There's no such thing as somebody who is great at everything. Small business owners need to understand this and come up with strategies to circumvent weaknesses within the workforce so they don't come back to haunt them later. Hiring people with strengths to match existing trouble spots is key but sometimes it can be hard for companies to isolate where the weak links are.
Talking around resumes
According to FatCat, one of the leading issues when finding applicable talent for solving problems is that interviewers don't know what they're looking for or how to isolate it when they find it. In other words, they're asking all the wrong questions.
Author Kelly Eggers said that, at times, HR representatives may not even realize they're using double standards on applicants or failing to be thorough. It could be key to driving off the most qualified individual, FatCat said. These negative experiences can stick with a job hunter and word-of-mouth could prevent others from pursuing careers with the organization.
Advice with applicants
If an owner doesn't know much about business banking or how to apply for a commercial loan, seeking someone with financial experience might be a good addition to the workforce. Similarly, if the business doesn't have anyone knowledgeable in marketing strategy, it would be wise to pursue someone with comparable education in that area.
However, this isn't always the case when it comes to offering a job, either from hubris or inability to attract the right talent. Todd Vernon of Lijit Networks told Entrepreneur Magazine that, as a former engineer with an in-depth knowledge of technology, he underestimated his sales ability and wound up wasting around $6 million in startup funding before he realized he needed to hire someone to fix the company's angle.
"It was kind of a naive point of view," Vernon said, telling the publication that, when he first started out, he made the mistake of assuming that the one aspect of business he knew nothing about would be easy to handle. "You need to really understand, as an entrepreneur, the things you don't know."
Companies seeking sound financial advice should always look for a company or professional with experience and success in these areas, as assuming they know everything could lead to failure.