One of the challenges with growing a business is hiring reliable people.
As you probably know, if you have the right person you can train them to do a task. They will be driven to learn and do a good job.
But part of being a good fit for a company is being reliable. For some, that’s a struggle. For various reasons they aren’t able to arrive on time. They’re not able to provide consistent effort and quality.
For a manager it can be very frustrating as you strive to provide a certain level of service for your customers.
If you’ve been struggling to hire reliable people, here are some tips that can help.
#1. Hire Early, Offer Growth Opportunities
Many successful businesses become successful because they hire entry-level positions and have measures in place to allow the best employees to grow into leadership positions.
I remember watching an episode of Undercover Boss with the CEO of Seven Eleven. He was speaking with an entry level employee and the employee was expressing frustration about the lack of growth opportunities.
The CEO was taken aback because there were opportunities. But the opportunities weren’t made clear for those entry level employees.
The best and most reliable workers are looking for a career path. They aren’t afraid to start at the bottom of the ladder, but they want to see that there is a path to the top. They want to be rewarded for a job well done.
Part of being able to hire reliable people is creating growth within your team. Speak with your most reliable employees right now. Look at the path they took to reach their current level. Ask about their ambitions for career growth.
Then map out how future employees can take the opportunities themselves.
#2. Expand Your Networks
Sources for the best employees often come from the connections you have. Business networks. Employee networks. Local organization networks.
The more connections you have with people, the wider your network is for potentially finding the right people for the right jobs.
I was just listening to the episode of How I Built This with Janice Bryant Howroyd. She founded one of the most successful staffing companies in the world and she credits her wide network for helping.
She knew people in the business world looking for good workers. And because she was involved in the community in various ways she knew who the best people were that were also looking for jobs.
As a business manager, it’s your job to do the networking yourself to either connect with the folks looking for jobs or to connect with folks like Janice that are connected with the best people.
#3. Remove Non-Value & Non-Skill Based Barriers
The resume is getting to be an outdated document. You can see education and work history. You can see dates and things like that.
But what really seems to determine success is a person’s values. What they care about and how that matches up with your own values.
You’re reading this because you value reliability. Maybe you have a requirement for a high school education on your job listing. That eliminates a lot of people, but it doesn’t necessarily show you that a person is reliable.
Someone may have had a reliable parent that made sure their child got to school on time. Another person may have needed to work during their high school years to provide for their family while missing classes.
Which person would you rather hire for your team?
Know what your values are. Chances are you want people that show up on time. That can listen to instructions. That are willing to learn.
Eliminate the barriers to entry that aren’t really relevant. Provide tests that show you if a candidate is reliable. Schedule an interview. See if they show up early, on time or late. Show them how to do a task. Then see if they can perform the task some time later.
Final Thought
Finding reliable people is one of the biggest frustrations for business owners and managers. But reliable people won’t just appear at the front door of your business.
You have to make your company appealing. All the way from the entry-level positions. You have to be willing to widen your professional and even personal networks. And you also have to be willing to find creative ways to identify reliable people beyond the traditional resume.