Hiring Fast vs. Hiring Right

My company is growing fast, and we've got some really burning hiring needs. How important is it to find the right employee versus hiring an employee right now?

Intellectual capital is critical in the new Web-driven world, however, so is time to market.

Some firms balance these tensions by using contractors to fill staffing needs during periods of hypergrowth. By using contractors, you get a worker in right away and have time to determine whether they are the employee your company needs. You don't have to worry about making a hasty and possibly unfortunate hiring decision and having to deal with the uncomfortable situation of firing someone later. There are plenty of independent contractors and consultants who are willing to have such a working relationship.

Even if you decide to take the easy way out of an employment crunch by hiring independent contractors, don't relegate hiring to the lowest priority on your list. Hiring great talent takes management focus. Managers need to include both people in their department and other managers from outside their department to interview job candidates. Organizations sometimes become lopsided because one department recruits and hires really top-notch people and other departments settle for a body to fill a gap. Watch out for this.

Also watch that you don't misclassify workers that you hire as an independent contractor. The IRS is really cracking down on firms that use independent contractors as employees.