“Rhino Julie” Johnston, founder of Rhino Squad, the happy virtual staffing company and founder of the Camp Rhino & Rhino Ninja Warrior Gyms
I call hiring “finding treasure.” And just like real treasure hunting, I expect that I’ll have to turn over hundreds of rocks to find this treasure.
When I find my treasure, a.k.a. my unicorn, I jump for joy, polish it up as needed and do my best to protect it. But I haven’t always been this way. I used to groan when I had to hire someone.
I was a stressed-out, uber-busy entrepreneur with no time to eat during the day—much less find and train a new person who may or may not work out. I have been at that critical point in my entrepreneurial journey many times where I feel too busy to hire someone yet simultaneously too busy not to hire someone.
But the growth of my company and the keeping of my sanity relied on that person being a great fit. Many times I have hired too quickly and then fired too slowly. Because, you know, I would feel bad. Now, my hiring system is very simple. Here is my two-step process as to how you can efficiently find your unicorn.
1. Do I Enjoy Speaking With This Person?
My “happiness manager,” who fills the recruitment and team happiness role in our company, finds amazing virtual assistants and then I meet with them to figure out one thing: “Do I enjoy speaking with this person?”
I open my heart, and I get vulnerable. I tell them why I started the company, and then I listen as they tell me their hopes and dreams. If we pass that simple test and enjoy our conversation, then we move on to the next step.
I figure, why have anyone on your team if you don’t enjoy being with them? No matter how skilled they are, if you don’t enjoy speaking with them, you will find yourself avoiding communication with them. And we all know what happens when communication breaks down.
I enjoy speaking with every single one of my leadership team as well as all our virtual assistants. I encourage you to create a team that you love to communicate with as well.
2. Paid Trial
The next step is not another round of interviews or an offer. The next step is a paid trial. Sometimes it’s one day, sometimes it’s a week or two weeks. It depends on the role.
The paid trial includes very clear instructions and set expectations. I have one of our managers meet with them every single day to see how they’re doing and check their job scorecards. (A job scorecard is a list of what the team member needs to do in order to do their job well, usually with quantifiable metrics attached.)
We know pretty quickly if they are going to be a fit. If they are, we offer them a position with one of our clients or on our internal team.
My Biggest Takeaway From Hiring And Staffing
This might sound cheesy, but I approach my team and new team members with love and excitement. I get excited about the new skills they are going to bring to our team. And I get excited about a brand-new tribe member who matches our core values.
I believe that if you bring this energy and intention, it can make all the difference in your company.
Forbes Business Council is the foremost growth and networking organization for business owners and leaders. Do I qualify?
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