Mistakes to Avoid When Hiring for your Interior Design Business
Updated August 2023
Hiring is my kryptonite. Some people go to Target. Some people go to Starbucks. I go to Upwork. As my business has grown over the years, I’ve definitely had my share of mistakes when hiring for my company. And as I’ve worked with my clients to help them navigate the hiring process, I’ve seen what happens when things go wrong (and how powerful it is when things go right!).
If you are ready to hire for your own business, here are a few common mistakes I’ve seen that you’ll want to avoid.
Mistake #1 | Hiring Someone to Do Everything.
We’ve all seen the job description that includes a gagillion responsibilities under one role.
Social media marketing. Admin. Client Services. Finances. Tech.
And I get it.
As a business owner, you have to learn how to do all those things in the beginning, so it’s normal to want to find someone to take all the non-creative stuff off your plate so you can focus on your craft. However, trying to find ONE person who has the skill set to do everything in your company is pretty tough to do and will likely result in a hire who is either overqualified and bored or underqualified and not performing well.
When you’re hiring, be sure to map out exactly what tasks you need help with doing. Typically these should be tasks you don’t enjoy doing. Tasks that don’t need to be done by you. Tasks you truly don’t have the skill set to do efficiently. This can be as easy as making a list of all the things you do in a week and then running through the list and highlighting the tasks you want to delegate.
Once you see your highlighted list of tasks, you should be able to create a job description for the role you need to fill, and you might even realize you need more than one person (maybe a general office assistant and a skilled draftsman).
Mistake #2 | Hiring Another You.
A mistake I often see is designers/business owners thinking that to grow, they need to hire “another me”, when in actuality, what they need is someone to support them in the design process and remove the admin tasks from their plate so they can have more time back to do the design work they love.
TIP: Don’t hire where you are strong. Hire where you have weaknesses.
Mistake #3 | Not Having a Hiring Process.
Hiring is expensive and time-consuming. And even more so when you don’t have an organized process in place for doing it. Bringing someone into your company when you don’t have a process means your new team member will likely be frustrated and confused, and you’ll be too busy to properly train them and onboard them.
I’ve seen this happen time and time again when a client hires someone quickly and without following a hiring process, and the next thing you know, the new hire is frustrated, spinning their wheels, not able to do a good job, and the owner is equally as frustrated because their new hire isn’t performing well.
The hiring process includes identifying who you need to bring on, preparing and posting the job description, conducting interviews, making offers (and sending declines), signing paperwork, onboarding new hires, training new hires, and continuing to check in on progress.
Mistake #4 | Not Paying Attention to Red Flags.
Just like the client experience process allows you to spot red-flag clients from a mile away, having a hiring process in place lets you spot red-flag candidates just as easily.
This was a big one for me when I owned my wedding planning company. Whenever I would put out job posts, I would receive a slew of emails from people who “dreamed of having a wedding planning business one day and would love to learn the ins and outs.” Ummm….that would be an internship, not a job. Even in my job description, it clearly said, “THIS IS NOT A WEDDING PLANNER ROLE,” and yet, I would still get applicants messaging me about how this was their dream job. (Clearly paying attention to detail, a basic requirement for my job description, was not in their wheelhouse).
And I know the same thing happens to my designers as well. You’re hiring for a purchasing coordinator, and during the interview, they tell you their five-year goal is to have their own design firm. Ummmmmm…..unless you’re looking to hire and train your competition or want someone who is unhappy in their role because it’s not design-related, this likely won’t be a good fit.
Other Red Flags To Watch Out For During the Hiring Process:
The candidate not having professional references.
The candidate negotiating the bejeezus out of your contract (if you have one).
The candidate not being communicative or responsive during the hiring process.
The candidate not sending a follow-up thank you email after the interview.
The candidate not having any questions for you during the interview.
The candidate not doing their homework on your company to prepare for the interview.
The candidate not dressing appropriately for the interview.
The candidate speaking unprofessionally about previous employers or teams.
My Biggest Mistake When Hiring for My Company
When I made my first hire for this company, I definitely got it all wrong. I had the HOW part down (hiring process, onboarding process, standard operating procedures, etc.). It was the WHO part I messed up.
I thought I needed a marketing coordinator. Someone to create Instagram posts and stories, write newsletters and blog posts, and handle all the marketing for my company.
But what I got wrong was that 1) I actually really enjoy marketing and writing, 2) I’m pretty good at marketing and writing 3) marketing is CRUCIAL to my business and probably not the first thing I should be outsourcing.
I thought that because marketing takes a long time, I should find someone to focus just on that piece of the business, and then I could focus on client delivery and all the other things.
But I was totally backward.
I should have hired someone to help with the parts of the client delivery I didn’t enjoy so I could focus my time on the highly important revenue-generating task of marketing my business which I really enjoy doing.
So after that hire was a flop, I knew I needed to hire someone who enjoyed the work I DIDN’T love doing. And then bring them in slowly to start with admin work, and then as they understood the company and my clients more, they could move to a more client-facing role.
When I took that approach, it was a much better hiring experience (and this person is still with the company today), and I’ve now taken that approach with each hire I’ve made.
Today my team is comprised of women who are strong where I am weak. And who can handle entire parts of the work we do without me needing to be involved. This has allowed me to stay in my zone of genius, all while employing women and giving them work they enjoy doing because they are good at it.
If you know you need to hire in your business and aren’t sure where to start, ask yourself these questions:
What tasks do you do every day?
Of those tasks, which ones do you love? Which ones do you hate?
Which are directly tied to revenue?
Any tasks you don’t love that aren’t tied to revenue: DELEGATE!!!
Then think, what would you be able to do more of if you could remove some of these tasks from your plate? Could you take on one more client a month? Could you work one hour less a day and be available when your kids get home from school? Could you take Fridays off? Could you write more blog posts and newsletters?
Growing your team is an investment in your company, and when done right, it’s the quickest and most efficient way to scale your company. Check out our Designed to Scale Hiring Blueprint for Interior Designers for the tools, templates, and resources you need to confidently navigate the hiring process.
