Katya Sarmiento’s Ultimate Hiring Hacks

It’s happened to the best of us. We’ve all been burnt in the past by people who seem to have the right skill set. But as soon as you onboard them, they drop the ball. Whether this is your current situation, or you’re only just expanding and new to the hiring process, hiring and on-boarding a team are essential steps in the growth of your agency.

Katya Sarmiento shared with us the three most important steps in anyone’s hiring process. Starting with…

The mock test

Often, potential team members present themselves as skilled and qualified but fail to deliver when put to the test. Which is why it’s of massive importance to put them to said test before you officially on-board them.

Take a salesperson for example. For them, this could be a sales project in the form of an actual situation or task. This shouldn’t necessarily be something you can use in your business, but something that can help them too. It’s a win-win because this could potentially be something they can use in their portfolio.

Remember, you’re not paying them for this so this could easily be just a quick one-hour-or-less project.

The trial period

If they can deliver the outcome you were expecting from this project, you can start them on a trial period – to avoid anyone is “king of the castle” straight away, which sadly tends to happen when a new recruit is given too much, too fast.

In the trial period, you’ll want to establish what the working relationship looks like. Make sure they’re involved in your vision, your company’s culture, your company’s family, so that they can also understand what your expectations are and how to best deliver them.

The on-boarding process

After a 90-day trial period, they’ll need to have established their own OKR’s and KPI’s to track within the company. They need ownership over the results of something in your company, whether that’s sales, client accounts, marketing, or anything else, to ensure commitment and involvement, rather than this being “a job”. Basically, keep them incentivised. 

To recap, you’ll want to follow three clear steps:

• The mock test
• The trial period
• The on-boarding process

Follow this simple rule-of-three, and you’ve got a pretty surefire way to avoid rushed hires who lose interest after landing the job.