Experience last

It’s tempting to hire on experience. The argument goes, f someone’s made a living as a salesman, a programmer or marketing manager, if they’ve managed projects, PA’d or PR’d before, it’s almost certain they know their territory and can hit the ground at a trot. They won’t  stumble along, learning as they go, like someone a little fresher to the turf.

It’s a compelling argument in the short term, especially in you need something done straight away and it’s more stand-alone than middle-of-the-team. That said, contract it out. 

Hiring is always a long term bet. Experience sure helps getting up to speed but the wrong kind of person is the wrong kind of person however fast they started.

For a team role the first priority is always to the team. Hire for fit – which means values, work ethic, capacity first, and experience last.

Skippy strategy: Build teams with team players.

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Category:
Teams