13 Lessons I Learned About Hiring for a Senior Position

When you’re hiring for a senior position, it can be a real challenge. It takes a lot of time and effort to find the right person for the job. As a business owner, it’s important to know how to attract top talent and make the best decision. After going through the process myself, I’ve learned some valuable lessons that I want to share with you.

So, here are 13 lessons from experienced professionals who have been in your shoes:

What’s the most important thing I’ve learned about hiring for a high-level position in my company? And how has it affected future hires?

Let me share with you some valuable tips I’ve picked up along the way.

1. Don’t Hire Out of Desperation

One of the biggest mistakes I made when hiring for a senior role was rushing the process because we were overwhelmed. I ignored some red flags during the interviews because I just wanted to fill the position quickly. But it backfired and ended up causing even more stress and setbacks for us. – Kelsey Raymond, Influence Co.

2. Look at Their Values

When I’m hiring for a senior position, I know that experience, achievements, and future goals are important. But it’s not just about what they’ve done and what they want to do. What really matters is their values. I need to make sure their values align with my business, and that they’ll fit into and maintain my company culture. If they’re out of step in this area, it can create conflicts with the rest of the team.

3. Have More Than One Interview

When it comes to hiring important people for your company, conducting multiple interviews is crucial. If you’re considering putting someone in a top-level position, it’s essential to thoroughly assess whether they are the right fit for the job. By conducting multiple interviews, you have the chance to explore the candidate’s experience and personality in depth. Take full advantage of this opportunity to gain a better understanding of the potential hire before making any final decisions. ~ Chris Christoff, MonsterInsights

4. Make Sure You’re Excited About Them

When it comes to hiring a senior executive, I believe in the saying, If it’s not a ‘hell yes,’ then it’s a ‘no.’ It’s easy to get tempted and settle for someone who meets most of our expectations when there’s been a long vacant role. But I’ve found a better solution. Instead of compromising, I suggest hiring interim or contractor support to meet our temporary needs. This way, we can continue building our pool of candidates until we find someone who truly excites us.

5. Add a Personal Touch to the Process

We need to make the hiring process more personal. Let’s skip the form letters and canned responses and instead, communicate directly with prospective hires in a genuine manner. Let’s find out what they’re looking for in the position and what we can offer them from our company’s standpoint. This approach will lead to higher quality hires who will stay with us for the long term.

6. Explore Talent from Within

I discovered that when searching for a high-level role in our company, it’s smart to consider our current employees. We might have a future leader among us, someone who hasn’t had the chance to fully shine yet. Take the time to evaluate the individuals already on our team and see if there’s someone with the right skills and experience for the job. ~ John Turner, SeedProd LLC

7. Tap into Your Team’s Knowledge

When you’re considering a new senior hire for your team, think about what qualities you would want them to have. Would they earn the respect of your team? Do their expectations align with what your team envisions? Start by gathering insights from your team, indirectly. Then, create a plan for the future that everyone desires. Make sure you and the applicant are on the same page, and if they fit in well, go ahead and close the deal. ~ Mario Peshev, DevriX

8. Look for Loyalty

Search for candidates who have a strong history of loyalty and a proven track record of staying with a company for a long time. This indicates that if everything else works out, they are likely to stay with your team as well. ~ Nicole Munoz, Nicole Munoz Consulting, Inc.

9. Use the Four-Hour Plane Rule

When it comes to hiring, I have a golden rule that I always follow – the four-hour plane rule. It’s simple: I ask myself, if I were on a four-hour plane ride with this person, would it be a pleasant experience? Would we have interesting things to talk about? Would the environment be something I would look forward to or dread? After all, you have to interact with senior executives on a regular basis, so it’s crucial that you actually want to work alongside them.

10. Look for Someone Your Employees Will Look Up to

If you’re thinking of promoting someone within our company, it’s really important to make sure that they are well-respected, or at least well-liked, by the rest of us. You should consider the work they’ve done, if they’ve been willing to take on extra tasks, and how they interact with others. It’s crucial to choose someone who puts in a lot of effort, so that we will support them in their new role. That’s what Syed Balkhi from WPBeginner says, and I think he’s right.

11. Know what they want

When I’ve hired people for higher positions in the past, I think it’s really important to understand why they want to work for our company. Some companies are worried about hiring experienced people for fear that they’ll leave as soon as they get a better offer. But if we ask the right questions, like what they want to achieve here, we can learn about their goals. Stephanie Wells from Formidable Forms agrees with this, and I agree too!

12. Get to Know Their Work Experience on a Deeper Level

When looking at someone’s past work experience, it’s important to delve deeper into the details. Job titles can differ from one company to another, so it’s crucial to understand what kind of tasks they were responsible for on a daily basis. You should also find out the size of the teams they worked with and whether their experience aligns well with what you need.

13. Put Their Skills to the Test

In the search for the right candidate, prioritize those who can quickly apply their skills. It’s not enough for someone to have experience – they should be able to turn that experience into valuable work for your organization. Sometimes, people with senior-level positions may only excel in certain industries or with specific team sizes. To make sure you’re making the right choice, it’s a good idea to test their abilities before offering them a job.