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Tag: Hiring Tips

  • How to Find and Recruit Top Talent Before Competitors Do | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    Finding the next game-changer for your business isn’t luck — it’s a calculated hunt. The leaders who consistently win in business know how to identify, attract and lock in top talent before anyone else realizes their potential. Forget waiting for resumes to land on your desk. You need to know where to look, what to look for and how to close fast.

    The same principles that discovered Michael Jordan apply to business recruiting: discipline in scouting, precision in evaluation and decisiveness in making the offer. And yes, that also means understanding what the next generation actually cares about, not just what you think they care about.

    Here are five proven strategies to make sure you spot and secure the best talent before your competitors do.

    Related: Talent Is Hard to Come by, But Only Because You’re Looking in the Same Old Places

    1. Scout where others aren’t looking

    If your only recruiting strategy is posting on LinkedIn or waiting for applications to roll in, you’re already behind. The most exceptional talent often doesn’t announce itself publicly — they’re too busy building, competing and proving themselves elsewhere.

    Some of the strongest hires are hidden in niche forums, specialized Slack groups, college programs, coding competitions or industry hackathons. These are places where ambitious people showcase their skills without necessarily signaling they’re “on the market.”

    Think of it like sports. Michael Jordan wasn’t discovered at a crowded job fair — he was spotted by scouts who looked beyond the obvious pipeline. If you want to find rare talent, you need to go where the masses aren’t paying attention. That might mean sending a trusted team member to judge a hackathon, sponsoring a local competition or simply reaching out in communities where your competitors aren’t looking.

    2. Understand the new motivators

    Money still matters, but it’s only the starting point. Today’s top performers — especially younger talent — are motivated by purpose, mentorship and long-term growth trajectory. They want to know: Does this company align with my values? Will I grow here? Will I be mentored?

    My wife, a respected professional who literally wrote the book on career navigation, explains that the workforce of today is far more intentional about choosing companies that fit their lives, not just their wallets. If you can’t clearly communicate how your business aligns with their personal and professional ambitions, you won’t win them — no matter how big the paycheck.

    This doesn’t mean you have to overhaul your company culture overnight. But it does mean you need to articulate your value proposition beyond compensation. If your company offers accelerated learning, exposure to industry leaders or a strong social mission, make that part of your pitch.

    Related: 3 Golden Strategies to Attract Top Talent in an Ultra-Competitive Job Market

    3. Build a talent pipeline before you need it

    The worst time to start recruiting is when you have an urgent vacancy. By then, you’re playing catch-up — and usually settling.

    Think about it in sports terms: You don’t wait until your star point guard retires to start looking for the next one. The best teams always have a pipeline of prospects in the wings, ready to step up.

    Great CEOs and executives adopt the same mindset. They’re always recruiting — at conferences, over coffee, during casual conversations. That doesn’t mean offering jobs on the spot; it means building relationships long before you have an open role.

    Start by keeping a running list of high-potential individuals you meet. Check in occasionally, invite them to events, and let them know you admire their work. When the right role opens, you’ll already have a shortlist of warm candidates who know your company and are more likely to say yes.

    4. Hire for ceiling, not just resume

    Resumes tell you what someone has already done. But what matters more is what they’re capable of becoming.

    A solid performer with sky-high potential will often outperform a “perfect on paper” candidate who’s already peaked. In basketball terms, you’re looking for the player who’s still coachable, hungry and willing to put in the work — not just the one with the best stats from last season.

    This requires a mindset shift. Instead of obsessing over every qualification, look for adaptability, curiosity and grit. These qualities often predict long-term success far better than technical skills alone.

    Here’s where having a structured evaluation process is critical. My wife’s frameworks, for example, focus on assessing coachability, problem-solving approach and growth mindset. Tools like these can separate an average recruiter from an elite one by giving a clear method to evaluate potential, not just past performance.

    Related: 5 Recruiting Secrets Every Leader Should Follow

    5. Move fast, close decisively

    Hesitation kills deals. The best talent has options, and if you’re slow to move, your competitors will happily swoop in.

    Great CEOs treat hiring decisions like acquisition deals: They act on intel, instinct and a clear read on ROI. Once you know you’ve found your Michael Jordan, don’t drag things out with endless interviews or bureaucratic delays.

    When you’re ready, move quickly and decisively. That doesn’t just mean making an offer — it means making the offer. One that makes the candidate feel valued, respected and excited about saying yes.

    Remember, in the war for talent, there’s no silver medal. You either close the deal or you lose the player.

    The leaders who know how to scout smart, connect with what talent truly wants and move with decisiveness are the ones who build companies that dominate for decades. Everyone else is left wondering how they “missed out” on the game-changers they once crossed paths with.

    The truth is simple: Talent doesn’t fall into your lap — it’s hunted, cultivated and closed with intent. The question is, are you ready to start recruiting like a championship team?

    Finding the next game-changer for your business isn’t luck — it’s a calculated hunt. The leaders who consistently win in business know how to identify, attract and lock in top talent before anyone else realizes their potential. Forget waiting for resumes to land on your desk. You need to know where to look, what to look for and how to close fast.

    The same principles that discovered Michael Jordan apply to business recruiting: discipline in scouting, precision in evaluation and decisiveness in making the offer. And yes, that also means understanding what the next generation actually cares about, not just what you think they care about.

    Here are five proven strategies to make sure you spot and secure the best talent before your competitors do.

    The rest of this article is locked.

    Join Entrepreneur+ today for access.

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    Roy Dekel

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  • 5 Things to Consider Before You Hire More Staff | Entrepreneur

    5 Things to Consider Before You Hire More Staff | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    As a 3X founder, I’m no stranger to hiring. My first company grew from zero to 5M in just a few short years, which meant we were hiring new staff every few weeks just to keep up with the growth. There was a constant pressure to stay ahead of the curve, but not too far ahead.

    I learned some important lessons during this time, particularly about when to hire and when not to hire. It’s not an easy decision. If you hire too slowly, you may overwork your staff and lose your edge in finding new customers or supporting the customers you already have. If you hire too quickly, you can get ahead of yourself in terms of profitability and cash flow. It’s always a tightrope walk, and there are no easy answers.

    When founders ask for my advice in this area, I recommend they take a thoughtful approach and avoid making emotional decisions. While a new hire is not necessarily a permanent decision, it can have permanent consequences if you’ve made the wrong choice. Before you begin to recruit, interview and hire more staff, I suggest you consider these five things.

    Related: Avoid Costly Hiring Mistakes With These Five Essential Tips

    1. Protect your bottom line

    Entrepreneurs are typically not risk-averse. We go out on a limb every morning when we walk out the door. Ask yourself this simple question: Will the new hire immediately put you in a negative cash flow position? If so, you’re probably better off waiting. Without enough cash flow cushion to cover the additional expense, you might be over your head in short order. Consider waiting until you have at least six months’ worth of cash in the bank to cover the expense of every new hire. Otherwise, you run the risk of putting too much financial pressure on the entire organization, and especially yourself.

    2. Take a good look at growth trends

    You can avoid knee-jerk hiring decisions by taking a good look at your revenue growth trends — and not just in the past weeks or months but over the past year or even longer. Are you experiencing steady growth or just a temporary bump in sales? Do some discovery and try to identify where you see sales are headed in the next quarter, the quarter after that and for the next 12 months. Be brutally honest with yourself. Entrepreneurs can sometimes be too confident about the future (it’s what keeps us going!), but don’t be so confident that you’re making blind decisions. Try to make a data-driven decision, not an emotional decision.

    3. Assess the real need

    Sometimes it’s easy to believe that a new hire will solve all your problems. Try not to deceive yourself into thinking so. While you and your team may feel overworked, bringing on new staff also includes work. Interviewing, training and managing takes time. Creating new roles and positions takes time too — sometimes (but not always) more work if you had done the job yourself. Again, it can be a tightrope walk in terms of how and when to make the decision. Be thoughtful though, and don’t rush into it thinking your problems will all go away with a new hire. Take some time to assess where and why you need more help before hiring more help.

    Related: Think You Need to Hire? Think Again.

    4. Talk to your team

    Before making new hiring decisions, spend some time talking to the people on your team who will be directly impacted by the new hire. Try to get their honest feedback. Sometimes you find your best answers from those on the frontlines of your business. It might be that you don’t necessarily need more staff. Maybe you need some reorganization or better deployment of a technology, or you might find that certain members of your team need more coaching. You can never assume too much, and if you make hiring decisions without consulting your team, you’re jeopardizing yourself and the team.

    5. Remember you are dealing with human beings

    In the hustle-bustle and daily grind of running a business, it’s easy to forget that you’re hiring human beings and not resumes. Every hiring decision you make impacts a human life. If you make the wrong decision and end up letting someone go, remember that job loss is a real hardship and affects entire families. Be thoughtful about your hiring decisions. We have responsibilities as employers to the human beings who work for us. Humans are not numbers on a spreadsheet. They are moms, dads, young adults and others who struggle to make their ends meet. If you have to hire, by all means, hire, but don’t forget to consider the lives of the people you hire.

    Related: 5 Signs You’re Hiring Wrong (and How To Fix Them)

    Business growth always necessitates you hire more staff, and sometimes you have to stretch things a little to reach your goals. I know I certainly did. But make your best effort to make informed, data-driven and prudent hiring decisions that will benefit both your organization and the people you hire.

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    Tom Freiling

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  • 3 Strategies to Optimize Your Hiring Process and Find the Best Employees | Entrepreneur

    3 Strategies to Optimize Your Hiring Process and Find the Best Employees | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    The most important decision for business leaders is deciding on who will come aboard to help build the corporate house.

    After owning several businesses and running a multimedia company, I’ve learned valuable lessons about bringing new people in. Here are three strategies I now use to make sure I am choosing the right candidate for the job. These tips should help you simplify the hiring process in 2024 and beyond.

    1. Avoid hiring under pressure

    Executives are particularly vulnerable when the work is piling up and weeks go by without a new hire.

    Vetting people starts with observing the person in a variety of circumstances, including the time leading up to the interview. Little things are tells. How does the candidate respond to others? You can have an assistant talk casually with the candidate and give feedback later. You can hold a secondary interview. I often bring in the top choices and have the person in that role interview them. The way a candidate treats everyone, from the receptionist to the CEO, is valuable information.

    Have all of your candidates send an email with specific verbal instructions they must follow. You’re testing their ability to listen. Despite the simplicity of these requests, I have had people fail to use the correct subject line, fail to send the appropriate attached file and fail to follow the organization I requested.

    For in-person interviews, I ask candidates to bring a physical copy of their resume. You may get excuses like, “My printer was broken.” This tells you what you need to know.

    The best strategy is proactive. Prepare for the turnover that all businesses face before you hire another person. I learned quickly to create training materials and to spend time cross-training my employees. Not only will this method help new hires get up to speed faster, but when positions go unfilled, other employees can follow the guides and fill in.

    It’s best to have multiple guides in a variety of formats — video, audio and document style. This allows anyone in your organization to move into position and fill gaps as needed.

    Related: The Pros and Cons of Hiring Family Members in a Small Business

    2. Rise to the challenge of hiring remotely

    According to research from CurrentWare, “Disengaged employees cost the U.S. up to $550 billion in lost productivity per year.”

    Many companies like Upwork and CurrentWare can provide a variety of services, including productivity metrics, inactivity alerts and attendance verification. There are also phone apps that record and track sales calls.

    You can interview remote candidates in the environment where they will work. During the virtual interview, check their office space and look for tip-offs that display unprofessionalism. I’m legally blind, so my assistant sets up our Zoom call and watches as I have the candidate walk around the space, talking to me about their home office. I no longer ask for photos because it’s tempting to use virtual environments rather than revealing our workspaces to each other.

    The work-from-home model means you have less control over little things that mean a lot. You can implement a dress code for team members who will appear on camera with staff members or clients. Whether the applicant has a dog matters, as does the noise level in a neighborhood. Generally, getting the candidate talking about their work, their home life and engaging them in real conversation can reveal much about a potential hire’s viability.

