Do I need a panel of people to interview potential recruits?

How many people should be involved in a recruitment interview?

I run my business by myself but would want someone else’s input into my potential new hires. Is it a good idea to get advisors/mentors in the room for the interviews or should I just rely on my own judgement?

You run your business yourself and you have a clear idea what type of person will assist you to deliver your goals.

They have to be able to work with you. So choose them!

Perhaps you need a second opinion, but after all what you are doing is seeking someone to reinforce your biases.

I say trust your gut.

Gut feel is actually an underrated skill.

In his book Blink, Malcolm Gladwell defines it as “thinking that moves a little faster and operates a little more mysteriously than the kind of deliberate, conscious decision-making.”

He calls it “rapid cognition” and it means we are taking all our experiences and weighing up a situation and quickly coming to a conclusion.

Perhaps you need an advisor to work with you on strategy first:

• strategy before structure; and

• structure before staff.

If you have the right direction and you are aware of your own strengths and needs, then you will be on the right path to gather the right team around you to succeed.

After a corporate career of 25 years I created my own company. Two weeks in I realised I was not very good at formatting proposals.

Content and direction was fine but I was and still am a two-fingered typist. So I found someone to assist. They had to be able to work with me. I chose them.

I needed practitioners to join the business and help me grow it. They had to be able to work with me. I chose them.

Then after another year I needed someone else to support a more substantial business. They had to be able to work with me. I chose them.

Two years later I needed the services of an outsourced CFO. They had to be able to work with me. I chose them.

Now we have grown and when my team need resources they have to be able to work with them so they choose them.

We are in the game so it might be easy, but for your business the principle is still the same.

You can engage advisors or practitioners who will unbundle the recruitment process for you and add the value you need. But never, never, never outsource the final decision if the person hired is working with you!

So the lesson for start-ups is trust your gut. But be able to recognise what stage your business is at and act appropriately.

Finally, the interview is only one stage of the process of selection. Design a suitable process for your needs and be consistent when you apply it.

You will have natural biases and it is crucial that you build a team around you that complements your strengths.