How to Hire for Positions Outside Your Comfort Zone

Hiring can be a costly endeavor. Some experts have said that the true cost of hiring a single employee is roughly equivalent to six to nine months of his or her potential salary. When the stakes are that high, you need confidence in your hiring process. High employee turnover can easily sink a small business, and even large companies could better control costs by improving employee retention rates.

If you're a business person, and you need to hire an account manager, for instance, you'll likely understand enough of the job's requirements to make an informed hiring decision. But what if you need to find a graphic designer or a computer programmer? Would you know the right questions to ask to discover the ideal candidate?

Asking the difficult questions

You may have worked with designers and programmers in the past, but can you really say what their day-to-day schedules look like? What kind of support do these positions require from management?

If you're completely unfamiliar with the role you need to hire for, reach out to other professionals in your network. With a few conversations, you can get a better understanding of the job's prerequisites. The return on investment for this research time will be well worth the effort if it means retaining an excellent employee later.

If you don't have the time to research, or you want to take a more risk-adverse approach to hiring, consider using the services of a professional recruitment group. Recruiters have a better understanding of the hiring market and know what to look for in a top-tier job candidate.