    Related: 10 Strategies for Hiring and Retaining New Employees

    3. Eliminate the unknowns in potential partnerships

    Many partnerships come through networking. I was once interviewed on a podcast and really hit it off with the host — he soon became involved in my new business venture, even though I didn’t really know this person. I didn’t take the classic advice, “Look before you leap.”

    After several months, there were some serious red flags. At that point, I looked into his background, but not before I had wasted time and money entrusting him with important tasks he simply didn’t do. Oftentimes, friendships evolve into business partnerships that end in the loss of both.

    There are red flags, and I’ve learned not to ignore them. If you don’t have a giant company with a huge HR staff, you may be tempted to trust your judgment and go with your gut. However, even if you know someone, you should look them up.

    People have aliases, and they make up resumes. In fact, bios and CVs provide all the information you need to vet the claims. Look for awards that don’t exist and titles such as Ph.D. or M.D. that they don’t possess. Look for multiple social media alternate identities. Search the name of a potential business partner with the word “scam” and “fraud.” You can look individuals up through professional organizations or verify business licenses for the startups and/or organizations listed on the resume. You can also speak to former colleagues to vet your potential partner’s version of things, from the breakup to how they ran their business.

    Related: What Is ‘Quiet Hiring’? And How You Can Use It To Your Advantage

    The workforce is truly the face of the company. Knowing this, it doesn’t make sense to skip important steps in the hiring process, including fully vetting and researching candidates, reaching out for information and obtaining feedback and referrals.

    In the virtual world, it is easy for people to mislead us, exaggerate their experience or even cause harm to the company. When we take the time to fully engage in the hiring process, the payoff is finding the right team that is poised to help guide the company to greater heights.

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    Nancy Solari

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  • 5 Things to Look for When Hiring a Patent Portfolio Manager | Entrepreneur

    5 Things to Look for When Hiring a Patent Portfolio Manager | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    Hiring a patent portfolio manager is a milestone that will enhance your enterprise’s patent program. Managing the patent process efficiently becomes more difficult at scale without dedicated staffing. Without proper planning, your inventors’ hard-won innovations risk being under-protected by your enterprise.

    Hiring an incompetent patent portfolio manager may result in valuable ideas remaining unpatented, a decrease in innovator engagement, unjustified patent prosecution costs and an inadequate return on your IP investments.

    Unearthing patents from your innovators requires a patent portfolio manager with technical expertise, standout interpersonal skills and undeterred persistence. Simultaneously, strengthening your patent portfolio against competitors demands significant patent-related experience. And generating maximum returns on IP investments demands sound business acumen.

    An adept patent portfolio manager should possess a diverse skill set aligned with your enterprise’s objectives. Evaluating candidates on these five key competencies can help you select the right one:

    • Technical expertise

    • Legal experience

    • Eye for detail

    • Interpersonal skills

    • Business acumen

    Read on as we delve deeper into these core attributes.

    Related: An Entrepreneur’s Guide to Inventing

    1. Technical expertise

    Inventors typically have a lot on their plate. Their primary focus is on innovation and product development with little time for the administrative tasks needed to keep the patent program running. Amid their busy schedules, they might overlook reporting their innovations for patenting.

    Sometimes, they might even dismiss an invention as too obvious, deciding not to report it at all. Consequently, you may miss out on potentially patentable ideas.

    A portfolio manager who is familiar with your enterprise’s technology can have conversations with the inventors, guiding them on which ideas should be protected. Ideally, a seasoned employee or someone acquainted with your enterprise’s technological focus would be suitable. They need not understand all the innovation, but they should have enough background knowledge to identify and capture the best ideas.

    2. Legal experience

    Addressing complex queries about the likelihood of getting a patent, complete life-cycle cost estimates and strategic filing decisions across multiple jurisdictions can be challenging without legal experience.

    Moreover, interacting with outside patent counsel in the absence of knowledge of patent terminology can lead to ineffective communication. Ineffective communication between a patent portfolio manager and outside counsel can lead to misunderstandings about strategic patent goals, potential delays in the patent prosecution process, increased costs and unsuccessful patent filings. These complications can, in turn, jeopardize the enterprise’s intellectual property strategy to protect its market.

    A patent portfolio manager with legal experience, potentially from a law firm or corporate role, can effectively communicate with counsel, answer intricate questions and guide the implementation of cost-effective patent filing strategies across multiple jurisdictions.

    3. Eye for detail

    Managing large patent portfolios with hundreds of matters across different countries can be overwhelming due to extensive tracking, communication and administrative work.

    Moreover, patent rights for an invention are given country by country. It’s perplexing to efficiently navigate the complexities of obtaining patent rights across different countries. Coordinating with legal counsel in each jurisdiction, managing numerous email correspondences, answering specific questions, reaching out to the right individuals and getting signatures demands an eye for detail.

    A detail-oriented patent portfolio manager can handle large patent portfolios effectively. With a strong understanding of your enterprise processes and excellent organizational skills, they ensure timely responses. They also excel at obtaining necessary approvals and signatures while maintaining a well-organized administration.

    Related: The Basics of Protecting Your Intellectual Property, Explained

    4. Interpersonal skills

    Inventors must intensely focus on their product innovation with little time to engage in extensive paperwork. Distractions and delays in submitting invention disclosures can starve your patent pipeline. This results in a rushed patenting process, seeking patent protection just before product launch.

    Besides, it’s not unusual for enterprise members, legal counsel or foreign associates to be awaiting answers or information. The intensity of delivering a product leaves little time to focus on the big picture.

    Given the multitude of outstanding queries and patent-related tasks in an enterprise, this role requires strong interpersonal skills and diligence. Mining patents requires constant sleuthing to find what the inventors are doing. The patent manager must build solid relationships with inventors and establish clear communication channels for efficient reporting of potential inventions, ensuring all stakeholders receive timely information.

    5. Business acumen

    Enterprises often face challenges in aligning their patent strategies with wider business goals.

    It’s daunting to gauge the commercial potential of patents, navigate patent licensing negotiations and make strategic litigation decisions, all while ensuring cost-effectiveness. Alignment of the patent program with strategic goals requires focus and an even keel.

    Thus, unlocking the true market potential of your patent portfolio demands that the patent portfolio manager possesses strong business acumen.

    Related: Create the Strongest Patent Possible With These 5 Tips

    A capable patent portfolio manager can prove to be more cost-effective and yield better results in comparison to being dependent on an organic process internally or even on outside legal counsel for various tasks like mining patents, strengthening patent portfolios and generating higher returns on IP investments.

    The perfect candidate for the patent portfolio manager position should demonstrate a combination of technical proficiency, legal background, attention to detail, strong interpersonal skills and business acumen.

    Recruiting one can be a challenging task, but often the best candidates are right under your nose. They might be among the external counsel you already work with, exhibiting proficiency in tasks you need to get done at competitive costs. It could even be found within the enterprise with a prolific inventor having an interest in a bigger role in the legal department. These professionals could transition into a full-time role within your enterprise.

    Drawing from over 25 years of experience in patent prosecution, I can vouch that hiring a competent patent portfolio manager, as outlined in this post, can contribute positively to your enterprise’s success in conquering your patent landscape. You can further empower your patent portfolio manager by adopting the right patent management software.

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    Thomas Franklin

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  • 9 Traits to Watch for When Hiring in 2023 | Entrepreneur

    9 Traits to Watch for When Hiring in 2023 | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    Every business owes its success not just to its leaders but also to the employees who carry out the day-to-day operations. But how do you find the right employees for your business?

    You can develop a more effective hiring strategy by prioritizing certain traits. Focus on building relationships with the best candidates who show the following qualities.

    1. Personable

    Even in an age of email and chatbots, strong interpersonal skills matter for client-facing roles. And all employees, even remote workers, need to get along with their team members.

    Look for applicants who demonstrate strong people skills: smiling, shaking your hand firmly, maintaining eye contact and mirroring body language are just a few. This trait isn’t about hiring an extrovert over an introvert; instead, it’s about finding a candidate capable of interacting in a likable, relatable manner.

    Related: 10 Strategies for Hiring and Retaining New Employees

    2. Goal-Oriented

    Asking job applicants about their five-year plans may sound cliché, but it’s an easy way to gauge their level of personal ambition. An applicant with a clear plan for the future will tend to be goal-oriented, which extends to how they carry out their day-to-day duties.

    You might also understand a candidate’s aspirations by looking at the awards and achievements listed on their résumé. Previous accomplishments point to an ambitious, goal-driven attitude that will likely carry into the future.

    You can also nurture this trait by providing opportunities for professional development and advancement, which maximizes the talents of your new hire.

    3. Problem-solving

    Business is all about overcoming challenges. The most valuable employees can think through these challenges and develop workable, efficient solutions.

    You know that problem-solving abilities are essential for those in technical fields — but you should also cultivate these skills in everyone who works for your company.

    How do you find out whether a candidate is a problem-solver? Asking questions about when the candidate had to think outside the box to solve a workplace problem is a good start. Sometimes, the candidate’s references can point out clear examples of when the candidate addressed challenging problems head-on.

    Related: What to Consider When Hiring Employees

    4. Technically proficient

    If you’re hiring for a specialized role, you’ll want to ensure that you hire candidates who have the experience and expertise you need.

    For instance, bookkeepers and accounts receivable specialists should be familiar with basic accounting software. You might also prefer candidates who know the same software platforms that your company depends on.

    For hybrid or remote positions, your candidate must have experience using video conferencing or project management applications to better coordinate with you and other team members.

    5. Confident

    Fortune favors the bold — especially in the world of business. You want to assemble a team of decisive thinkers. Employees who delay decisions because they second-guess themselves or overanalyze the situation, will do more to prevent innovation than promote it.

    Instead, seek out job applicants who can clearly articulate their strengths and back them up with real-world examples from their previous positions. While interview jitters are understandable, an applicant who avoids eye contact or struggles to articulate might lack the confidence you’re looking for in your organization.

    Related: Workplace Issues Often Trickle Down From the Top. Have You Tried These 3 Ways to Fix Your Biggest Challenges?

    6. Teachable

    Technical proficiency is important, but every industry is evolving rapidly. Few traits are as valuable as the willingness to learn. While the ideal candidate should be confident about their existing skill set, an ability to adapt to new technologies or business models is often far more valuable.

    Ask candidates about new skills they’ve picked up or acquired from previous employers. Better yet, ask your applicants what skills they want to develop while working for your company. Their answers will reveal a lot about their ability to learn new skills as well as their eagerness to apply these skills in a new setting.

    7. Trustworthy

    Personal integrity is about more than just following the rules. An employee who demonstrates consistent honesty and integrity will contribute to a transparent company culture. You also need employees you can depend on during every business cycle phase.

    The best way to assess the trustworthiness of a job applicant is by contacting their references — particularly previous employers. Ideally, you want to learn that your applicant has a strong attendance record and that their previous employers could rely on their participation and support.

    Related: The Best Employees Have These ’31 Flavors’

    8. Collaborative

    Business is a team sport, so you need to hire candidates who play well with others. Even if the position requires much solo work, you’ll still want to know that your employees can function well as a team when called upon.

    This trait often surfaces during the interview process. When you ask an applicant to list past accomplishments, listen for clues indicating that they collaborated with other team members.

    If you can’t tell from this list alone, ask probing questions about how the candidate has worked with coworkers. You can even ask about how they’ve handled past conflicts to learn how well they’ve navigated office relationships.

    Related: Quiet Quitting Preceded Another Insidious Workplace Issue That’s Unfolding Right Now, Survey Reveals

    9. Loyal

    Employee turnover is a major threat to any company. The time and money you spend replacing an employee can be put to better use in growing your core business. The best employees commit to your company for multiple years, allowing you to build a lasting relationship and maximize their skills.

