It’s better to hire no one than hire the wrong person

When you move to the remote Yukon Territory and put out a call for in-office staff, lines are not exactly out the door. But with so much work to be done, you’d think it would be better to hire  one of the people who applies than no one, right?

Not the case, said Heather L. Meszaros, CHS, a five-year MDRT member from Whitehorse, Yukon, Canada. Meszaros and her husband, 13-year MDRT member David Meszaros, CFP, learned this lesson the hard way after the person they hired lasted only three months. It boiled down to trust, as her behavior demonstrated that she couldn’t be relied on to do what was needed. “You can train a lot, but you can’t teach integrity and honesty,” Heather said. “It made me realize I’d rather do the work myself than have someone you can’t trust working for you.”

Part of that means not settling, she added, and waiting for the right person. The new replacement didn’t even live in their town until a few weeks ago.

“Sometimes you have to realize that things might look dark and gloomy right now, but maybe there’s a reason you can’t find someone right away,” she said. “It’s better to say to clients that you’re trying to find someone, and until we do, we might not get back to you until the next day.

“Hiring the wrong person can set you back even further.”

Read more in MDRT’s Hiring Guide. In this guide, you’ll read how to

• Hire and retain talented employees
• Compensate and motivate staff
• Manage employees with effective processes