Hiring Systems that Work — 5 tips to hire better

Over the last 10 years, I have hired hundreds of team members. I have made some great hires and some not-so-great hires. The decision of who you bring into your company may be one of the most significant to the ongoing success of your business.

It’s important to have a hiring system because without one, we end up hiring based on how we feel at the moment, which is not a practical way to operate. Here is a tried-and-tested system we have used over the last five years at K&D Landscaping.

1. 3x3 method

We hire using the 3x3 method, which requires three in-person interviews on three different occasions with three different people. If you are hiring for a remote position, consider doing three different Zoom interviews on different days and times. If you are hiring remotely, it's worth flying the candidate out to your facility for at least one in-person interview.

2. Behavioral Analysis Tools

Utilize a behavioral analysis tool such as the Predictive Index or Culture Index. There are many products out there, but it’s important to utilize one that allows you to create a job profile for the position and compare that to the candidate’s results. Note that these tools should not be solely used to make decisions, but they can help you identify areas of alignment or misalignment that you can dive into during the interview.

3. Core Value-Based Interview Questions

Have a set of interview questions you ask every candidate based on your core values. Ask these questions multiple times throughout the process to test the candidate's accuracy and honesty. Cultural fit is always the first priority.

4. Training Interviewers

Train everyone on your team who will be doing the interviewing. It’s essential for both legal and competency reasons that you train every person who will be conducting interviews.

5. Scoring System

Develop a scoring system. We score on three essential areas:

1. Culture fit (core values)

2. Job behavior fit

3. Job skill fit

The scoring must be done blind. Each interviewer must score the candidate before talking with one another after the interview. Scoring before debriefing will help prevent the persuasive people from leading the hiring process.

If you are planning to grow your business, hiring is not an option; it’s mandatory. A bad hire can cost you hundreds of thousands of dollars, not to mention reputation and culture damage. By creating your hiring success system, you can minimize the bad hires and protect what you have built.

Mistakes will happen along the way, but it’s less about making the mistakes and more about how you handle them. When you realize you have a misalignment on culture, it’s important to exit that person immediately from the organization. When you realize you have a technical mismatch but a cultural fit, you can spend more time training that person rather than replacing them. Remember, culture eats strategy for breakfast, so protect it at all costs.

Raise the bar is a monthly column by Justin White, CEO of K&D Landscaping, written to help improve professionalism in the green industry. He can be reached at justin@kndlandscaping.com.