In last week’s blog, we detailed the role of our coined term, Small Business Xcelerator, and how they can be a growth catalyst for your business.
Finding the right match can be a challenge, so we’d like to share some of our trade secrets with you to help you recruit, hire, and onboard your Small Business Xcelerator. Even though XM Performance is not a recruiting firm, we have matched and placed several admin professionals in businesses just like yours.
One of the biggest mistakes we see business owners make is that the job posting is too dry and task focused; it’s not attractive to applicants. Your future SBX has the right to know about what they will gain by joining your team, and it’s hopefully more than salary plus benefits.
- Recruit for culture
Let’s say you have your enticing job posting on several online recruiting sites and your social media channels. After you’ve looked through several resumes, you might start to wonder how to distinguish between candidates.For one, we recommend conducting video chat interviews with your top candidates in lieu of the traditional phone call. You can learn a lot about them by seeing how they operate in their natural environment. Can they present themselves professionally, smile, and limit distractions?
Most importantly, can they answer your prepared questions that reveal the culture match? Technical skills can be taught, strong values can’t.
- Hire without risks
If this is your first time adding this resource to your team, be clear on that during the interview process. You should also be very clear that you have high expectations around specific results delivered. You’ll be their best resource to ask for feedback regarding if they are on track to pass their “90-day trial period”. This timeframe is long enough to know whether you have found the right person for this role.
- Onboard with the right tools in hand
Make their first day a memorable experience. Have a 30-60-90 day plan ready to go. But most importantly, accelerate the learning curve of each other’s communication styles and driving forces. We have found this to be the best foundation for Entrepreneurs and their Business Xcelerators to work together.
We promised you a trade secret. It’s nothing big, but will save you hours upon hours of reading resumes, which is one of the most time-consuming parts of this process. Download this sample job description and feel free to make it your own.
See the last sentence? “Please apply directly with your resume and cover letter to hr@yourcompany.com.” Small Business Xcelerators must be able to follow simple instructions and must be extremely detail-oriented. The right person will thoroughly read your job opportunity, follow your request to email their application directly to you, thereby pre-qualifying themselves for the next step in the process.
For example, we have seen 100s of applications come through on Indeed with only 5%-8% of resumes landing in dedicated inboxes. Prioritize those candidates and you’ll find your match sooner than you thought.
Written by XM Performance’s CBX, Fanni Gambero, Winner of the 2020 DFW Rookie of the Year Admin Award, and DISC & 12 Driving Forces certified consultant.