Dear Barb:
How long do you give a new recruiter, before you realize you may have made a bad hiring decision? My new recruiter has had no production going on five months, but he seems to be close to closing his first deal. I hate to lose the money I’ve invested so far in his compensation and training. How much longer should I ride this out?
Barry N. Fort Lauderdale, FLDear Barry:
I have never established a set timeframe for a new hire to represent a return on my investment. What you should do is set a dollar amount that you are willing to invest in a new hire before you begin to realize an ROI (Return on Investment). I’ve seen many owners invest over $50,000 waiting for a new hire’s first deal to close, only to end up firing the person.
What concerns me is that you stated that he seems to be close to closing his first deal. When you hire someone new, you should be reviewing their numbers daily and conducting an informal review with them weekly to assure they are focused on areas which provide them with the greatest chance of success.
When you hire someone it is important to provide them with written expectations and minimum daily results standards. You don’t want to wait five months and realize all the money you’ve invested with no return. I would put this employee on probation with a specific plan of action that includes minimum results standards. Set a specific amount you are willing to invest before you take action. You then need to meet with this person daily, almost micro-managing them. They will either begin to produce or if they are not passionate and confident, they will either resign or be terminated.
Barbara J. Bruno, CPC, CTS