There are many schools of thought on how to hire effectively and different strategies can work. But most of the B2B companies we work with at Tangible Words do not fit into an easy category. If you run a company that doesn’t categorize easily, you can look to Edge Factor’s example for how to hire.
As founder and president of Edge Factor, Jeremy Bout knows that Edge Factor employees are a mix of manufacturers, storytellers and sometimes programmers. In the latest episode of the Company Growth Podcast, Jeremy describes how he hires the right employee for such unique positions, and his hiring tips are worth listening to for any business leader who has to hire for unorthodox and ever-changing job descriptions.
1. Hire the Person, Not the Resume
If Jeremy sorted through resumes until he found the perfect candidate with experience in manufacturing, filmmaking, storytelling and coding (all skills his employees dip their fingers in), he might never find that candidate. He explains that the key to hiring for positions like these is hiring the person and deciding if that person will complement the team. Finding the position for the candidate rather than the candidate for the position is one effective way for you to hire for unusual jobs.
2. Think of How to Make the Team Stronger as a Whole
Jeremy says that instead of focusing on an employee’s weaknesses, you should pair them with another employee who is good at what the first employee isn’t. By focusing on the team rather than the individual, you can hire more effectively when you need a jack of all trades. If the team struggles with programming, then the next effective hire would be someone with a strong background in computer skills, and their weaknesses can be covered by those skills the team already possesses.
3. Hire Someone You Like and Whom the Team Will Like
This point definitely goes against some philosophies of hiring. It can seem intuitive to think you should hire the best candidate full stop, no matter how they get along with the team. And for some companies, this might be the best approach. But when you have an organization with complicated and fluid job descriptions, and a company that sinks or swims by its ability to reach its objectives as a team, team cohesion is paramount. So hire someone who will improve the team and can learn as they go, and there’s no limit to what you’ll be able to achieve.
In the Edge Factor Episode of the Company Growth Podcast, Learn:
- How Edge Factor’s storytelling approach to workforce development drove company growth,
- How Edge Factor built an entire new direction for the company based around key results and OKRs,
- Jeremy’s favourite literature to inspire business leaders, and
- Much more!
Check out the Company Growth Podcast: “Finding Better Ways to Hire and the Importance of Communicated Goals” streaming now on your favourite podcast platform!
For More Hiring Tips, Listen to the Company Growth Podcast
If you love learning business leaders’ opinions on the high-level operations of a business, check out the Company Growth Podcast: it’s what we talk about on every episode!
To browse more episodes by topic, visit the Company Growth Podcast webpage.
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