By Catherine Lang-Cline
Everyone wants what they wish for, but wishing for a “unicorn” to join your team may be a wish that even a genie can’t deliver. With the help of the Oxford Dictionary, let’s first define a unicorn:
u·ni·corn
/ˈyo͞onəˌkôrn/
noun
a mythical animal typically represented as a horse with a single straight horn projecting from its forehead.
something that is highly desirable but difficult to find or obtain.
Who wouldn’t want either of these at the office every day? But the truth of the matter is that #1 is impossible and #2 is nearly impossible. When you are writing job descriptions and recruiting for new team members, you need to make sure that you are not asking for the impossible. Wanting someone to wear too many hats is not desirable for anyone, and really, only the owner is invested enough to try. Like an owner, most people may be able to do everything that is asked for but not do everything extremely well. Some people have elevated their career past some mundane tasks and refer to no longer do those. Regardless of the reason, you need to get the role filled and here are some ways that you can get that role filled and get back to work.
Peel back the job description to only include the bare basics of what you need. Need a person to do everything from strategy to production? With that being a huge range, what is THE MOST important thing that needs to get done?
Think about delegating little tasks. If there are simple things that can be removed from the job description and taken over by someone else on the team, the job description will appeal to a more robust candidate. It will also provide an opportunity to grow for those employees.
You can also outsource large projects. Once a website is built you don’t need a web designer on staff, you will only need simple maintenance. It is the same with strategy. You might need a strategic thinker but not someone to come up with an entirely new strategy for your company every day. Think less about projects that need to be tackled and more about what needs to be done day-to-day.
Now with that sorted, what did you end up with? Do you really just need a person to make sales materials and push out social media? Do you need someone to lead a team and conjure up new ideas on a regular basis? Knowing exactly what you need will not only make your job search easier, but it will also create retention of that new hire as they will be delivering what they are good at and you are spending money on the right talent.
Glitter on!!
