Whether you manage a small, personal business or a large corporation, hiring someone new can be a real challenge. There’s a lot to consider. A new hire needs the right skills, experience, and ability to meld with the company culture. It’s easier said than done, and there’s no one-size-fits-all approach.

However, there are some things you can do to increase the chance that the person you’re hiring can grow into their role. Here are a few tips to improve your hiring process and find the best candidate.

Know What Traits You’re Looking For

One easy way to make your life harder is to start the hiring process without a clear picture of your next hire in mind. This “ideal hire” is called an avatar, and you can compare a potential hire you’re interviewing to it. Ask yourself whether someone fulfilling the avatar’s role would need a high or low level of expertise. A role with low expertise, such as a register clerk, can be easily learned with time by almost anyone. An operations manager, on the other hand, requires someone with a high level of expertise, experience, and know-how.

Your goal is not to find someone who perfectly matches every quality of the avatar. Rather, you want to find someone who meets or exceeds your minimum requirements. If you’re unaware of what traits are required for peak performance in your industry, you might consider investing in performance analytics. Businesses are using this tool to measure key performance indicators and the traits of their top talent.

You may find your best sales employees are not the ones who excel at crunching numbers, but rather those who work best with people. So when hiring, you’d know communication skills are a stronger predictor of success. These insights can help you proactively improve your team by hiring the best of the best. They can also pinpoint less desirable traits, so you’ll know candidates to avoid or who will need additional training. 

Understand Your Workplace Culture

While deliverables are the bottom line of any organization, culture is the heart, without which your business cannot survive. Your new hire meeting or exceeding measurables is important, but making sure they meld well with company culture is of immeasurable value. A new hire getting along with current staff can make the transition process smoother and boost morale. On the other hand, if your company culture is struggling, you may want to hire someone to signal a shift in direction.

Just as you assess the logistic qualifications of your new hire, do the same for their cultural compatibility. Is your company a large, multinational conglomerate or a scrappy startup? Do you want someone who will create a tonal shift upon arrival or someone who will simply blend right in? What kind of personalities does your current team have, and what kind of values does your team share? By answering these questions clearly, you’ll be able to see whether someone you’re interviewing is worth onboarding.

Ask the Right Questions

These days, more than ever, companies are dynamic entities that need to pivot to maintain a market presence. Being able to read the weather is crucial not just for managers, but also for team players. So when interviewing a potential hire, it’s important to ask them interview questions that reflect your company’s business landscape. Asking open-ended questions as opposed to closed, yes-or-no questions is an easy first step. These kinds of questions are great for understanding a person’s experience, intention, and the general mindset.

The next step is to ask hypothetical questions that propose a certain kind of dilemma. For example, imagine you’re interviewing someone for a service role like a waiter. You could propose a scenario where they’re serving a regular who’s just sat down in a bad mood. What would your waiter-to-be do in this situation? What could they do to ensure this regular has a good experience? Questions like this allow you a glimpse of someone’s mind under pressure, and they can demonstrate their problem-solving skills in real time.

Evaluate New Hires After the Process

An unfortunate reality of hiring new candidates is that there is no way to guarantee you’ll hire the best person for the job. So once you do decide to hire someone, it’s important to follow up. Evaluate whether they’re fulfilling your expectations and the company’s needs. Also, check with them that the job traits and responsibilities were clearly communicated.

Talk with them, and see how they’re adjusting. Is the reality of their new situation similar to their expectations, or are they struggling to adjust? Meeting with your new hire’s teammates is another way to help you see if they’re adjusting to company culture. As the team member adjusts, and you decide whether or not hiring them was a smart decision, evaluate your hiring process. Think about ways you could improve the process before you have another open position.

There’s no way to guarantee that you’ll make the correct decision. What you can do, though, is ensure that you mitigate the chance that you make the wrong decision. Understanding what you’re looking for in terms of skills and personality is invaluable. The better you understand your company’s needs, the more easily you’ll be able to identify the best employees.