, the 3 elements are skills, personality and character. The questions you’re asking, really, are “Are you good at what you do?” “Do I like you?” and “Can I trust you?”

That’s today’s tip.

I’ve got a question for you: What have you found to be the biggest challenge in hiring people? Please share this in the comments below.

Look forward to speaking to you soon. Look after yourself.