What are the five hiring traps trade business owners fall into?
The first trap is leaving it too long and then hiring in a panic. When you are desperate, almost anyone with a pulse seems good enough, and you end up with the best of a bad bunch rather than the right person.
The second trap is hiring a copy of yourself. If you think "I just need another me," you end up with someone who shares your strengths but also shares your blind spots and gaps, which limits how well-rounded your business can become.
The third trap is not being clear on the role. Knowing there is a lot of work is not the same as knowing what tasks the person will own and be held accountable for. Vague role descriptions create a slow start and frustration on both sides.
The fourth trap is relying purely on gut feel. Instinct matters, but hiring a mate or overlooking red flags because you like someone is not a process. Without structure, you will get it wrong more often than you get it right.
The fifth trap is having no role criteria during interviews. When there is no clear set of criteria to assess candidates against, the decision defaults to vibe. Vibe is important, but if someone cannot actually do the job, the vibe fades quickly and you are left in trouble.
What should you be assessing every candidate against?
There are three things to look at on balance, and none of them outranks the others.
First, look at the tasks. Be specific and detailed about what the person will own and be held accountable for. Vague job descriptions leave too much open to interpretation.
Second, look at attitude and mindset. Do they care about your business, your team, and your clients? A brilliant person who treats people poorly will damage your culture as your team grows.
Third, look at technical and transferable skills. Have they actually done this work before? Do they hold the certificates and lived experience the role requires?
A highly skilled person who treats people badly is not the answer. Neither is a great team player who is consistently slow and never hits time or budget. You need all three in balance.
How do you work out what your business actually needs?
Start by mapping your own strengths and gaps, and those of your existing team if you have one. The goal is to hire someone who closes the gap between what you are good at and what you are not, bringing in new skills and perspective rather than duplicating what is already there.
For example, if your team is fast on the tools and good with clients but no one is detail-oriented or follows process, hiring another qualified tradesperson just because you are busy might give you short-term relief but will not fix the underlying problem. What you may actually need is someone structured and methodical who can bring order to the work you already have.
If you are a solo operator ready to hire your first person, sit with the question of whether you want to step off the tools, whether you need someone who can take direction, or whether an apprentice you can grow from the ground up suits you better than a fully qualified person who wants to do things their own way.
How far ahead should you be thinking when you hire?
Do not only hire for what you need right now. Think about where your business will be in six months, a year, or eighteen months. The skills you need in two years may be different from what you need today, but ideally every hire should work for at least the next eighteen months of your business.
If you only solve today's problem, you may find yourself back in panic-hiring mode sooner than you expect.
What should you do before you write the job ad?
Sit with these questions before you open a blank document and start writing an advert:
- What are the specific tasks this person will own and be held accountable for?
- What attitude and mindset do I need them to have?
- What technical skills and experience must they bring?
- What strengths does my current team already have?
- What gaps am I trying to close?
- What will this business need in eighteen months, not just today?
Only once you can answer those questions clearly are you ready to start attracting the right candidates. The job ad, the interview questions, and the final decision all flow from the clarity you build here first.