    Be wary of workers whose resumes indicate a lot of job-hopping. That’s especially true if their past work experience has been in fields similar to yours. Don’t dismiss these candidates entirely — sometimes, finding a company culture that fits takes a while. But make sure to investigate the reasons for so much past instability.

    Identifying candidates with the most sought-after traits will improve your chances of assembling an effective team. It will also make screening your job applicants easier, streamlining the hiring process.

    For critical positions, executive search firms can assist you with screening and hiring top-quality candidates. But to ensure that you staff your business with the right people at every level, look for these key traits of successful employees.

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    Shawn Cole

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  • The Fail-Safe Way to Hire Your First Employee | Entrepreneur

    The Fail-Safe Way to Hire Your First Employee | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    There has always been a difference between being self-employed and being an entrepreneur. The latter requires developing a self-sustaining growth system and doing a lot of hiring. While most entrepreneurs do most of the early work on their own, a growth system will soon need more hands on deck.

    Starting with the first, employees can greatly influence the direction of your company’s future. Although there’s always a wide room for error and improvement, it’s imperative to get it right the first time.

    As an entrepreneur myself, I’ve placed great emphasis on hiring the right person rather than the right skills. This principle is vital, especially for your first set of recruits, and this article offers a fresh perspective on how to go about hiring right the very first time.

    Related: Hiring Your First Employee? 5 Things You Need to Know.

    First, consider your options

    There are obvious signals to know when it’s time to add an extra hand to your team. However, the extra hand might not necessarily be your first employee.

    Bringing an employee on board comes with some legal and moral responsibilities. For one, employment benefits and a promise of job security are part of the equation. So, before you jump knee-deep into hiring your first employee, assess the situation within your startup and explore options.

    One option to consider is freelance work. If you’re experiencing an increased workload within your company, you should figure out whether that specific type of work is an integral part of your business operation. If the job is only available in the interim and is sporadic, it might be safer to work with a freelancer. Choosing to hire in this situation might force you to start manufacturing inconsequential tasks in the future.

    In the case that hiring a freelancer won’t be ideal, another option to consider is the prospect of remote work. Ninety-eight percent of Americans want to work remotely at some point. However, this doesn’t mean you must offer a remote work option to your first employee. Depending on your operational process, you might prefer having your first employee work on-site, but this is not necessarily a rule.

    Should remote working suit your processes well, it’s strongly advised that you hire someone in the same time zone as yourself. It’s really important for you to be in perfect sync with your first employee. Poorly aligned priorities and bad timing can do your business more harm than good. Be sure to keep an eye out.

    Define the role and responsibilities

    Before entrepreneurs make the decision to hire their first employee, it is usually for responsibilities that they’re familiar with. Some may have been handling it themselves for some time. So, it would be pretty straightforward to draw up the responsibilities associated with the role.

    The tricky thing, however, is to accurately describe what you expect the employee’s daily job to be. As an entrepreneur, you have various responsibilities that are so muddled up that it’s hard to clearly group them into stand-alone roles. For instance, some companies’ first recruit is in finance, and entrepreneurs seldom know if who they need is a bookkeeper or an accountant.

    Getting past this tricky stage requires some reflection. Also, you could solicit advice from mentors and other entrepreneurs who have successfully hired several employees.

    Related: 6 Signs It’s Time to Hire Employees for Your Startup

    Look out for the right personality

    A common mistake that young entrepreneurs make is focusing on skills when hiring. No doubt, skill and experience levels are important attributes to consider, especially as they pertain to the role. However, you should place a higher priority on their personality.

    Startups exist in very competitive landscapes and volatile markets. As a result, the roles and responsibilities within them are more dynamic than people expect. The majority of employees tend to rely heavily on the responsibilities spelled out in the job description and tend to lose motivation as changes occur.

    Remember that you and your first employees need to be in sync at all times because the culture and future of your company depend greatly on it. So, it’s safer for you to look into candidates with a shared entrepreneurial spirit and a will to take on more responsibilities than were stipulated in the job description.

    Finding people with the right personality is a tough job. Ironically, job boards (like LinkedIn, Indeed and Glassdoor) don’t make the job any easier. Listing a job on boards can offer you a variety of candidates that may turn out to be overwhelming. Not to mention, resumes are hardly a reliable measure of a candidate’s drive.

    As a solution, you can reach out to your network for talent referrals. Eighty-five percent of job openings are filled via networking, according to a survey. While you may have immense respect and trust for those preferring the talents, you should personally interview the candidates and conduct due diligence before making your decision.

    Related: 4 Strategies for Hiring the Right People at Your Startup

    Again, being an entrepreneur entails lots of hiring. While some roles may seem pressing at first, they might not exist for so long. You need to figure out which roles will exist over the span of your company’s existence. Only these roles should be filled by employees. Freelance workers and independent contractors could work just fine for other roles.

    Once you’re sure of the role’s long existence, you have to define the employee’s everyday job and expectations before moving on to start looking for who to hire. Although well-defined responsibilities are essential, you should look out for candidates that have can-do attitudes and are willing to take on more responsibilities. Finding these talents on your own is hard, but utilizing your network for referrals can significantly increase your chances of getting it right on the first strike.

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    Judah Longgrear

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  • Are You Guilty of Poor Onboarding? The Consequences Are Worse Than You Think. | Entrepreneur

    Are You Guilty of Poor Onboarding? The Consequences Are Worse Than You Think. | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    Starting a new job is like diving into a swimming pool. A refreshing and invigorating dive can make for a memorable experience, while a belly flop can leave you in pain and feeling embarrassed. The onboarding process is the dive, and just like a dive, when done poorly, it can leave lasting consequences on new hires, especially remote and hybrid workers. A recent survey by Paychex reveals the effects of poor onboarding on new employees and their inclination to stick around.

    First impressions matter: The onboarding experience

    Picture this: You’re attending a party, and the host greets you with a warm welcome, introduces you to the guests, and offers you a drink. You’d feel comfortable and well-received, right? Onboarding should be like that — a seamless, positive and engaging experience. But the reality is different for many employees.

    Only 52% of new hires feel satisfied with their onboarding experience, with 32% finding it confusing and 22% disorganized. Remote workers fare worse, with 36% of them finding the process baffling. It’s like trying to assemble an IKEA furniture without the instructions.

    Interestingly, 54% of finance industry employees are most likely to be satisfied with their onboarding experience, compared to only 31% of employees in the business industry. Generationally, Gen Zers are the happiest (62%) while Gen Xers lag behind (43%). This generational gap is a crucial factor for HR departments to consider while designing their onboarding processes.

    Related: 3 Steps for Onboarding Remote and In-Person Employees That Make Your Hybrid Team More Collaborative

    Onboarding gone wrong: The fallout

    A poor onboarding experience is like an ill-fitting shoe; it leaves employees feeling uncomfortable and dejected. The most significant impact is that 52% of new hires feel undertrained, with small company employees (66%) and remote workers (63%) suffering the most. It’s like trying to win a marathon with flip-flops.

    The generational factor also plays a role, with 58% of Gen X feeling undertrained compared to 45% of millennials. Addressing these gaps is vital for companies to retain their workforce and maintain productivity.

    Pushing new hires out the door

    An undertrained and disoriented new hire is like a fish out of water — they’ll flop around, gasping for air, and looking for an escape. In this case, escape means quitting. A staggering 50% of newly hired employees plan to leave their job soon, skyrocketing to 80% for those feeling undertrained due to poor onboarding. On the flip side, only 7% of well-trained employees plan to leave soon.

    Size does matter, as small-company employees are more likely to quit (59%) compared to those in large companies (38%). Surprisingly, despite feeling satisfied with their onboarding, Gen Zers are the most likely to plan a swift exit (58%). It seems that onboarding is a crucial make-or-break experience for new hires, particularly for older generations.

    Re-onboarding is like giving your employees a second chance at a first impression. By taking all employees through the onboarding process again, you can re-engage and revitalize your team. The results are impressive: employees become more focused (47%), energized (42%), productive (34%), and efficient (33%). Plus, re-onboarding increases employee retention by a whopping 43%.

    Case studies of poor onboarding

    I’ve seen a number of case studies of poor onboarding harming companies. For example, a middle-market SaaS firm experienced high turnover rates among its remote and hybrid employees due to a poorly executed onboarding process. New hires were not provided with clear guidelines, expectations or adequate training. As a result, employees felt undertrained and undervalued, leading to a lack of engagement and commitment to the organization. Within six months, the company saw a 60% turnover rate among remote and hybrid employees, leading to significant recruitment and training costs.

    A large marketing agency encountered growth challenges due to its poor onboarding process for remote and hybrid workers. New employees were not equipped with the necessary skills and knowledge to succeed in their roles, leading to subpar work quality and missed deadlines. The company’s reputation suffered as clients became dissatisfied with the level of service provided. The agency struggled to attract new clients and retain existing ones, which hindered its growth and expansion plans.

    A mid-sized financial services firm faced compliance issues due to poor onboarding of its remote and hybrid employees. The onboarding process did not adequately cover essential policies, procedures, and legal requirements, leading to errors and oversights by the new hires. The firm was eventually penalized by regulatory bodies for non-compliance, causing financial strain and damage to their professional reputation.

    In each of these case studies, the organizations faced significant challenges due to poor onboarding of remote and hybrid workers. Proper onboarding is crucial to ensure employee satisfaction, productivity, and company success in today’s increasingly remote and hybrid work environments.

    The psychological pitfalls of onboarding

    In addition to the logistical challenges of onboarding new remote and hybrid hires, cognitive biases can also play a significant role in shaping the experience. These biases can cloud judgment, hinder decision-making, and create misconceptions about new employees’ performance and potential. Let’s explore two specific cognitive biases and their impact on the onboarding process: the halo effect and optimism bias.

    The halo effect occurs when an individual’s positive qualities or achievements in one area influence our perception of them in other areas. In the context of onboarding, a new hire with an impressive resume or a glowing recommendation might be seen as more competent and capable than they actually are. This can lead to unrealistic expectations and a lack of appropriate training and support during the onboarding process.

    For example, a remote employee who is an expert in their field may be assumed to excel in all aspects of their job, including time management and communication skills. However, they may struggle with the unique challenges of remote work, such as staying organized and maintaining a healthy work-life balance. Failing to recognize these potential shortcomings due to the halo effect can lead to insufficient support and training, ultimately affecting the new hire’s performance and job satisfaction.

    To combat the halo effect, it’s essential to provide equal training and support to all new hires, regardless of their past achievements or qualifications. This ensures that each employee receives the necessary resources to succeed in their role, setting them up for long-term success.

    Optimism bias is the tendency to overestimate the likelihood of positive outcomes and underestimate the probability of negative ones. In the onboarding process, this bias can manifest in several ways, such as underestimating the time and resources required for effective onboarding or assuming that new employees will easily adapt to their new work environment without much support.

    For instance, a manager might be overly optimistic about a hybrid employee’s ability to balance their time between the office and remote work. This misplaced confidence can result in inadequate training and support, causing the employee to struggle with time management, communication and collaboration.

    To counter optimism bias, it’s crucial to approach the onboarding process with a realistic mindset, recognizing the potential challenges that new hires might face, especially in remote and hybrid work settings. By proactively addressing these issues and providing appropriate training and resources, you can create a more supportive and successful onboarding experience for your new employees.

    Related: 7 Common Customer Onboarding Mistakes to Avoid at All Costs

    How to optimize your onboarding process

    Having worked with a number of large and middle-market companies to optimize their onboarding process for hybrid and remote staff, I can say that a successful onboarding process should be like a warm embrace, making new employees feel welcomed, informed and valued. By refining the onboarding process, you can boost employee retention, morale and productivity. Customizable onboarding software and tailored approaches can help create a smoother experience for all employees, especially remote and hybrid workers who require extra attention. By focusing on the unique needs of employees in different industries, generations, and company sizes, you can ensure that everyone has the support and resources they need to succeed.

