Looking past the resume to find better employees

6/8/2011

Online retail store Zappos has an interesting hiring approach - they have a four-week training program that all employees go through, and the company even pays interviewees money to walk away from the program if they decide it isn't for them.

As American Express OPEN Forum suggests, more small businesses could learn from Zappos' hiring process. The company suggests that making the decision to bring on a new employee should be less about answering questions in the right way - entrepreneurs need to dig deeper and evaluate the prospect as a whole.

"Many applicants will come to you with impressive resumes - but a resume doesn't tell you how they really do their job and how they fit in with your team. Having a prospective employee actually get down in the trenches and do a trial project (paid, of course) can give you a much clearer picture of how they’ll actually work for your company," the source recommends.

With the busy summer months ahead, a number of small business owners are looking to hire new employees. Thanks to better access to commercial loans, they are more able to bring on new workers to meet rising consumer demand.