Hire carefully
A resume can tell you a lot about a person. But when you’re looking to develop a group of leaders that can work well together and
take your company forward, you need to know more than their
batting average and RBI total from last season.
“For me, it’s sitting down with them two or three times and talking with them about our company and our vision and seeing what
their reaction is and getting feedback from them on what they
believe, how they manage and how effective they are and seeing if
there is a fit,” Richardson says. “Having chemistry and having a fit
is probably the single most important thing.”
When you are interviewing someone, it’s most likely for a senior
management position. Take care to eliminate any distractions that
might take away from your focus during the interview.
“It’s anywhere you can be one on one with a person for a period of
time and not be distracted by cell phones, BlackBerrys and phone
calls,” Richardson says. “Have enough time to understand who they
are and their backgrounds and why they made the decisions they
did along their career paths. All those are critical elements. If they
are in a good position today, why are they looking for something
else? You begin to get a sense of their personality and whether they
are a good fit in your company.”
Your opinion will obviously play a critical role in whether you
decide to hire a particular individual or not. But you shouldn’t put
the entire burden on your own shoulders. Get feedback from others, as well.
“You want other people to talk to them,” Richardson says. “Those
are the ones they are going to work with. If one of your executives
talks to a person that you’re hiring for a particular position and
doesn’t feel comfortable with them, that’s going to be an issue. It’s
important that you get feedback from the group.”
It could also be helpful to put potential hires in front of someone
who will be reporting to them to get another’s thoughts, as well.
The key is to get beyond the resume and find out how the candidate will fit in at your company with the people who are already
there.
“How do you handle certain situations?” Richardson says. “How do
you plan on putting a team together? You know our mission, vision
and values. How are you going to contribute? What are you going to
bring to the table that somebody else can’t bring?”
Richardson says that he has become a better listener with age
and experience, whether it’s with prospective new employees or
employees who already work for him. It has helped reinforce to
him that he doesn’t know it all.
“When you are younger, it’s more difficult to listen because you
get into a position and you think, ‘OK, I have to be tough and I have
to be a leader here because if I’m not, people aren’t going to
respect me,’” Richardson says. “As you get older, you figure out
that’s not the way it is. You can learn a lot by listening. In doing so,
you get good ideas and good information and all that is helpful.”
HOW TO REACH: Arcadia Resources Inc., (317) 569-8234 or www.arcadiaresourcesinc.com
