In my time as a finance and business expert, I’ve heard a lot of people complaining about the contractors they hire. More specifically, they share how contractors are flaky, don’t show up or just produce poor work. Upon further investigation, I find out why business owners can’t seem to hire contractors.
Mistakes People Make When Trying to Hire Contractors
Part of the reason why I’ve never had a problem hiring good contractors is because I was a former recruiter. While this past experience certainly helps, I don’t believe it’s necessary to hiring good people for your business.
In fact, I believe it’s more common sense than anything. As long as you avoid some common mistakes, you can increase your chances of hiring the best.
Mistake #1: Expecting one contractor to do everything.
One of the biggest mistakes business owners make when trying to hire contractors is expecting one contractor to do everything. For example, they may hire a virtual assistant and assume that they can write, edit, do administrative tasks, create images and do sales.
Well, it doesn’t really work that way.
Instead, business owners need to get clear on the specific tasks they need done and then hire specialists in those specific tasks. I cannot expect my business manager to make graphics if it’s not her forte, so I hire a graphic designer.
Mistake #2: Trying to go cheap.
If you want good quality people, you’ll have to pay them what they deserve. Now, trust me, I get the fact that you have a business budget. I also understand the need to lower costs for profitability. I’m just saying that – depending on the contractor – you’ll have to shell out money.
For example, want a good accountant? You’ll have to pay for that. But, they’ll pay for themselves. Same goes for any other contractor you may hire. By paying them what they deserve, they will work harder for you. It also breeds loyalty.
Mistake #3: Not knowing how to delegate.
The ability to hire contractors doesn’t matter if you don’t know how to delegate to them. For many people, asking for help is hard. Or, they see it as a waste of money instead of an investment that can help them scale and make more money.
But herein lies the problem: you literally (and figuratively) can’t do everything yourself. Literally, there are only so many hours in a day. Your hours a business owner should be spent making money.
Figuratively, your time is the most valuable thing you have. If you’re spending it on things that don’t make you money, you cheapen yourself.
Mistake #4: Treating contractors like dirt.
I recently had an interesting conversation with my business manager. She ended up changing her title from “assistant” to “manager” because she found clients treated her better when they saw her as a manager.
If you’re hiring contractors you need to remember they are just that – contractors. They have boundaries, families, and time constraints. They are human just like you.
Unfortunately, some people forget that and then they wonder why they can’t seem to find good contractors. Sometimes it’s not that the contractors are bad, it’s that the business owner doesn’t know how to treat them.
Final Thoughts
Trying to hire contractors that do good work is not difficult, it simply requires that you keep a few things in mind. By avoiding these mistakes, you can hire a team that helps move your business forward.
