Hiring 101: How to find your A-team

You need a great team to execute your ideas. However, one of the first things entrepreneurs learn is that finding and retaining talent is a big challenge.

In an article for the Workforce Institute, Mel Kleiman, a leading consultant on strategies for hiring, advises prospective and existing employers to have a ‘shopping list’, with what they require of their workers clearly itemised.

“Looking for an employee without knowing exactly what you need is like going grocery shopping without a list. You spend more time and money than you should, you don’t get everything that you need and you usually have to go back and do it again,” he writes.

Here, six Kenyan entrepreneurs share their hiring strategies.

Asim Shah, Tarpo Industries

Company profile: For 40 years, Tarpo Industries has been involved in providing temporary and semi-permanent shelter solutions for local and international clients. We also work in humanitarian relief, oil, gas and mineral exploration, civil works, tourism and hospitality.

Workforce: We employ about 90 people across various functions of our business. Half are directly involved in production and fabrication, with another group solely involved in the events management side.

How we craft our team: Our ‘shopping list’ would include high personal values, right cultural fit, relevant work experience and technical knowledge – in that order. We use a system that measures someone’s character, mental ability and opinions to gauge their true personality. A winning team must be loyal, trustworthy and have long-term commitment to our ideals.

We’re not interested in academic qualifications, unless they’re vocational or applied. Our senior management team is made up of six people, and only two of them have academic degrees! In my 10 years of recruiting experience, I’ve found that Form Four-level arithmetic is good, but applying it in the work environment can be a big challenge. Of course, good knowledge of English is also key, especially when an employee is required to interact with clients.

How we retain talent: We try to find a way of offering them pride of purpose. This way, we have a better chance of retaining our employees. We want our staff to be passionate about what they’re doing, but if this passion isn’t maintained, then they won’t stay.

George Wachiuri, Optiven Group

Company profile: Our company is in real estate, hospitality and insurance, with a presence across Kenya.

Workforce: We have more than 200 employees, and our target is to hire 30,000 more by the year 2030.

How we craft our team: We look for three things: attitude, passion and skills. Our employees must have positive behaviour, cultivate a good relationship with others and have enthusiasm. They should also have the ability to accept criticism, whichever way it comes. We don’t just look for people who love what they do, but those who do the job with energy. Of course, they also need to have proper skills and knowledge of the job.

How we retain talent: Apart from monetary incentives, we seek to offer employees non-cash incentives, such as medical cover and a good working environment with flexible hours.

In addition, we give employees emotional motivation by recognising their efforts, which can be done by offering genuine commendations. Whenever possible, we try to arrange for free holidays to give exceptional workers a chance to rejuvenate. We also seek to identify skills gaps and fill them through training and coaching.

Daisy Auma, Mints County

Company profile: We started the company three years ago to plan for children’s events. We connect vendors in the industry to clients by providing kids’ playing amenities, such as bouncing castles, as well as hiring venues for events. Thanks to technology, it’s possible to plan for an event in Mombasa without leaving our Nairobi offices.

Workforce: I have two permanent employees and five on contract. The number, however, varies depending on the event.

How we craft our team: We work with children and that means everyone in our team must love children, be healthy, agile and patient. It’s important to get someone from the events network as such a person knows what’s expected, as opposed to just picking someone from outside the industry. This is also someone you can trust because they’ve worked with your peers.

Some feel that in the events business, relatives will do, but I beg to differ. I’ve worked with relatives before, but I think I was too trusting and they didn’t know what they were doing.

There are some who assume the job is simple, which means they don’t put in as much effort as required. Such an attitude compromises the brand. In addition, we look for team members with good communication and negotiation skills to convince vendors to give us our share of proceeds with ease. Lastly, they must keep up with new ideas that we can implement in our events.

How we retain talent: First, treat your team right. For example, if food is being served, make sure they’re the first to eat. If transport is needed, organise it quickly or send them money.

Second, ensure that they’re part of the decision-making process. By asking for their input, they feel valued and appreciated. In my case, most of the time, they’re the ones on ground and know what’s happening, so they need to know how to make decisions in my absence.

Kyalo Munyao, Silver Star Advertising

Company profile: Our company does advertising, branding and design.

Workforce: We usually outsource workers, with the numbers depending on the job at hand.

How we craft our team: Each role in the business requires a particular set of qualities. For example, if a worker is dealing directly with clients, then he or she would need good customer relations and the proper etiquette. On the other hand, a designer needs to have thick skin that doesn’t cave in with criticism. This is especially critical since a number of jobs may have to be redone, sometimes more than once.

Think about it this way: a designer may feel that he or she has done a particular job to the best of his or her ability, only for a client to think otherwise. The designer has to realise that there might be more than one way of doing the job. This calls for humility.

How we retain talent: Employees need to know the company vision as they are your key brand ambassadors. This way, they’ll feel like integral cogs in your business.

Mercy Mukuria, Wedding Belles

Company profile: We make and sell wedding gowns, bridesmaids dresses and groomsmen’s outfits.

Workforce: I work in a shop with three employees.

How we craft out team: A wedding gown, for example, makes a strong statement about the bride. This is high fashion. Therefore, we look for workers with a good sense of hygiene and proper grooming. Brides are very sensitive and conscious of how they’ll look in a particular outfit and can make a decision based on the appearance of the person you’ve chosen to show them a particular gown. Thus, our team must play the part or a deal can fail to go through.

How we retain talent: We don’t just look for workers, but aim to hire managers; people who have a sense of ownership. These are the people who don’t have to call you every time there’s an issue – they know what to do. Too much oversight can create distrust, which is detrimental to your business.

Peter Wangai, Goldenscape Group

Company profile: Our company has subsidiaries that perform various roles, such as greenhouse farming, environmental management and retail sales on behalf of investors.

Workforce: We have more than 200 employees.

How we craft our team: Finding a good team for a group with such a diverse portfolio is challenging, but not impossible. We have a team of in-house human resources specialists with long records of duty both in the public and private sectors. Because our group deals with investors’ funds, not just anyone can handle what we do.

A high-level of integrity is required, and as important as a good level of education is, we go beyond the papers to look at one’s behaviour, traits and character.

Interpersonal relationships are vital in our workplace as diverse duties converge, which can test everyone’s nerves. If a person has a doctorate but can’t relate well with others, he’ll be working in the wrong place. Such a person will be a weak link in our conveyor belt.

How we retain talent: We get the team engaged through out-of-office activities. We also organise training outside the country for some team members.

Most importantly, we have a policy of making sure that the top management is easily accessible to all.

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