Many entrepreneurs are quick to hire people without confirming that they are the right cultural fit for their business. Cultural fit is more about understanding the values and practices of your company, the potential to be a team player, but most importantly the potential to scale up your business.

Your business is like a ship on the sea of competition in your niche. Safely arriving at the harbor is only possible when you have a great crew that’s got your back, despite the storms you face in the course of the journey. Hence it is highly important to hire the right talent with the right attitude to fit into your business and not base your hire on sentiments.

Everyone on your team should have the same burning passion as you to make this business succeed and this can only happen when they understand and truly believe in the vision, mission, and principles of your company. Test the interviewees on the core values of your company. It’s one thing for them to be able to do the job, it is another thing for them to have the fire to sustain it even in tough times.

As against the conventional interview methods, construct your interview questions around what your company is about and what your business goals are. Remember, it is not just about the now but for the future too. How do your interviewees fare in areas such as:

• Basic company ethics such as integrity, trustworthiness, honesty, etc.
• Complicated situations that may cause them to lose sight of the end goal (create a scenario as an example)
• Customer centricity

When you hire new talents, don’t just leave them to find their footing in your company. Put together an employee training program that gets them accustomed to the set culture in your company. Don’t expect they would learn everything on the go. Set them on the right course so they will be guided.

Meet with them frequently when you can and ask about their welfare and how they are getting on. Make them free enough to ask you questions even though you are the boss. In your conversations with them and even set tasks, you get to see their strengths and weaknesses at the individual, team, and company level and know how best they would fit in the company structure.

With this information, you can also figure out what kind of training programs can best re-engage and develop them in their areas of weakness while you applaud and commend them in areas of their strengths.

Steve Jobs said, “The secret of my success is that we have gone to exceptional lengths to hire the best people in the world”. Remember, your business is built on the backs of your employees, therefore you should get the best people to be on your team.