Hiring Wisdom: No One Ever Said Running a Small Business Was Easy

From a discussion board I monitor:

“OK … ever reached breaking point? I’ve got two pregnant staff, one has just started maternity, the other has six weeks to go but visited the doctor who has signed them off for two weeks with the view I can magic up light duties from somewhere. Another still learning how to walk after breaking her ankle, oh, and the fourth has a suspected brain tumor … can someone tell me when this will stop please?”

Here’s my response:

4 reasons to always be looking

This is why you should always be looking for your next employee — even when you don’t have a need.

An effective way to do this is to schedule at least one interview a week. Why?

It keeps your interviewing skills sharp.
You develop a list of pre-screened candidates.
You are not forced into desperation hiring (needing someone so badly that you’ll settle for anyone with a pulse).
When you have a bench of potential employees, you don’t have to settle for mediocrity.

This was originally published on Mel Kleiman’s Humetrics blog.