6 ways Startups can avoid hiring morons
It is also true that God likes morons because he made so many of them.
Customers come first- wrong.
Tomorrow’s business reality is that only two things will drive success- innovation, and people. If you have good and happy employees-your customers will be taken care of.
Good employees build better brands.
The biggest challenge for startups is in hiring good people and retaining them.
It is true that as a startup, you will not be able to pay top salaries for good candidates.
Your job is to get extra-ordinary work done by ordinary employees.
but your effort has to pick up the best talent from this average pool.
The real trick is to avoid hiring morons at any cost- because it will cost you 3 times more if you have hired morons.
After advising more than 100 startups, I have come to the conclusion that it is possible to hire smart people in your company without paying half of your salary.
Here are 6 ways you can start hiring smart people in your startups.
Don’t look at the candidate’s CV
If you ignore my advice and still look at it, you will realize that an average candidate is almost qualified to replace Ratan Tata (After all, the candidate himself has crafted the CV). Try to find some unusual things in his career, some breaks, something which makes him stand apart.
Go for the attitude, not the skills
You can teach skills to a giraffe, but a great positive attitude can make a huge difference. Once I hired a drummer from a cabaret joint as a salesman in Delhi, and he broke all the sales records in his territory.
Hire better candidates than yourself.
Research shows that:
A-class Managers hire A+ candidates,
B-Class Managers hire C Class candidates,
C-Class managers hire D Class candidates
The net result is that A-Class managers make their company a company of giants, which can lead to sustained growth and long-term success.
On the other hand, B and C Class managers, who are insecure, make their company a company of dwarfs, and will soon drive their companies to dust.
The moral of the story- Have the courage to hire people better than you are. You shall never regret it.
Hire a well-rounded personality
Give 50 % weightage to the candidate’s extra-curricular activities. Find out about his hobbies; his interest in sports, music, or any other passion. Does he read books? What kind of friends does he have? Does he have a sense of humor?
A well-rounded candidate will be 3 times more productive than a university topper, who could be a bozo.
Take a woman’s opinion
My final litmus test. If I think that I can call the candidate to come over and have dinner with my family, I hire him. Women also have this uncanny ability to judge people. If possible, I would always include a woman in the interview panel.
I believe that women have a sixth sense in judging people-I and always take their opinion.
Give them a project
It is a great idea to give a small project to shortlisted candidates before you appoint them. It can be a small project in a similar discipline that may take 1-2 weeks.
A project gives you an accurate idea about the person’s capability and her line of thinking.
and don’t be a cheap stake and pay them for their time spent on the project, in case you do not select them.
Hiring good people for a startup is easily the biggest challenge you will face.
This will be the difference between success and failure for your startup.
Spend at least 30 % of your time on getting better candidates.
Neeti Brand Accelerator – Click here to visit our website
Hemant Mishrra
About the author: Hemant is the Founder & CEO of branding and marketing firm ”Neeti Brand Accelerator” in Mumbai. He is a brand strategist and has worked with more than 150 brands during last two decades. He is also mentor and coach to SMEs and startups. You can visit the website www.www.neeti.biz. You can also contact him at hemant@neeti.biz