    Here are some tips to enhance your onboarding process:

    1. Prepare a comprehensive onboarding plan

    A well-structured onboarding plan is like a roadmap, guiding new hires through their initial days and setting them up for success. Outline the goals, key milestones and timelines for new employees, ensuring that they have a clear understanding of their roles and responsibilities.

    2. Assign buddies or mentors

    Pairing new hires with experienced colleagues can provide invaluable support and guidance during the onboarding process. This mentorship can help them quickly navigate the company culture and address any concerns they may have, fostering a sense of belonging and camaraderie.

    3. Offer continuous training and support

    Onboarding isn’t a one-time event, but an ongoing process. Regularly provide new hires with opportunities for growth, skill development and support, ensuring they feel well-equipped to tackle their roles. This can be particularly crucial for remote and hybrid employees who may need additional resources to succeed in a virtual work environment.

    4. Encourage open communication

    Establish a culture of open communication, encouraging new hires to ask questions, share their thoughts and seek help when needed. This can help employees feel more comfortable in their roles and promote a sense of trust and transparency within the team.

    5. Gather feedback and iterate

    As with any process, there’s always room for improvement. Gather feedback from new hires on their onboarding experience and use this insight to fine-tune your process. By continually iterating and adapting, you can ensure that your onboarding experience remains fresh, relevant, and effective.

    Related: 5 Best-Practice Tips for Onboarding Remote Employees

    Conclusion

    A thoughtful and engaging onboarding experience is the foundation for employee success, particularly for remote and hybrid workers who face unique challenges. By investing in a comprehensive onboarding process and providing ongoing support, companies can foster a motivated, well-trained and loyal workforce that is ready to contribute to the organization’s growth and success. Just like a well-executed dive, the right onboarding process can make a splash and leave a lasting impression on your new hires.

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    Gleb Tsipursky

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  • 4 Things To Look For When Hiring a Remote Team | Entrepreneur

    4 Things To Look For When Hiring a Remote Team | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    While adoption rates vary by country, industry and company size, the remote working trend continues to gather momentum as more employees demand flexible working arrangements, and many organizations recognize the potential benefits, such as increased productivity, reduced overhead costs, and access to a larger talent pool.

    At the same time, we’ve seen high-profile companies like Apple, Amazon, OpenAI, Google, Microsoft, Meta, Starbucks, Disney and Goldman Sachs, among others, rolling back fully remote workplace policies.

    Leaders at these companies are mandating that staff hired for office work return to the office, citing reduced productivity and organizational efficiency, and stifled innovation and creativity as primary reasons for their decision.

    This shift to hybrid workplace policies and stricter return-to-office mandates underscores the importance of hiring the right-fit employees suited to thrive in a remote environment to ensure the effectiveness and sustainability of the model.

    Related: A New Remote Work Trend is Helping Employers Retain Talent Amid Labor Market Pressures

    Our fully remote business has navigated a period of exponential growth in the number of passionate people we employ from countries across the globe. During this time, we have identified four key qualities and attributes that we look for to ensure we hire staff who thrive in the remote work environment.

    1. Confidence to take initiative

    Siloed and structured roles and responsibilities characterize the traditional corporate environment, which suits certain personality types and mindsets.

    But the fully remote organization requires employees who thrive with unconstrained mandates. They also need the confidence, creativity and innovation mindset to deliver value beyond their basic job role and meet the company’s strategic objectives.

    Identifying and hiring talented individuals who want to break free from a complex and toxic corporate environment for better work-life balance and personal and mental well-being are ideal candidates. These individuals typically thrive with the new-found freedom to work how, when and where they want, which can produce innovative and beneficial outcomes for the organization.

    For example, a newly recruited Country Manager of ours took the initiative to grow the regional business by developing completely new processes and procedures from scratch, despite not having any experience with this management aspect. His proactive efforts successfully built the business in his region and were replicated in other key regions to grow the business.

    Related: How to Identify and Nurture the Leadership Potential of Your Employees

    2. A growth mindset

    Career pathways in conventional company structures are typically rigid, linear and predictable. In contrast, fully remote companies’ potential for growth and development is less constrained.

    As such, when fully remote companies identify and hire employees who see beyond the corporate ladder and create opportunities for professional and personal development within and beyond their conventional job role, remote companies can develop and nurture talented individuals who contribute immeasurably to the company’s success.

    This was demonstrated when we hired someone who previously worked as an import-export specialist to fulfill a Customer Support Lead role. He leveraged his flexible, fully remote working environment to study User Experience (UX) courses to expand his knowledge. After completing his UX design studies, he completely transformed his career path and now works as a UX Researcher and Designer, creating new experiences and solutions that make customer lives easier, which offers the business a competitive advantage.

    Related: How to Instill and Foster a Growth Mindset in Your Employees

    3. Cross-functional capabilities

    While cross-functional teams have become commonplace in conventional organizational structures to drive innovation, every fully remote company needs cross-functional employees.

    Small companies can benefit immensely from building broad expertise and a more diverse skill set among staff by creating opportunities to work collaboratively with other people in the business. These experiences help employees learn about different systems and develop new skills across different roles within the business.

    This experience can help employees develop cross-functional capabilities and grow in unconventional ways to potentially fulfill multiple roles within the business or evolve into hybrid roles that offer more value to the organization by fulfilling multiple functions or providing support across teams.

    These cross-functional employees, with their multifaceted capabilities, can help the business grow without unnecessarily increasing headcount or costs to the company, which can accelerate company growth and fast-track success.

    4. Passion and purpose

    There are clear links between employee retention and productivity when staff find purpose in their work and are afforded opportunities to pursue their passions.

    The virtual working environment offered by fully remote businesses allows individuals to pursue their purpose by securing work in their preferred field — no matter where they are in the world — with the flexibility to pursue their passions, even if those projects or pursuits fall outside their daily job role. The most common example cited among fully remote employees is the ability to travel while continuing to work and earn an income.

    When passion and purpose intersect within a job role or the organization, it typically creates the most fulfilling form of work and attracts the most committed employees.

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    Max Azarov

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  • 10 Strategies to Hiring Your Dream Team | Entrepreneur

    10 Strategies to Hiring Your Dream Team | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    The founding team lays the foundation for culture, processes and norms that will shape a company for years to come. With limited resources and high uncertainty in the early days, startups must maximize the collective intelligence, energy and motivation of their people. This requires forming a team of the right “culture-fits” who share the same vision and values and then fostering an environment of flexibility, autonomy, feedback and continuous learning.

    As an early employee or founder of a startup, forming the initial team falls on your shoulders. The people you hire in the first few months will significantly impact your company’s trajectory. So how do you recruit and develop the team that will propel your vision forward? Here are the top 10 things I believe you must consider.

    Related: How Your Company Culture Can Be a Force Multiplier (For the Good and the Bad)

    1. Hire people who share the same vision and values

    The most important factor for team cohesion is whether team members share the same vision and values for what the startup is trying to achieve. Discuss the company vision, goals and culture in detail during the hiring process. Bring candidates into discussions with the founding team to gauge their opinions and fit. Hiring the right culture fit is more important than hiring the best skills at the early stage.

    Related: How to Hire Someone Aligned With the Company’s Mission

    2. Focus on high effort and willingness to learn

    More than specific skill sets, look for candidates who demonstrate a high level of effort, willingness to learn and ability to adapt and grow. Early-stage startups require employees to learn new skills, pivot direction and handle multiple roles. Prioritize candidates who demonstrate a growth mindset, self-motivation,and initiative. You can teach skills but not attitudes.

    3. Build a flexibility-first organizational structure

    Rather than rigid roles and job descriptions, develop a flexible organizational structure where employees can wear multiple hats and take on new responsibilities as needed. Encourage team members to step up and volunteer when help is needed. Focus on outcomes over fixed tasks and micromanagement. Allow autonomy and trust people to get the job done.

    Related: Workplace Flexibility Can Impact How You Attract, Hire, And Retain Talent

    4. Form cross-functional, collaborative teams

    Break down silos between different functions like engineering, design, marketing, etc. Bring team members from diverse backgrounds together into collaborative project teams. Cross-functional teams foster communication, spark innovation and create a culture of sharing knowledge and helping one another. Look for candidates who demonstrate good collaboration and communication skills.

    5. Hire people smarter than yourself

    The best startup teams hire people who are smarter and more capable than the founders. Even if a candidate challenges your ideas, that can be good. Hire team members who can provide a different and valuable perspective, even if it means your initial vision needs to evolve. Your job as a leader is to synthesize the best ideas, not have all the answers from the start.

    Related: How to Find, Hire (and Fire!) Rockstar Employees

    6. Don’t be afraid of attitude, passion and ego

    While attitude and ego can cause issues in larger companies, they can be an asset in early-stage startups if channeled properly. Look for candidates who demonstrate passion and a competitive spirit. An element of healthy ego and ambition can provide the fire and motivation needed in the early stages. Just ensure you have the leadership skills to navigate any potential conflicts constructively.

    7. Build a feedback-first culture

    Establish processes and norms where team members freely share feedback with one another to improve and grow together as a unit. Schedule weekly one-on-ones and retrospectives where individuals can voice their opinions openly. A feedback-first culture allows everyone to bring their best ideas to the table and quickly course correct when needed. Transparency and psychological safety are key.

    8. Create a productive work environment

    Provide the tools, resources and workspace that allow employees to do their best work. This may mean flexible hours, coffee bars, game rooms, top-notch hardware and software, or whatever helps people stay productive and motivated. The details will differ for each team, so actively solicit feedback and experiment to find what works. A ‘hustle culture‘ itself is not productive — create an environment where people thrive.

    Related: Why Hustle Culture Might Be Toxic to Your Business

    9. Invest in meaningful teambuilding

    Schedule regular team outings, events and activities that allow employees to bond beyond work. Get to know each other on a personal level and build strong interpersonal relationships and trust. Team building should not feel forced – start small and organize events that team members genuinely enjoy. Seeing the human side of coworkers fosters empathy, collaboration and psychological safety.

    10. Lead by example and show vulnerability as a founder

    As a founder or early employee, set the tone from the top by rolling up your sleeves, taking on the toughest tasks, admitting mistakes and showing genuine appreciation and care for team members. Be vulnerable and honest about challenges and uncertainties. Leading by example and creating a transparent, humble culture will inspire others to give their best. Be careful not to take more credit than you deserve.

    As SnapBlooms continues to grow, we are mindful that our people and culture will ultimately determine our success or failure. And we foster an environment of transparency, feedback and experimentation to learn and adapt as an organization quickly. Our hope is that by following these principles, we can build an effective team culture that empowers us to revolutionize the floral industry.

    The right people are your most valuable resource as a founder. So invest heavily in recruiting, developing and keeping your early team members happy. The efforts you make now will pay enormous dividends as your startup scales and your initial team members become the culture carriers that onboard future hires!

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    Murali Nethi

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  • Expose ChatGPT Resumes and Uncover Real Talent Using These 5 Effective Strategies | Entrepreneur

    Expose ChatGPT Resumes and Uncover Real Talent Using These 5 Effective Strategies | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    The rise of artificial intelligence has undoubtedly revolutionized various aspects of our lives, and the recruitment process is no exception. With ChatGPT, a state-of-the-art AI language model, job seekers can now create impeccable resumes with minimal effort. It’s like the fairy godmother of the job-seeking world, magically transforming resumes into Cinderella-like creations. While this may save time and energy for candidates, it creates a challenge for hiring managers and leaders who must cut through the noise to identify the true Cinderellas before the clock strikes midnight, and all you’re left with are a bunch of artificial pumpkins. This article offers five effective ways for leaders to navigate AI-written resumes and uncover the real stars during interviews.

    1. Focus on behavioral questions

    One of the most effective methods to evaluate a candidate’s real potential is by asking behavioral questions during the interview. These questions provide insight into a candidate’s past experiences, decision-making strategies, and general thought processes, allowing you to gauge how they may perform in your organization. While AI-generated resumes may present a flawless image, asking questions that require candidates to share specific examples can help you see beyond the polished façade.

