Hire slow and fire fast

Whether I’m on a coaching call, teaching at a conference or simply having a conversation with another landscape professional, the struggle to find good people always comes up.

The hiring arena is truly challenging at the moment. The Department of Labor’s meddling with the H-2B program has dealt a blow. Add in the looming salary exemption changes and I predict some desperate small business owners. In fact, business owners may be so desperate that they hire people too quickly, without proper screening. Hiring new people too fast is a really dangerous thing.

No matter what the situation is, we should always hire slow and fire fast. Allowing a poor performer into your organization can do a lot of damage. And the longer they hang around, the more damage they can do. So how can you improve your chances for success with new hires? Try these three suggestions.

1. Be patient. Never settle. This is the most important thing you can do. The more responsibilities the position has, the more time you need to take. If you are hiring someone to take $150,000 worth of equipment down the road and run a crew, shouldn’t that person receive a lot of consideration? If you are hiring a sales professional, you don’t hire the guy who’s had 12 jobs in the last two years no matter what his resume says, no matter what he tells you he can do.

Be patient, have a clear vision of exactly what you want and go for that. I recommend using personality tests, having a human resources professional help you and having several of your best team members interview the candidate. Then review all of this information and feedback with great care. Whatever you do, do not rush the process.

2. Check references. Be skeptical. I teach my clients to doubt everything an applicant says. Remember that when interviewing someone, they will never look better, sound better, smell better, act better and fit better. You might tell yourself, “I need help. They are there, ready to start and I have better things to do.” Right? Wrong.

Take your time. Check references, do a background check, be skeptical and ask the tough, legal questions you are allowed to ask. We also recommend getting HR help from Jean Seawright. She’s one of the best in the business.

3. You are not in the business of teaching people how to act. A few months ago, an applicant asked some inappropriate questions. At first, I attributed his impropriety to youth and inexperience. After talking to my team and my coach, we decided this young person was not a fit for our company. If we hired him, we were going to have to teach him how to act. That’s not our job. We are glad to train employees by teaching them skills and procedures. We should not have to teach someone how to act.

You can take chances on immature people, and, once in a while, you get lucky. But many times you do not. A poor employee costs a lot in training and loss of productivity, and can negatively affects the good people you already have. If it seems like you must teach an applicant how to act, pass and keep looking.

If your applicant isn’t dressed appropriately for the job interview, is rude to your director of first impressions, seems indifferent or just rubs you the wrong way, keep looking. Your team and your future will appreciate it.