To run a successful company, you need to have the right people in the right roles. This task is not as simple as it sounds. You can’t just go searching blindly for employees who may or may not be right for your company. Following a strategic hiring process will save you time, money and headaches and set your business up for future success.

How to Hire the Right People

1. Hire Slowly; Fire Quickly

If your organization has a gaping hole, you may feel compelled to hire quickly. However, making the wrong hire can be incredibly costly: the U.S. Department of Labor estimates that the average bad hire costs a company 30 percent of that employee’s salary. Don’t jump the gun when it comes to hiring: be slow, careful, deliberate, and methodical. Take all the time you need to ensure that the person you hire is the right person.

When it comes to firing, though, don’t be afraid to act quickly. The moment someone demonstrates that they are not right for the job, start looking for a replacement. Making a bad hire can be costly, but keeping that bad hire around will end up costing you more in the long run, in terms of lost profit and productivity.

2. Assess Core Competencies 

If you want to ensure that you have the right person for the role, you need to confirm that they have the right skills for the job. This is part of why your hiring process must be slow and careful. Take the tim to assess each candidate’s core competencies against a standard set of criteria based on the role requirements. If a candidate can’t perform the job you hire them for, it doesn’t matter how well they fit with the company culture, or how well you like them as a person. The right person for the right job will have the right skills for the job.

3. Precise Job Descriptions

When you’re recruiting new employees, you need to create precise, carefully defined job descriptions that will grab the attention of the right people. If your job descriptions are too vague, or general, or ill-defined, then you’ll be flooded with all manner of unqualified candidates. On the other hand, if your job descriptions are carefully crafted so as to target very specific groups of people, you’ll end up with the right kind of applicants.

How Peer Advisory Groups Can Help You Hire the Right People 

The hiring process can be a tough one, but you don’t have to go it alone. If you’re looking to fill a new role, bring the challenge to your peer advisory group. Other members may have great insight into how to find the best candidates or even know someone who fits the bill. Your peers can help you craft the best job descriptions, share their own hiring experiences, and hold you accountable for making the best hire.