“I just can’t seem to find any good people!” – I’m sure this is a pain point you’ve heard before from business owners, or perhaps felt yourself. The truth of the matter is, there is plenty of rockstar talent out there – but does your business have the company culture to attract them?
In this blog, we’ll walk through some tips and strategies for cultivating a work environment that will attract the type of employees that are passionate about your company’s cause and ready to take the initiative to help your business grow.
Hiring Process
First things first, you’ve got to come up with a job description that details the position’s responsibilities. Your job listing can be viewed as a sort of first impression, so keep this in mind – what kind of image do you want to put out there for prospects? If you’re posting on Craigslist, you might attract a different type of person than if you use Indeed or another job posting site.
Make sure to include the following details in your listing: the salary range, hours, any outliers/work events they will need to attend, mandatory prerequisites – i.e. bilingual or CPR certification, and benefits if any.
Our hiring process is a little different, which may be attributed to the fact that we are very protective of maintaining the culture we’ve so carefully created. The first interview is conducted remotely and acts as a sort of pre-screening process. This is where you get a general sense of their personality, work history and ensure their pay expectations align with the salary range of the position they are applying for.
If they pass the initial phase, we have them come into the office for a group interview with the entire team. This allows the team to ask questions (some serious, some silly) to see if they would be a good fit. If you’re going to be spending 8+ hours a day with someone, you want to make sure you’re going to be able to get along – even in stressful circumstances. The last thing you want to do is bring someone on board from an incomplete first impression, and after you’ve invested time, money and resources – later find out they have a nasty disposition.
You’ll find that getting your whole team involved in signing off on new hires fosters a sense of collaboration, cohesion and involvement that employees really value. It also helps you distinguish a “hell yes!” from those prospects that maybe check the boxes on paper, but leave something to be desired.
Don’t ignore your intuition – go with your gut!
In our office, we value character over experience (the former is a lot harder to teach). Lucky for us, Cris is an awesome teacher, always ready to invest in her team (books, trainings, mentors, etc.). The benefit of hiring for character is, you don’t have to worry about new employees bringing bad habits from previous jobs. It’s like a clean slate for you to mold to your desired specifications. As long as they have the mentality of a life-long learner, don’t let a lack of experience have you losing out on people that are eager to grow with your company.
The final phase allows you to put their skills to the test. Depending on what you value in your employees or what the position entails – you could create a custom assessment, utilize the pre-made assessments on Indeed, or other online resources. For example, if the position is client-facing, you might consider creating a few scenarios where they have to respond to an irate customer, utilizing the company’s guidelines for customer service.
The Culture
What kind of place do you want to work at? What does it look like? Sound like? What’s the general atmosphere?
Answering these questions will help you start honing in on how to turn your ideas into a reality in your business. Don’t be afraid to ask your employees, friends or even family for ideas.
At Grow Pro Agency, we value personal development. In the words of Cris Rodriguez – “Work harder on yourself, than you do your job.” If each of your employees has a personal investment in being the best version of themselves outside of work, the impact is going to carry over into their performance in the office as well. We value the process of refining our systems/processes and improving ourselves.
Some of the cool things about working at our office is we do certain things to foster a sense of community like going on walks and playing games together, sharing good news/shout outs at our weekly meetings, collaborative office playlists, and there isn’t a strict dress code (shoes are optional)!
We pride ourselves on staying at the forefront of evolving trends, so our office is very modern and has the aesthetics to match. Don’t underestimate the power of the look and feel of the office itself. This can have a huge impact on morale. If you value new and creative ideas in your business, make sure the environment is one that inspires creativity.
Unique Perks/Benefits
There are so many kinds of incentives you can provide to your staff, the common ones being: paid time off, health insurance, commission and bonuses.
I urge you to raise the bar. You want ROCKSTARS right? That means you should reward them like rockstars. Some special perks like – opportunities to travel for work events, mileage reimbursement and access to various forms of personal development/training – these are the kinds of things that will make your staff feel valued and often act as natural motivators for hitting their targets.
Office Celebrations & Milestones
We believe in rewarding hard work, and an environment of celebration. There’s always something worth celebrating, whether it’s an employee’s work anniversary or our annual meeting to check the progress we’ve made towards our collective and individual goals.
Having office parties, or periodic outings can help unify your team
There are other important milestones to consider as well – like quarterly performance reviews. This allows each employee to know where they stand in regards to their targets and gives them the opportunity to voice any concerns or difficulties they might be facing – so you can work together to resolve any issues that could impede their success. This is also a good chance to see if there are any resources that would help them perform more optimally (i.e. trainings, a standing desk, or a book relevant to their position).
Room for Growth
Job security is important to all of us. That’s why it’s essential that you have a path of advancement within your business. Without this, you might miss out on rockstars, or lose the ones you currently have.
People need to feel like they are progressing; without the incentive of growth and longevity, you run the risk that they begin looking for something where they can get these things. If you want your staff to go above and beyond – you’ve got to show them your vision for the future – one that they’ll want to stick around for.
Reward those that take initiative, and consider the evolution of each position. Make sure this path of advancement is communicated to your staff. The path will look a little different depending on the position. Someone who starts out in customer service could work their way towards a position where they manage or train others within that department.
Someone that starts at your company in one position, may reveal hidden strengths over time. Like the front desk person that shows initiative with planning/executing the events. Giving your employees opportunities to step into positions that align with their strengths and interests is a win-win.
If you apply these strategies, not only will you form a Rock-Star Team, but you’ll be investing in the people that make it possible for you to do what you love. This investment is one that you will reap the benefits of through the longevity of your business.
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