How to Attract the Right Person When Hiring
If you run a business, you’ll already know that a bad hire costs more than an empty role.
Between rework, missed deadlines, unhappy clients and your best people picking up the slack. Recruitment isn’t about just attracting a person it’s about getting the right person for the team.
The good news? You don’t need fancy HR systems to hire well. You just need clarity, honesty, and a repeatable process.
BE CLEARER TO ATTRACT BETTER CANDIDATES
Most job ads fail because they’re vague or unrealistic. Instead, focus on what good actually looks like. Before you advertise, ask:
- What does success look like in the first 3–6 months?
- Where does this role most often go wrong?
- What skills really matter on the tools or in production?
Then write your ad around 5–7 outcomes, not a shopping list.
Example (installer):
- Safe, tidy installs
- Accurate set-out
- Minimal call-backs
- Clear communication with clients and the office team
Clear roles attract the right people and filter out the rest.
SHOW THE REAL JOB (THIS SAVES HEADACHES LATER)
A realistic view of the role helps set expectations and reduce turnover within the initial 90 days:
- Photos or a short video of your workshop and install sites
- A brief “day in the life”
- Honest mention of early starts, PPE, deadlines, and physical work
In the advert or in the recruitment process will help create a vision of what its like to work for you as a company. When reach interview stage, make sure that you walk the candidate through the workshop and introduce them to the team. It gives everyone a better feel for whether the fit is right.
STOP HIRING ON GUT FEEL — USE STRUCTURE
A relaxed chat feels good, but it’s a poor predictor of performance. A far better approach is to ask the same key questions of every candidate and creating a score like matrix so that you can compare each candidate fairly and consistently.
Remember to focus on real examples, not hypotheticals.
Examples:
- “Tell me about a job that went wrong — what did you do?”
- “How do you check your quality before handing work on?”
- “What do you do when you don’t know all the details for the job?”
WORK SAMPLES BEAT CVS EVERY TIME
Seeing someone undertake a task tells you far more than hours of talking.
Examples:
- Installer marks out a mock install and talks through hazards
- Production staff apply vinyl or finish a panel
- Designers review artwork and flag build issues
HIRE FOR ATTITUDE AND STANDARDS (NOT JUST EXPERIENCE)
The best hires usually share three things:
- Pride in quality and finish – they take ownership of their work, pay attention to detail, and understand that accuracy and presentation matter to both clients and the bottom line.
- Respect for safety and systems – they follow established processes, work safely on site and in the workshop, and understand that systems exist to prevent incidents, errors, and rework.
- Willingness to ask questions and learn – they’re not afraid to say “I don’t know,” seek clarification early, and continuously build their skills as materials, technology, and expectations change.
Experience helps but attitude, standards, and coachability are what protect your business long term. Attitude and standards protect your margins.
In brief, if you want better hires:
- Be clear on outcomes
- Show the real job
- Use structured interviews
- Test real work
- Move quickly and communicate clearly
Good recruitment isn’t about luck. It’s about making the right choice obvious.
Need a hand with your next hire?
If you’re recruiting or know you need to but keep putting it off, let us help you make the right choice obvious. Contact the team today at hello@networkhr.co.nz