The proverbial they always say opposites attract, but that isn't always the case with hiring. Common sense would dictate managers want to hire people who they feel a working chemistry with, or, in other words: people who are similar to them in some way, shape or form.
Rieva Lesonsky's post on smallbizdaily.com makes a strong case for hiring outside your comfort zone. Her penultimate paragraph hammers it all home pretty well:
If you’re an energetic idea generator but not good with details, hiring others who share that personality will doom your business to failure. You need to bring on a few sticklers who thrive on project management to make sure your big dreams actually come true. Conversely, if you tend to get bogged down in details, you might need a partner with “big-picture” thinking who can keep your eyes on the prize. An optimist needs a pessimist to temper the rose-colored glasses with reality. And a shy person needs someone more outgoing to handle the “people” part of running a business.
Basically, when hiring, you should perhaps strive to take a few steps outside of yourself, and hire someone like that instead of the person right under your own nose -- you.
Read Lesonsky's full post at SmallBizDaily.com.
David Wolinsky is a freelance writer and a lifelong Chicagoan. In addition to currently serving as an interviewer-writer for Adult Swim, he's also a columnist for EGM. He was the Chicago city editor for The Onion A.V. Club where he provided in-depth daily coverage of this city's bustling arts/entertainment scene for half a decade. When not playing video games for work he's thinking of dashing out to Chicago Diner, Pizano's, or Yummy Yummy. His first career aspirations were to be a game-show host.
