Hiring may be the single hardest aspect of jewelry management.
First off, most of us don’t do it on a routine basis so we don’t perfect this skill.
Secondly, the hiring decision that we make can critically impact our business in a myriad of ways.
A bad hire can slowly kill your store’s sales, morale, as well as, future business.
“Nothing is more important than knowing how to hire and promote great people,” Quote from Claudio Fernández-Aráoz, author of GREAT PEOPLE DECISIONS: WHY THEY MATTER SO MUCH, WHY THEY ARE SO HARD, AND HOW YOU CAN MASTER THEM.
Here are five top mistakes that I see managers doing over and over.
Common Interview Mistakes By Managers
– The Interviewer Never Stops Talking.
Granted, those of us in the jewelry business are a highly social lot by nature, but when it comes to interviewing, we have to know when enough is enough.
All too often the person interviewing starts out by talking about the opening, then migrates to talking about their role and accomplishments since they have been onboard.
At the end of the interview, we know very little about the person being considered for a position.
– Never Ask The Tough Questions.
Sometimes we just feel sorry for nervous applicants.
They have touched that soft spot in our heart, so we give them a pass on questions that we feel are too tough for them.
Surprisingly, if you do ask the tough questions, many applicants will perform better than you ever thought.
We owe it to them to find out how they “work on their feet”.
Ask and wait for their answers.
– We Lead Them Down The Lane.
Have seen this over and over as I watched managers interview a potential client.
The manager meets the new candidate, immediately makes a hiring decision on the spot mentally, then conducts an interview to validate their initial decision.
No longer are there thought provoking questions.
The questions turn into leading questions that most people quickly determine how we want them to answer.
Resist making that snap first impression decision.
Let the interview take its course.
Evaluate at the end.
– “Egg Timer” Interviews.
There is a temptation, if you have several interviews lined up that day, to mentally have an egg timer working in your head.
Interviewing becomes a task to get checked off, not a thorough search for the key piece of your team.
We shorten the number of questions, talk quicker, and in general put undue stress on the applicant.
If you do not have 45 minutes to an hour to interview, then reschedule.
So much is riding on finding the next member on our team that we must take into account the common interview mistakes that we make.
Correct these common mistakes and your interviews will be much more productive in the future.
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The host of “Inside the Jewelry Trade” Radio Show – Jewelry Business Strategist – President of Four Grainer LLC. Author of the business books “A Reason To Chant,” and “A Reason to Chant – Jewelry Trade Edition.” Rod lives in Atlanta with his wife and two almost-human cats.