    Related: 5 Creative Interview Questions to Ask Job Applicants

    2. Test candidates’ skills with real-world scenarios

    A well-crafted resume may showcase a candidate’s skills on paper, but it doesn’t always translate to their real-world capabilities. Implementing practical assessments, such as role plays, case studies, or hands-on exercises, can effectively separate the wheat from the chaff. Evaluating how candidates perform in situations that mirror the challenges they would face in the role will help you distinguish the true performers from those who merely shine on paper.

    3. Get creative with problem-solving exercises

    To cut through the noise of AI-written resumes, challenge your candidates with unique problem-solving exercises. This approach goes beyond evaluating technical skills and focuses on assessing creativity, critical thinking and adaptability. By presenting candidates with unexpected scenarios, you can observe how they think on their feet and navigate complex situations, much like a jungle explorer navigating through a dense forest of AI-enhanced resumes to find the hidden treasure of authentic talent.

    Related: 7 Ways to Help Your Employees Become Better Problem-Solvers

    4. Ask for work samples and references

    Requesting work samples and references is a time-tested method to verify a candidate’s genuine capabilities. While AI-generated resumes may present an impressive array of accomplishments, work samples offer tangible evidence of a candidate’s past performance. References from previous employers or colleagues can also provide valuable insights into a candidate’s work ethic, collaboration style, and potential fit within your organization.

    5. Pay attention to nonverbal cues and emotional intelligence

    Lastly, remember that interviews are not just about assessing a candidate’s technical prowess; they also provide an opportunity to evaluate their emotional intelligence and interpersonal skills. Pay attention to nonverbal cues, such as body language, tone of voice, and eye contact, as they can offer clues about a candidate’s sincerity, confidence, and overall fit for your team. By focusing on these aspects, you can uncover the real talent that may be hidden behind a polished, AI-crafted resume.

    Related: 7 Interview Questions That Determine Emotional Intelligence

    AI-written resumes have certainly added an extra layer of complexity to the recruitment process. Without a proper process and an element of intuition, you could end up with a fancy recipe writer that doesn’t possess the skills or capacity necessary to withstand or contribute to the heat of the kitchen. However, by incorporating these five strategies into your interviews, you can confidently cut through the noise and discover the true performers that will drive your organization forward. Happy talent hunting.

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    Kash Hasworth

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  • How to Find Resumes Online and Hire the Best | Entrepreneur

    How to Find Resumes Online and Hire the Best | Entrepreneur

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    Disclosure: Our goal is to feature products and services that we think you’ll find interesting and useful. If you purchase them, Entrepreneur may get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners.

    The search for top talent has transitioned to the digital world, and it’s easier than ever for employers to find resumes online and hire the best candidates for open positions. As an employer, accessing these online resources can help you streamline your recruitment process, save time, and discover quality hires for your organization.

    Here are a few tips to help you find resumes online and hire the best candidates:

    Find resumes on job boards.

    Job boards are online platforms that allow employers to post open positions and find resumes. ZipRecruiter is a leading online job marketplace that connects employers with qualified candidates.

    With its user-friendly interface and robust features, ZipRecruiter simplifies the hiring process by offering a range of tools designed to attract, manage, and hire the best talent.

    Leverage social media.

    Many job seekers now use social media platforms like Twitter and Facebook to connect with potential employers. By following companies and industry leaders on these platforms, you can access a large pool of resumes and find top talent. Engaging with relevant groups and communities can help you find resumes and discover potential candidates actively seeking new opportunities.

    Engage with professional associations and forums.

    Industry-specific forums and professional associations often have dedicated websites where members can network and share information. These platforms can be full of resumes and potential candidates.

    Participate in discussions, seek referrals, and actively engage with members who demonstrate expertise in their field.

    Consider niche job boards.

    There are numerous niche job boards that cater to specific industries, professions, or demographics. These platforms focus on particular skill sets, such as programming, healthcare or marketing, allowing you to target candidates who have specialized knowledge and experience.

    Offer remote work.

    Consider expanding your search to include candidates who are willing to work remotely. This benefit can help you stay competitive, allowing you to tap into a global talent pool and increasing your chances of finding highly skilled candidates who may not be available locally.

    As an employer who is on the hunt to find resumes online and to hire top-notch talent, taking a strategic approach is best. From scouring the best online job boards and social media, to engaging with professional organizations and more, finding great job candidates can be just a few clicks away.

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    Entrepreneur Deals

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  • When You’re Hiring, Here’s Where to Post Job Openings | Entrepreneur

    When You’re Hiring, Here’s Where to Post Job Openings | Entrepreneur

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    Disclosure: Our goal is to feature products and services that we think you’ll find interesting and useful. If you purchase them, Entrepreneur may get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners.

    Many businesses know that open roles posted on popular job sites can be a cost-effective way to speed up and improve the hiring process. Popular platforms like ZipRecruiter receive millions of monthly visitors, connecting employers with top talent. Job sites are one of the most common ways for employers to communicate and gain visibility with job seekers—making them a valuable component of a complete recruitment practice.

    While many job boards exist, some are more valuable than others. Outside of promoting job openings, employers can take advantage of additional tools and robust services that simplify the hiring process from start to finish. Some features to look out for include integration with Applicant Tracking Systems, job description templates, and access to resume databases.

    Whether your company has the means to invest in premium offerings or your hiring team needs to take advantage of free features, explore some of the top places to post job openings to help your business attract your next quality hire.

    Best Overall: ZipRecruiter

    Eighty percent of employers who post a job on ZipRecruiter receive a qualified candidate within the first day. Rated as the #1 job site in the U.S.1, ZipRecruiter offers standard, premium and enterprise services that can streamline the hiring process. With its Invite to Apply feature, ZipRecruiter allows hiring managers to reach out to the candidates that they think might be a great fit for the role.

    The simplicity of its mobile app is popular with job seekers for applying to roles wherever they are. And hiring managers love the easy-to-use dashboard that allows them to manage hiring activities in one place.

    Indeed

    Indeed offers a pay-per-click model that provides more visibility for listings. Businesses can post jobs, interview candidates, and make offers all on their platform. When you pay for a post, Indeed simplifies discovering relevant candidates by providing access to the resumes of job seekers whose profiles match your job description.

    Monster

    Monster takes a performance-based approach to hiring. With high-performance job ad placement options for every budget, its “pay-for-performance” model only charges you when someone views your listing. Monster also provides access to their resume database and hosts employer resources online for topics like small business hiring, job description templates and hiring trends.

    LinkedIn

    Many job seekers head to LinkedIn when searching for a new role. The job search function integrates with a user’s professional profile, making it easy to leverage their network to find a job. Posting a job on LinkedIn means you can leverage tools like screening questions and candidate rating to find qualified candidates. Job seekers can filter jobs by industry, experience level and job type.

    Handshake

    Recent college graduates can find their first job on Handshake. Hundreds of thousands of employers have hired on this all-in-one recruiting platform that connects businesses to recent college graduates. Handshake gives access to a new talent pool of top students from more than 2,000 colleges.

    1 Based on G2 satisfaction ratings as of January 1, 2022

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    Entrepreneur Deals

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  • Why Good Leaders Must Embrace Strong Personalities | Entrepreneur

    Why Good Leaders Must Embrace Strong Personalities | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    Years ago, I had a strong disagreement with a staff member. He was a long-time employee who sat several steps below me in the org chart. He was prone to strong opinions and passionate feelings, but he was also an extremely high performer in the organization and someone I was personally very fond of.

    While he was usually correct in his opinions, he sometimes lacked a strategic view of the issues and did not always accept when he was wrong. This “spirited discussion” resulted from one of those “nonacceptances” which happened in a public place and was overheard by many other staff members. The conversation was confrontational, and it clearly made some of those around us a little uncomfortable.

    Afterward, several staff members approached me and wondered if this moment of public insubordination meant I would fire him. When I told them that there would be no disciplinary action but that he and I would discuss it later to find common ground, they looked confused. Why would I, as the CEO, let a staff member argue with me and not immediately fire them? The answer is simple: It is easier to temper passion than to inspire it. If you want excellence, you need people with strong personalities!

    Related: 6 Steps for Hiring the Right People to Build Effective Teams

    Organizations are just a grouping of people and things. Organizational success is the collective sum of individual successes. As a leader, it is our job to harness 100% of every team member’s possible talent. We must focus on building each team member individually into the best they can be, which requires that they feel safe to express their views, are comfortable speaking truth to power, and are supported to exceed the limits of their skills from time to time. This does not happen when we stifle people’s opinions or break their spirits by forcing compliance. Instead, it comes from individual responsibility, commitment to the shared mission and taking risks.

    Simply put, in a business context, passion is an essential ingredient for greatness. It may be the essential ingredient. Yet, passion is almost impossible to inspire; it needs to rise organically from deep inside people who are committed to their mission. Passionate people often obsess over little details; they are constantly looking for a better way; they are frequently frustrated by others and are usually a pain in their leaders’ butts. They are also the star performers of the business and the centers of creation and excellence for the organization.

    Unfortunately, many leaders see these traits as signs of a difficult personality and become frustrated. They find these people difficult to control, argumentative and sometimes even disrespectful or insubordinate. Sadly, in many business environments, these people are marginalized, disciplined or even fired. Passion is quashed in favor of obedience. Leadership encourages conformity through words and deeds with an eye on producing an obedient, homogeneous “team” where everyone plays nice and does what they are told. This is a bit like throwing away all the sharp knives in your kitchen to avoid hurting yourself or others. While you will be safer, you will also end up with a drawer full of spoons!

    Exceptional people are creative, inventive and bright. They are different from the norm. They are extraordinary. Often, they are exceptional because of their passion for what they do and their willingness to challenge authority. As a result, they usually stick out in a sea of mediocrity and are sometimes unwilling to follow the herd. This obviously can make them a bit of a handful. It is important to realize, however, that this reluctance to do what everyone else does makes them great. They have no allegiance to tradition or authority for their own sake. They will make you and your team better!

    Related: How To Keep Employees Feeling Passionate About Their Work

    This does not mean it is okay to be rude, insubordinate or destructive to the organization’s morale. On the contrary, a good work environment and discipline matter greatly. It is great to argue your points and to challenge the thinking of others. But, that said, it is not okay to be mean, rude or disrespectful in the process.

    This is a very fine line to walk and can be challenging to interpret. As a result, leaders must give their team the benefit of the doubt and adopt a “teach, don’t beat” mindset. We need to encourage our passionate people. But, at the same time, we need to help them express their ideas and make their challenges in a way that will provoke thought, not anger.

    Exceptional organizations are the result of extraordinary people. It is essential as leaders, we spend time nurturing the passion people have for their work. We must encourage them to think outside the box, not to become discouraged by failure, and encourage them to take risks.

    We need to pick them up and dust them off when they fall. Most of all, we need to understand that the fire that drives them will sometimes make them a challenge to lead, and they will occasionally cross the line and need to be corrected. But we need to make sure that we don’t break their spirit. Their strong personality will make them, and the organization, excellent!

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    Jon Becker

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  • 6 Strategies for Hiring Good Employees in 2023 | Entrepreneur

    6 Strategies for Hiring Good Employees in 2023 | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    Are you having trouble attracting good employees? It’s become a big problem for many companies in today’s job market. A lot of hiring managers say posting ads on job boards and employment sites simply don’t draw many quality applicants.

    If you’re feeling like it’s time to get creative, here are some underrated hiring strategies you can use to attract the best candidates starting today.

    Related: Stop the Ever-Expanding Job Description from Hurting Your Company

    1. Mobilize your current employees

    Your greatest resource might not be a job board but your team members. Your workers may know someone who’d be a good fit for your company. As a group they can provide a network far larger than yours, so why not mobilize them to start asking around?

