Been thinking lately: hiring good employees really is the simplest thing on Earth.
My boot camp franchise, Fit Body Boot Camp, has been in a bit of a hiring frenzy lately (comes with being the fastest growing franchise in the industry, I guess…)
The whole process has really reminded me about how important it is hire people the right way – and how easy it really is. 
All right, I get it: most of you are shaking your heads right now. You’re maybe thinking the process is confusing, stressful, even terrifying.
And that’s your first problem: the complexity is all in your head. Your hiring process will become a whole lot simpler if you just trust your gut.
That probably goes against a lot of the hiring advice you’ve heard before, but here’s the funny thing: over and over again when I hear business owners tell their nightmare stories about bad hires, the same thing comes up…
“I had a weird feeling about this person, but they interviewed well”
But? But what? Why did you hire them in the first place?
See, here’s the secret to how successful people build their dream teams: they only hire people who knock their socks off. They don’t hire “good enough” people and hope for the best.
Let’s look at the specifics, shall we?
Reason #1 – Resumes are Just a Formality
It’s kind of funny how much people worry about resumes, because they are arguably the least important part of the whole process.
Here’s why: resumes are incredibly easy to fluff. There are all sorts of hacks that people have figured out to make a resume sound more cool and professional than the person behind it. Just go to Google and search for “how to write a killer resume” and see what pops up.
What this means for you is that someone with a spectacular resume can turn out to be a total dud on the job. And on the flip side, someone with humble or even awkward looking resume might be just the honest, hardworking person you want.
I’m not saying you should throw all resumes in the garbage, I’m just saying you shouldn’t waste too much brainpower on them. Just give them a 30-second glance and be done with it.
Make sure they have absolutely essential skills, and look out for painfully obvious red flags (like a 20-year-old kid with a 10 page resume – that’s an ego problem right there).
Once you’ve got a good pile of resumes, start scheduling interviews. Speaking of which…
Reason #2 – You Only Need 20 Minutes for an Interview
Again, interviewing is one of those things that a lot of people freak out about. And admittedly, how you interview is extremely important to how successfully you hire…
…however, it still shouldn’t be that complicated.
Because there’s really only one thing you need to look for in an interview…
This is the thing that makes interviewing so important – something you can only get from one-on-one personal interaction…
Do you click with the person on the other side of the table?
Seriously, that’s it. That’s your gut telling you that you’ve found a good person to work with. If you click and if they can hold an conversation with you about random stuff then they may be a good fit for you.
Often times I’ll go right into questions that catch them off guard and show me the REAL person that they are. For example, last week I was interviewing someone and I asked her to tell me what I might dislike the most about them. It stumped her. She didn’t know what to say. Things got awkward really fast.
Hell, I can make a massive list of the things you’d dislike about me if you were to hire me…
1) I can’t spell worth shit
2) I put everything off till the last minute
3) I’m very opinionated and stubborn
4) I don’t work well on a team
…and the list goes on!
My point is that you’ve got to ask questions that allow you to see the REAL person in front of you so that you’ll know if they’ll click with you and your team.
And here’s the thing about “clicking” with someone – if you don’t click with them within the first 20 minutes of meeting them, you never will. Sure, you can maybe manage to get along with them, but that’s not the same as having a quality working relationship.
Now some of you are probably thinking “Wait a minute, what if I find someone who looks really good on paper but we don’t click in the interview?”
Well…
Reason #3 – It’s Way Easier to Train the Right People
In a perfect world, you’d always get to hire people who click with you and already have the exact skillset you need.
In the real world, you’ll probably end up weighing your options between people who felt great in the interview and people who have a better skillset or experience.
For these situations, there’s only one tie-breaker:
Your gut.
When you’re stuck between multiple options, always go with your gut. There are two very good reasons for doing this:
Vision and mindset.
See, vision and mindset are two of the biggest factors that determine whether any two people will click with each other. Heck, you could even apply this to dating… but for now let’s stick with hiring.
In case you’re curious, this is also why networking events are usually parties instead of workshops – they’re all about giving people the chance to find that click with each other.
So when you click with a trainer or assistant candidate, that means they share your vision and mindset, which also means you can very easily train them on any skills they’re missing.
Heck, the best and most motivated employees often don’t even need training – they just go ahead and train themselves.
And on the flip side, if you hire someone who’s an expert in their field but doesn’t share your vision and mindset…you’re gonna have a bad time. That person’s going to butt heads with you over every little detail and bring your business to a screeching halt.
Reason #4 – Think Positive…and Remember to Fire Fast
One thing I’ve noticed about a lot of the other hiring advice out there is that people get so caught up on negative outcomes when they should be focusing on positive outcomes.
Remember, the whole point of the process is to find someone you WANT to work with, someone you can TRUST to do what’s best for your business, income and clients.
So give everyone you interview an honest shot at clicking with you… ask the questions that get people to open up, show their flaws as well as their strengths…
…and if after 90 days your hire doesn’t work out, fire them.
You’re probably thinking “Whoa, hang on there, that doesn’t sound very positive at all!”
Are you sure?
Pay close attention to my final point…
Reason #5 – YOUR Tribe is Your Responsibility
I think a lot of business owners out there in any industry have a certain fear of letting bad employees go.
They worry about hurting that employee, or they worry about being seen as a jerk, or they’re scared of having to go through the hiring process again.
But the one thing they SHOULD be afraid of is the thing they keep missing…
Bad employees waste your good employees’ time and energy.
Bad employees waste YOUR time and energy.
Bad employees put your entire vision at risk!
Your duty as a business owner is to find and protect your tribe. The people you click with and who do great work with you on the job – those people are your tribe.
Bad employees are NOT part of your tribe. They might be part of someone else’s tribe, but they certainly don’t belong in yours.
Find and hire your tribe and filter out everyone else. It’s the most moral thing you can do for your clients, your business, and your family.
Committed to your success,
Bedros
P.S. Just wanted to let you know that Fitness Business Summit is OPEN NOW for registration – this is my yearly event where I gather up all the top performers in the fitness industry and have them give you their secrets to success! Learn more here: http://fitnessbusinesssummit.com/