While speaking in Dallas during sessions, workshops, and keynotes, a number of people came up and asked a variety of questions. Many of these questions centered on employees—how to find them, recruit them, hire them, and retain them.
One of the most common questions was this: Should we hire for experience, or should we hire for potential?
In other words, should you hire someone who is seasoned, likely more expensive, and who theoretically knows what they are doing? Or should you bring on someone who is greener, less costly on the front end, but who will require a lot of internal training?
It is a great question, and one worth exploring.
Hiring Is A Long-Term Relationship
When you hire someone for your business, you are entering into a relationship that is somewhat like a marriage. Of course, it is not actually marriage, but there is a long-term aspect to it that cannot be ignored. That is why clarity in hiring is so critical—but the process does not stop there.
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The onboarding process is just as important for setting the right tone and expectations when bringing someone new onto your team. To ensure a smooth transition, it is best to create a documented, checklist-based onboarding system. This system should be detailed, structured, and broken down into specific time blocks that cover the first four weeks, or even eight to twelve weeks.
For example, you might have a plan for Week 1, Day 1, Hour 1, followed by Week 1, Day 1, Hour 2, and so on. That level of detail gives new team members great clarity from day one.
Why Onboarding Matters
Whether you hire for experience or potential, a structured plan communicates several important things:
- Your business has established procedures and expectations. You expect them to follow those procedures, because you do.
- Your organization values transparency over chaos. A structured environment helps your team succeed.
- Precision and clarity are the standard. From the very beginning, you set the tone that every team member should maintain this level of organization in their own work—especially when working with others.
The Two Main Hiring Paths
When it comes to acquiring talent, you generally have two options.
Option 1: Hiring Experience.
You can pursue top-tier, experienced professionals. With this choice, you are buying the entire skill set and experience, which comes at a premium price. Hiring experienced professionals can bring tremendous expertise, but it can also introduce higher-level drama and the need for stronger management.
Option 2: Hiring Potential.
You can bring on individuals who may not have extensive experience but who show strong character and potential. This works especially well if your business already has clear processes and systems in place. A well-structured culture can shape and develop these hires into high-performing team members over time.
Both strategies can work. The decision depends on your specific needs, your resources, your long-term goals, and your willingness as a business owner to lead and invest in people.
The Importance Of Clarity
A quick word of caution. Some business owners assume that if they lack internal structure, hiring someone with years of experience will make up for it. That is not the case. If your business lacks clarity, even the most experienced hire will be stepping into chaos. Their long-term experience will not compensate for your internal challenges.
Instead, the solution is to invest in the foundation: purpose, people, process, and profit.
A Resource To Help You
If you want to dive deeper into this, there is a new book called The Chaos Free Contractor. Even if you are not a contractor or do not serve contractors, you can simply replace the word “contractor” with your own business type. The principles still apply, and you will get just as much value.
You can grab your copy at BusinessOnPurpose.com or on Amazon.
Scott Beebe is the founder of Business On Purpose (mybusinessonpurpose.com) and speaker for the AEC industry and author of the book Let Your Business Burn: Stop Putting Out Fires, Discover Purpose, and Build a Business That Matters. Business On Purpose works with business owners to articulate purpose, people, process, and profit to liberate owners from chaos and make time for what matters most.