    One way to do this is through social media. The average social media user has several hundred friends and followers. Some of these people may not even be local or otherwise connected to your company. Ask your team to start messaging friends to see if they’re looking for a job.

    It’s shocking how well this strategy can work. But it makes sense — your workers are likely connected to other professionals, and their network will most likely be larger than your own.

    Try incentivizing your existing team to find leads. You might pay them to make the initial contact or offer a bonus to everyone who leads you to a quality candidate or successful hire.

    Related: Hire Your Next Remote Team Member from One of These 20 U.S. Tech Hubs

    2. Look for people in real life

    Think about all the people you interact with on a day-to-day basis. Maybe it’s the barista at Starbucks or the customer service rep at the hardware store. Have you ever thought, They’d be an amazing fit for the company? Why not ask them?

    It might sound a little bold, but that’s the point. Instead of posting a want ad and waiting for them to come to you, you have the option to actively go after people who catch your eye and who you want working for you. Chances are that no one else is offering these people jobs this way, which gives you an edge.

    If you’re not meeting candidates through your normal routine, switch it up a bit. Where would your ideal worker be found right now? The best way to catch a fish is to wade into the river.

    Make sure you work on your “elevator pitch.” This should be a 30-to-60-second description of the job and its benefits.

    Face-to-face interaction gives you a chance to persuade potential applicants, answer any questions they may have and offer insights into your company culture. Don’t force a decision right away, but make plans to follow up in the hopes that they consider your offer. You can be sure that they will.

    Related: How to Attract Smart Millennials Through Better Job Descriptions

    3. Give people a taste of what it would be like on the job

    Traditional job advertisements present candidates with a job description, a list of essential benefits, and a compensation package. Although these details are important, they don’t answer one of the most important questions on applicants’ minds: What’s it like to actually work there?

    Candidates want to know more about your company culture. What’s the work environment like? Who would I be working with? If you can answer these questions, you’ll be more likely to weed out less qualified candidates and energize your best possible talent.

    An interview is an opportune time to do this, though that assumes you’ve generated quality applicants who’ve made it to the interview process. Some companies include short videos in their job advertisements to offer a glimpse into the workplace environment. You might try doing the same.

    A video doesn’t have to have high production values, though it should feature interviews with relevant people and reflect the day-to-day operations of your company. You can incorporate these videos into your job listings or share them over social media to generate potential leads.

    Related: What are Pulse Surveys, and How They Can Help Your Company?

    4. Be patient, but don’t settle

    Depending on your industry, you might set aside four to six weeks to hire a new employee. But with many companies facing a talent shortage, you might need to extend this deadline just a bit. After all, finding a candidate who fits your culture could be more important than finding one who fits your timeline.

    This also means that you should avoid settling on a candidate who seems like they “might” be a good fit. The only thing worse than a vacancy is a bad hire. You might find yourself stuck with that person until they either improve or you have sufficient grounds for termination.

    Instead, stay focused on your talent acquisition and screening processes. If you’re a recruiter, make sure senior management understands current HR challenges and will back your continued search for the right person.

    For some positions, a lengthy search process may be required, so it also helps to have provisions in place to cover the workload in the meantime.

    Related: 5 Things to Consider Before Hiring a Marketing Consultant

    5. Source from others you know

    Job referrals are worth their weight in gold. Some of these referrals can come from your employees (see above), though you can also source referrals from others you know.

    Think about your professional network. Chances are that you already have relationships with other business owners, some of whom are in industries that overlap your own. Although these businesses might not be eager to part with their employees, they might know of outside professionals who would be a good fit for your organization.

    Don’t neglect your social circle, either. You might be able to source referrals from your friends, family, or any community outside of work that you’re a part of. You’d be surprised how many people are eager to help others land a job or help you fill a vacancy.

    6. Focus on your story

    Every job description should tell a story. That story is designed to captivate potential candidates and show them how they’d benefit from being part of your team. In essence, your job description is a sales pitch, and as such, it should contain more than just the basic facts of the position.

    If you’re unsure where to start, consider the words you would use to describe the ideal candidate. Lead with something like, “We’re looking for innovators who are passionate about building customer relationships” or, “Do you value creativity? So do we.”

    Alternatively, you could start by identifying the problem your business is designed to solve or the need you seek to fill. How would the ideal candidate solve this problem or need? A job description that presents a compelling story will generate far more interest than the usual bland list of responsibilities and requirements.

    You might even ask your existing employees about their hiring and onboarding experience. Their insights can help you learn what made your company attractive in their eyes, which may help you connect with future job candidates.

    Related: Looking to Hire a Marketer? Here’s Why You Should Think Twice.

    Strategies that work together

    These tips aren’t meant to be mutually exclusive. You might gain more traction by combining several of the aforementioned strategies. For example, if you create a video to showcase your company culture, you can share this content with your network and encourage your team members to do the same.

    It also helps to be open with your people about your recruitment strategy. They might even offer input that influences the direction of your talent acquisition process or provide useful feedback to help you craft a narrative about your business.

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    John Boitnott

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  • Underdog Startups Threaten Hiring Dominance of Big Tech After Adopting This Irresistible Work Policy | Entrepreneur

    Underdog Startups Threaten Hiring Dominance of Big Tech After Adopting This Irresistible Work Policy | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    Tech companies under 500 employees — and thus the most innovative and forward-looking — are leading the charge when it comes to flexible work. According to the recent Flex Index report, a whopping 88% of small tech companies offer employees full flexibility in where they work. At the same time, 65% of giant tech companies with over 25,000 employees have transitioned to a “structured hybrid” model with specific in-office work requirements. There is a growing divide between big tech and small tech when it comes to flexible work options, and it doesn’t bode well for the future of large tech firms.

    Related: How Flexible Work Will Give Your Business the Biggest Advantage

    A flexibility divide

    While behemoths like Apple, Google, and Meta are walking back remote work in favor of two to three days per week in the office, smaller tech startups are embracing virtual-first policies that give employees full control over where they work. This poses a threat to the dominance of big tech companies, which have traditionally had the upper hand in attracting top talent due to their vast resources and brand power.

    For many ambitious tech workers seeking autonomy and work-life balance, small startups with flexible policies may prove irresistible. The future is unclear, but for now, the flexibility divide between big tech and small tech is poised to reshape how Silicon Valley attracts and retains top talent. This trend will likely only accelerate as remote-first generations join the workforce, demanding flexibility as a top priority in their job search.

    While legacy tech giants rose to prominence with an office-centric mentality, the new wave of innovation may depend on startups fully embracing virtual work. Remote employees tend to have higher job satisfaction and lower burnout rates, allowing startups to tap into a more diverse global talent pool. Yet scaling flexibility is easier said than done, and big tech’s structured return to office risks diminishing some of the benefits of remote work for innovation and inclusion.

    Big tech’s shift to structured hybrid models with two to three assigned in-office days reflects a philosophy that in-person interaction fosters collaboration, apprenticeships and team cohesion. However, this stance fails to recognize the value of virtual communication and its role in boosting autonomy, diversity and work-life balance for many employees. By limiting employee choice in work location, big tech also risks losing top talent to startups with more flexible policies.

    While facetime may benefit some teams and tasks, compelling employees to commute and collaborate in person risks reduced productivity and job satisfaction for many knowledge workers. As tools like video conferencing, virtual whiteboards, and team messaging grow more advanced, the need for physical offices to foster collaboration and innovation is diminishing. The office may have a role to play, but not at the cost of flexibility and choice.

    Rather than require blanket return-to-office policies, forward-thinking companies should evaluate collaboration needs on a team-by-team basis and implement flex programs with employee input. They must recognize that a one-size-fits-all solution will not work, and that flexibility and cohesion can absolutely co-exist with the right investments in virtual collaboration infrastructure and management training.

    The future of work depends on companies scaling flexibility and investing in the technology and culture to support virtual teams. While the flexibility divide currently favors small tech, any company able to overcome the challenges of managing remote work at scale may gain a competitive advantage.

    For now, small tech startups embracing virtual-first flexibility have an opportunity to attract top talent and pioneer new models of innovation suited to a remote world. But big tech would be wrong to dismiss flexibility as a “startup phase” alone. With a supportive culture and the right collaboration solutions in place, companies of any size can scale flexibility and tap into benefits like reduced costs, access to global talent, and higher employee productivity and wellbeing.

    The possibility is there for forward-thinking companies in any industry to make flexibility a competitive advantage — if they are willing to invest in the management and technology to do so. While the future remains uncertain, one outcome is clear: Choice and autonomy matter deeply to knowledge workers, and companies able to provide flexibility at scale will be best positioned to succeed in the post-pandemic world.

    The future of flexible tech

    The critical question is whether small tech startups can scale flexibility. Currently, 67% of tech companies with under 100 employees are fully remote, compared to 26% of tech companies with 250 to 500, and just 8% of tech companies with over 500 employees.

    While flexibility may be easier to implement at a small startup, will these companies harden their stance on work locations as they mature? I’ve helped tech companies ranging from late-stage startups with 50 to 100 employees to behemoths with over 30,000 staff figure out their flexible work models, and I have to say that the larger they get, the more challenges they face with making remote work truly effective. That’s because the challenges of managing remote teams and collaborating across distances may increase with company size. Larger companies typically have more complex organizational structures, multiple offices and a wider range of roles with diverse collaboration needs. They may also face greater scrutiny and bureaucracy, making quick shifts to virtual work more difficult.

    However, for companies able to surmount these challenges, the rewards of flexibility could be significant. With strong communication tools, management training and an outcomes-based mindset, flexibility may continue to enhance innovation and attract top talent even after startups scale. The companies able to achieve this stand to gain substantial cost savings, access to global talent and higher productivity and employee wellbeing.

    Ambitious yet employee-centric tech startups would be wise to implement flexible programs thoughtfully and brace for challenges, but not assume that scaling means limiting choice. By proactively addressing common obstacles around collaboration and oversight, tech leaders can create flexible programs ready to scale. With investments in infrastructure, policy, and culture, the result could be a win-win for both startup and employee.

    The companies that thrive will be those recognizing flexibility not as a temporary phenomenon but rather as a permanent shift in how and where knowledge work happens. They will implement remote collaboration and management solutions with scale in mind, provide guidelines and training for productive virtual work, and evaluate employee performance based on outcomes and impact rather than hours logged or roles. They will treat flexibility as vital for innovation, not as an employee perk alone.

    The future of work is still being written. But if small tech companies can figure out how to scale flexibility, they may gain a key competitive advantage over big tech. The opportunity is there for forward-thinking startups to pioneer new models of remote collaboration as they grow – without compromising on autonomy, work-life balance or productivity. For now, the flexibility divide favors small tech – but the future could belong to those companies that find ways to push the boundaries of virtual work regardless of their size.

    While legacy tech companies struggle with providing flexibility at scale, a new generation of startups has a chance to make remote work a competitive advantage if they invest in solutions and culture to overcome common challenges, like:

    • Communication silos: With poor communication infrastructure and policies in place, remote teams can become disconnected and isolated. Startups must implement collaboration tools, encourage informal interactions and provide guidance on best practices for productive virtual collaboration.
    • Management challenges: Managing remote employees requires a high degree of trust, as well as training for managers unused to overseeing virtual teams. Startups must evaluate management practices, provide resources for leading remote teams and hire managers able to motivate and engage employees from a distance.
    • Lack of cohesion: Some express concern that remote work reduces opportunities for relationship-building and mentoring. Startups can address this by organizing virtual social events, setting up mentorship programs, and leveraging technology that enables more personal connections between coworkers.
    • Security and compliance risks: With remote work, ensuring data protection, privacy and policy compliance may require additional effort. Startups need to apply best practices for remote cybersecurity, provide employee education around safe virtual work environments, and implement monitoring systems enabling visibility into how sensitive resources and data are accessed.

    Related:

    Conclusion

    The future of innovation depends on pioneers — and in a post-pandemic world, the pioneers of virtual work may be tech startups that scale flexibility. With the right investments and culture in place, small tech companies have an opportunity to make flexible work a competitive advantage and tap benefits beyond cost savings alone.

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    Gleb Tsipursky

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  • 6 Signs It’s Time to Hire Your First Employee | Entrepreneur

    6 Signs It’s Time to Hire Your First Employee | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    The early days of a startup usually present a mix of excitement and fear for a founder. You’re looking forward to embarking on your own and showing the world what you offer. However, revenue isn’t guaranteed, and you may experience some hardships as you grow your organization.

    Most startups begin with a bright idea and someone with the guts to take action on it. Typically, founders handle the operations of their organization from end to end, with no one to support them. However, as the company begins to scale, hiring a supportive staff becomes necessary.

    How do you know it’s time to hire new employees? Look out for these signs.

    1. Overwhelming customer demand — you’re turning down customers

    As your company grows, you’ll likely experience an ebb and flow of your sales. There will be times when you’re so busy you spend all your waking hours handling your customer’s orders, and others when you stare at your computer hoping a new sale will arrive.

    You’ll know your revenue is beginning to solidify when you can’t physically handle all the orders that come in. You might need to turn down work simply because you only have two hands, and they’re both full to the brim.

    If this situation sounds familiar, it’s time to bite the bullet and hire someone to support you. Turning down customers is a bad look for any organization and can discourage future clients from doing business with you.

    If you’re unsure whether you can sustain another employee part-time or full-time, consider a freelancer. You can outsource some of your work to a qualified freelancer during busy times while avoiding the long-term commitment of an employee.

    Related: 9 Ways to Recruit the Best Talent for Your Startup

    2. Declining customer satisfaction

    Providing excellent customer service is crucial to all organizations. After all, your clients spend money on your products or services. They’ll look for other options if they don’t feel you treat them well.

    If you can’t provide your clients with the same white glove treatment that you did in the early days of your organization, you’ll notice a decline in your customer reviews and an escalation of complaints. That’s concerning and will likely lead to revenue declines if you don’t address the problems swiftly.

    Instead of allowing your customer service to tank, hire an employee to assist you. That way, you’ll have more time to ensure every client has a positive experience with your company.

    3. You’re planning to introduce a new product or service

    Things are great — your initial products and services took off, and you’ve successfully propelled your sales since the early days of your organization. Things are going so swimmingly that you decide to introduce a new source of revenue.

    If that’s the case, you’ll likely see a new influx of customers. You’ll need to prepare yourself. After all, you want to continue to service your original offerings while meeting future clients’ needs.

    Introducing a new product or service can potentially double the work you’re already doing, and if you can’t keep up with orders, all your efforts could fail. Consider hiring a qualified employee to help you keep the momentum flowing.

    Related: How to Know When It’s Time to Hire Your First Employee

    4. Your current employees are overworked

    Ideally, the team you hire will have specific responsibilities. For instance, you might have a sales director overseeing qualified leads and a finance guru managing your accounting books. However, if your employees are taking on work outside their purview, it’s time to bring someone else on board.

    You want your employees to concentrate on activities that add value to your company. Your accountant shouldn’t oversee your customer service activities, and your operations manager shouldn’t handle your social media accounts. If your employees’ responsibilities are constantly changing, they may become unhappy and decide to leave.

    Consider hiring an office manager if you need someone to handle administrative tasks or similar responsibilities. They can take care of the extra items that bite into your other employee’s time.

    5. You don’t have time for a vacation

    Startup founders typically know what to expect when starting a new business: endless work hours in a battle to establish a name for their organization. While that’s admirable, at some point, you’ll start burning the candle at both ends, and your work and other responsibilities, like your family, will suffer.

    If you find your weekends are nonexistent, and there’s never enough time to accomplish everything you need, it’s time to bring in someone to help you. We all need time off to rest and recuperate from a busy lifestyle. Even if you feel it’s impossible to take a week’s vacation, you should still incorporate the occasional three or four-day weekend to reset your mind and get away from the pressures of your business.

    Hiring someone you trust to handle your organization’s daily activities can do wonders for your mental health and prepare you for upcoming challenges.

    6. Your business bank account allows it

    After months of solidifying your revenue streams and mitigating your expenses, you’ve built up a pretty impressive bank balance that you’re quite proud of. While that’s quite an accomplishment, it can signify that it’s time to hire someone to assist you.

    As your company continues to scale, your workload will likely increase. Eventually, you won’t be able to keep up with your orders. Preparing in advance by hiring a new employee provides a buffer that will prevent you from turning down work if your sales become overwhelming.

    If you hire now rather than wait until the last moment, you’ll have time to train your new employee on the responsibilities they’ll handle. There won’t be a mad rush to onboard them when you become too busy to manage the company yourself.

    Related: 5 Expert-Backed Strategies for Hiring Top-Quality Talent for Your Startup

    If you see signs it’s time to hire, take action quickly

    Founders who note any of the above signs in their organization are wise to take action and look for team members to support them. At a certain time, your business will begin to scale, and you won’t be able to maintain the same output level if you don’t have some help. Recognizing that time is now can ensure you have the staff you need to continue building your company.

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    Shawn Cole

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  • Why Companies Are Hiring and Prioritizing Employees Without College Degrees | Entrepreneur

    Why Companies Are Hiring and Prioritizing Employees Without College Degrees | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    A recent survey conducted by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) revealed that almost one-third of American employers now consider non-degree candidates for job openings, with 37% of employers reporting that they are more likely to do so than five years ago.

    For the last several years, we have seen that developed soft skills are becoming the leading requirement in different companies, especially in terms of working with other people, e.g., being a proper team player, a good leader, being able to communicate properly and align with company values and diversity issues.

    Soft skills are often difficult to quantify, which is why many employers have traditionally focused on things like degrees and certifications to screen candidates. However, in many cases, a candidate’s ability to work well with others, think critically and adapt to new situations is more important than their specific educational background.

    In fact, some of the most successful people in business and industry are self-taught, having learned their skills through hands-on experience and a willingness to take on new challenges. Mark Zuckerberg, one of the most recognized names in tech, built Facebook into the world’s largest social network. Zuckerberg dropped out of Harvard in 2004, during his sophomore year, to work on Facebook full-time and remains its CEO to this day. David Karp created Tumblr (which at its peak gained more than 500 million monthly users) despite never even graduating high school. Daniel Ek, co-founder of Spotify after abandoning his degree in engineering at the Royal Institute of Technology in Sweden after just eight weeks. The list goes on and on. The billionaire co-founder of Microsoft, Bill Gates, dropped out of Harvard to focus on building his company.

    Related: How to Find, Hire (and Fire!) Rockstar Employees

    High levels of soft skills are now defining a good employee. Even if a person has a great degree or might have vertical expertise in the field but lacks soft skills, some companies might prefer a better team player over a fancy university diploma. That brings harmony and drives team success rather than individual success.

    When hiring people, I personally don’t even look at the degree. When I conduct an interview, I ask a lot about different situations this person has been in at work, different conflict situations, communication processes with peers or their direct reports, and the rest of the team. I try to figure out how the communication will be done upwards at the same level or downwards. For me, a formal degree is not as important as people’s experience, and positive references are given to their soft skills, work ethics, and communication.

    Related: 5 Soft Skills Every Employee Needs Today

    The shift in hiring practices

    A number of factors is driving this shift:

    • The rising cost of college.
    • An increased emphasis on workplace skills over degree credentials.
    • the growing popularity of alternative educational models such as online certificates.

    In addition, some employers are starting to recognize that non-degree candidates can bring unique perspectives and experiences to the table that traditional college graduates may not possess. Google, Apple, IBM, Bank of America and other big companies adopted this approach in 2018.

    As employers move away from relying solely on academic qualifications, they now have more opportunities to identify and hire high-quality individuals who can contribute meaningfully to their organization. However, this trend also means that employers must be prepared to evaluate applicants based on a broader range of criteria than they may have in the past. In addition to traditional measures such as prior experience, academic achievements, and references, employers should consider evaluating candidates based on their skill set and personal qualities such as self-discipline and problem-solving abilities.

    At the same time, employers must ensure that they are not discriminating against potential employees who do not possess a traditional academic background. This includes assessing candidates based on their potential rather than focusing solely on past accomplishments or experiences. By taking a more holistic approach to evaluating applicants and considering the full range of skills and qualities they possess, employers can ensure that they are attracting a diverse set of candidates who have the potential to add value to their organization.

    A recent survey by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) revealed that 57% of employers plan to hire more such candidates in the future. This is indicative of a growing trend in organizations around the world.

    Related: 8 Soft Skills That Make You an Even Better Leader

    Soft skills take over

    Employers often find that hiring recent university graduates may not always be the most suitable option for the specific job requirements within their business. Especially when it comes to startups or venture-backed companies that require innovative and creative approaches, formal education can be an obstacle in thinking or creating a new product/business model. We see that some innovative companies intend to hire people without a formal education or college degree because that allows them to be more creative and think “outside of the box,” which results in more added value.

    By the way, fields such as IT, Manufacturing, Customer Service, Business Administration, Accounting and Finance are examples of areas that don’t necessarily require a degree but may prefer candidates with relevant experience or qualifications.

    High levels of soft skills are now defining a good employee. Even if a person has a great degree or might have vertical expertise in the field but lacks soft skills, some companies might prefer a better team player over a fancy university diploma. That brings harmony and drives team success rather than individual success.

    By recognizing the importance of soft skills and focusing on the qualities that truly matter, employers can build more diverse and effective teams that are better equipped to tackle the challenges of today’s rapidly-changing business landscape.

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    Zamir Shukho

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  • How to Hire People for Technical Skills | Entrepreneur

    How to Hire People for Technical Skills | Entrepreneur

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    Disclosure: Our goal is to feature products and services that we think you’ll find interesting and useful. If you purchase them, Entrepreneur may get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners.

    As a business owner, you likely have a grasp on how to hire people. You hire from within, tap your professional network, and leverage popular online job sites like ZipRecruiter. But when it comes to hiring people with technical skills—specifically, skills that are outside of your own—you may begin to feel out of your depth.

    Technical skills refer to abilities and knowledge required to perform specialized tasks within a profession or industry. Some examples include computer programming, data analysis, mechanical engineering, digital marketing, web development, networking, graphic design, and project management.

    How to hire people with technical skills and recognizing those skills during the hiring process can be challenging. With a structured approach and a clear understanding of the skills required, employers can increase their chances of finding the right candidate for the job.

    Define the role and the technical skills required.

    The first step in the hiring process is to define the role. This includes the technical skills required for the job and the soft skills that are important for success in your organization. Be sure to have a detailed job description and the qualifications for the position.

    Posting on job sites.

    Consider using job boards and recruitment platforms to reach a large pool of candidates with the right technical skills. ZipRecruiter is a popular platform that can help you reach many candidates with specific technical skills. ZipRecruiter matches your listing with qualified candidates using powerful AI matching technology.

    You can also use ZipRecruiter’s screening tools to help filter candidates based on their qualifications and experience.

    Screen for the right qualifications.

    As you screen candidates, look for technical qualifications and background experience that would fit your team well or address an existing gap in your organization’s competencies.

    Conduct technical interviews.

    During the interview process, ask technical questions that are designed to evaluate the candidate’s qualifications. The questions should be relevant to the job and the technology used in the company. You can also give them a small test or project to evaluate their technical abilities.

    Use technical assessments.

    Technical assessments can help you evaluate a candidate’s technical abilities and determine if they have the necessary skills for the job. You can do this onsite or give them a few days to complete the task.

    Many online technical assessment tools can help you test a candidate’s skills in programming, web development, database management and more. It depends on your desired area of expertise.

    Check their references and work.

    Check references from previous employers, colleagues, or supervisors to understand the candidate’s work style and qualifications. You can also ask for samples of their previous work or projects to evaluate their technical abilities.

    Offer competitive compensation and benefits.

    Offering competitive compensation and benefits is essential to attract top technical talent. Additionally, it’s also important to supply opportunities for growth and advancement, as many highly skilled technical professionals are motivated by the chance to work on exciting and challenging projects.

    Don’t forget that you have resources at the ready when you’re ready to hire. As the #1 job site in the U.S.1, ZipRecruiter makes job searching easy. It uses powerful AI matching technology to help you find the right fit, and you can also read reviews and ratings from current and former employees to learn about a company’s culture before applying.

    1 Based on G2 satisfaction ratings as of January 1, 2022

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    Entrepreneur Deals

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  • Why You Should Be Hiring When Everyone Else Is Firing | Entrepreneur

    Why You Should Be Hiring When Everyone Else Is Firing | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    Now, I know this might sound like a crazy idea. After all, why would anyone want to hire when the entire world is downsizing and laying off employees left and right? But hear me out.

    The truth is, layoffs are happening because these large companies have become bloated and inefficient.

    They have so many employees that they can’t even keep track of who’s doing what. And when times get tough, they start slashing jobs left and right without any regard for the talent that they’re losing.

    Related: A Downturn Can Actually Be a Good Time to Cultivate Talent. Here’s Why.

    Why is everyone firing?

    The economic impact of the multiple crises we’ve experienced over the past few years alone has led to companies experiencing a decline in revenue and profits, causing them to restructure their businesses to survive. This restructuring often results in layoffs and downsizing to cut costs and stay afloat.

    Some companies also had to shift to remote work arrangements, and the need to implement safety protocols has also contributed to the layoffs. Companies that were unable to adapt to the new normal had to make tough decisions, including downsizing and restructuring, to remain competitive.

    With the rise of automation and artificial intelligence, companies are looking to streamline their operations, which means reducing the number of employees. As a result, employees who have skills that can be easily automated are often the first to be let go.

    Some companies are also undergoing mergers and acquisitions, which can lead to redundancies and layoffs. When two companies merge, there is often an overlap in roles and responsibilities, which can result in the elimination of positions.

    But as an entrepreneur, you have the opportunity to do things differently. By building your business efficiently, you can pick up talent at a fraction of the cost and build your dream team in a way that these large companies could only dream of.

    What are the benefits of hiring during an economic downturn?

    First and foremost, hiring while others are firing allows you to access top talent that may not have been available in a more competitive job market.

    Many highly skilled workers who have been laid off may be looking for new opportunities and may be more willing to work for a smaller, growing company that can offer them more flexibility and growth potential.

    In addition, hiring during a period of widespread layoffs can give your business a competitive advantage. As larger companies downsize their operations and scale back on services, smaller businesses that are still growing can step in to fill the gaps in the market. This can help your business gain market share and increase your customer base.

    Another benefit of hiring during a period of layoffs is that you may be able to negotiate better terms with potential employees.

    To clarify, when discussing negotiating better terms with potential employees, it is not necessarily about undervaluing their talent. Rather, it is simply acknowledging the reality of the current economy and job market.

    With more people looking for work, you may be able to offer lower salaries or fewer benefits and still attract top talent. This can help you keep your labor costs under control and invest more in other areas of your business.

    Related: Companies Need To Be Better at Hiring, Not Firing. 7 Tips To Pick And Retain The Best Talent During Uncertain Economic Times.

    Building your dream team on a budget

    When hiring during tough times, it’s also still very important to be strategic.

    Instead of simply filling gaps in your existing staff, take the time to think about what positions you need to add to take your business to the next level. This is the perfect opportunity to build out your dream team, with a focus on hiring people who can help you grow and thrive.

    While it’s true that hiring during tough times can be an opportunity to pick up top talent at a fraction of the cost, it’s still important to be mindful of your budget. If it goes down to it, you can consider hiring on a commission-only basis or offering equity in your company as a way to attract top talent while keeping costs low.

    Building a great team is one of the most important things you can do for your business. And since this great team is built during hard times when work dedication is slowly fading, they will help you achieve your goals in ways you couldn’t have done alone.

    And when the economy bounces back, you’ll be in a position to reap the rewards of having a highly skilled and motivated team in place.

    Related: How to Be An Accountable Leader During an Age of Layoffs

    While it may seem counterintuitive to hire when everyone else is firing, doing so can be a smart move for entrepreneurs who want to make duplicates of themselves in the company.

    With the right strategy, you can pick up top talent at a fraction of the cost and build your business in a more efficient and effective way.

    So, don’t let the current economic climate scare you away from hiring — use it as an opportunity to build your dream team and take your business to new heights!

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    Roy Dekel

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  • You Made a Bad Hire — Now What? Practice Self Reflection to Overcome and Grow | Entrepreneur

    You Made a Bad Hire — Now What? Practice Self Reflection to Overcome and Grow | Entrepreneur

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    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    We’ve all been there. You hire people, partner with people, or trust someone with the precious gift that is your business venture. And they let you down. After you’ve invested your time, money, and, perhaps more importantly, your emotions into the relationship, what do you do when it all turns south and you can’t take it anymore?

    Asking for help for most entrepreneurs can cause anxiety. Bringing in an “outsider?” Eek! We tend to be an independent lot who can juggle and manage a myriad of tasks at once. Hiring someone to ease our workload isn’t always a road easily traveled.

    So, let’s look at what you should do when that ugly speedbump of a bad hire pops up, and you have no option but to face it head-on. After all, ignoring it and hoping it would fix itself hasn’t worked these past few weeks, has it?

    In most cases, this type of situation comes from hiring someone specializing in an area you don’t have expertise in, such as copywriting or technical backend integrations. You reach out to a handful of people asking for references. You dive into some calls, and more often than not, you hire a person you interview because you get along with them so well (and let’s face it, it’s tough to find the perfect person anymore).

    Related: How to Let Go of Control and Hire an Expert

    They say the right things. They’re full of energy and enthusiasm for your work, and you breathe a sigh of relief because the burden of responsibility has finally been lifted. You like this person and have high expectations.

    You amble along as you share information while having great conversations and laughter. You can’t wait for them to take over part of the workload and get things done as you envisioned.

    • You have standards.
    • You have preferences.
    • You have a vision.
    • You set a path to reach your goals.

    Their fee (or salary) is paid upfront and immediately (because you generally hate when people don’t do that), and the expectations timer kicks into action.

    And then it happens. You face the reality that they don’t get it. You still really like the person, but they don’t seem able to deliver what you expected — or what they seemed capable of in the first place. The first instance you let slide. “It’s a learning curve,” right?

    Perhaps it was a miscommunication. Maybe you weren’t as focused on giving enough pertinent information for them to do the job. Or maybe, just maybe, they weren’t capable from the start. And that is heartbreakingly disappointing.

    It was hard enough to ask for help in the first place. But now, you don’t have the results you expected, and, on top of that, you’re out a boatload of your hard-earned money, you need to find someone else, and pay them even more of your hard-earned money to clean this mess up.

    Your first knee-jerk reaction is emailing that person to release frustration and irritation. Because come on, you’re annoyed and hurt if you’re honest. You’ve invested personally and professionally in that person, and they let you down. Or did you let yourself down? That might be more disappointing!

    So, what can you do with this current situation to save your mental health spiral of negativity, intense remorse at throwing away good money, and reflective finger-pointing and blame?

    Here are three steps I take to overcome a disappointing hire:

    1. Take responsibility

    Your first step is to take accountability for your side of the equation. This is the hardest pill to swallow because it’s the size of a submarine. But swallow you must. You’re the one who chose to work with the person in the first place. I know you want to blame someone else, but you can’t do that without also taking some of the blame.

    I call this the “Red Flag Counter” philosophy. We all generally dismiss more red flags than we ought to. We like someone, so we let the first handful of gut-instinct red flags go without paying attention.

    Then comes the non-gut instinct red flags. These are when behavior or actions are like neon signs flashing in your face. The work just isn’t done well. Period. You had expectations that weren’t met. That’s a literal red flag.

    It’s time to stop letting so many of them pass by before halting the process and recalibrating.

    But we like this person so much that we’re distracted by their mutual love of your favorite TV show. Or perhaps the mere thought of starting over with the hiring process is exhausting and undesirable. Who has time?

    By the time three or more red flags have been stuffed into a back closet, your irritation factor is only waiting on the sidelines to explode and at that point, remedial recovery may be too late.

    Related: The Real Impact Of A Bad Hire For Your Business

    2. Take a breath

    Take several of them. You need oxygen because this scenario isn’t an easy one to digest. But rest assured that there are ways to take away something positive from this seemingly hopeless and frustrating situation.

    It would help to remind yourself that this isn’t the end of the world. Stop for a few moments and remind yourself that if you can calm your body down with deep breathing, your emotions will also calm. A clear and focused mind is the best way to handle any disappointing situation. Our emotions tend to distract and muddy the waters making logic and common sense dissipate.

    So, take a breath and accept that this is a picture you allowed to be painted. The other person may be at fault for not delivering, but you also had a hand in it. As an entrepreneur, we must be realistic about our role in any situation. With that awareness and perspective, you gain the skills to grow. Once calmed, you can move on to the next step.

    3. Try to salvage the relationship

    People are more important than a project. You’ll have ongoing projects or tasks, but finding people you like gets harder and harder to come by as you get older.

    I’m not saying you need to invite them to dinner every Friday night but find a way to calm down and make sure you know — and they know — that you still respect them as a fellow human being. It’s not easy. Especially if you paid them and they didn’t deliver.

    I may not have chosen this as a step in the process, but there’s been so much open hate and divisiveness in the world that we don’t need more. Another interesting point of view is how small the business world tends to get the longer you’re in it.

    It’s astonishing how paths can cross again later in time. My partner reconnects with people from decades ago and often strikes up a new working relationship or joint venture. The more you can salvage a relationship in the heat of a disruption, the more you’ll have an open door as your business grows. Just because something didn’t work out this time around doesn’t mean it won’t come back to work at a later date. After all, there was a reason you connected and hired this person in the first place.

    It is time to let the basic foundation of human decency step back into the spotlight. And how better to start than with ourselves? After all, you got yourself into the mess and can get yourself out.

    Related: 6 Tips for Hiring the Right People

    4. Time for acceptance and learning

    If you paid for a service, your money is gone. No one stole it from you or forced you to pay for it. There’s always a moment when you need to look that decision in the face and accept that you made it and it can’t be changed. You can’t reinvent history, so why not learn from it? You decided to bring that person in, and you paid them.

    Your time is gone (whether you paid or not). You can’t get that time back no matter how many time-travel, sci-fi films or TV series you watch.

    You’re now sitting with your disappointment and need to get some value from it. The most significant value you’ll get is learning a lifelong lesson not to make the same mistake again.

    It would be best to attempt rectifying things and communicate that you think something went wrong. You should offer ideas on how to collectively work together so your expectations are better met — making sure theirs are also met.

    But in the end, it didn’t work. Many things in life don’t. The disappointment of not getting what you wanted may sting. Ok, maybe the sensation is more like a severe burn! But it too shall pass, and your best bet is to let it go and move on (quickly) as you’re fully equipped with new knowledge and insight on how to prevent it from happening again.

    Grow with the process

    Think deeply, assess the process, and see all things with clarity. Accept your role in the situation. Focus on profoundly understanding what went wrong and why (or how), and grow more powerful from a lesson painfully learned. Remember to hold your head high with the pride of putting another person’s humanity into the solution.

    Side note: If you hired someone to do a job and they flat out didn’t deliver (versus them providing something different from what you expected or wanted), ask for a refund or partial refund. That’s fair, also.

    The best bet is to write out a detailed job description in advance. Send it to the applicant or your new hire and have them sign it. Have them initial each line item. That way, you have something you both can revisit if delivery is lacking.

    As the saying goes — get on the same page. Getting on the same page upfront clears the way for great success flags, not red ones of a problem or white ones of surrender. Go get ’em!

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    Lauren Hirsch-Williams

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