Listen, we can’t be good at everything and as a business owner, one of the most important things you can do is accept this.
Nobody expects Mary Berry to be able to make waves with her mind, in the same way you’d never ask Aquaman to bake you a birthday cake. We’ve all got our own skills and superpowers but it’s crucial that we also accept our limits.
As a business owner or employer, this can become a bit of a stumbling block when it comes to recruitment. So, you’ve acknowledged a gap in your skillset, recognised that you need to employ somebody more qualified to fill it but how can you identify a field expert when you aren’t one yourself?
A common example of this is SEO. You know you need it to climb the search ranks and boost your small business marketing but you wouldn’t even know where to start with things like H tags, meta descriptions and alt text. When something feels like one big mystery or a foreign language, it can then be hard to know what you’re looking for when outsourcing or recruiting.
Here are our top tips on hiring an expert in an area you, quite frankly, haven’t got a Scooby Doo about…
Do your research 
With modern technology and good old Google, there isn’t much you can’t find out with half an hour’s worth of digging around the internet.
You might not become an expert in the field within the hour but you will at least have a better understanding of the basics.
Analyse role descriptions on job vacancy listings
If you aren’t sure exactly what a job role should cover – whether it’s freelance or full time – hit up some reputable recruitment sites. Search for similar jobs and read the lists of responsibilities usually related to them to gain better insight.
Pull in help from other parts of the business
We would always recommend enlisting the support of somebody from a relevant department in the business. For example, if you’re looking to hire a social media expert, you could pull in somebody from the marketing team who will have a much better idea of what to look out for.
Ask for references and a portfolio
The best way to build a character profile and get a good idea about whether somebody is the expert they claim to be is to experience what they do first hand. Ask to see some examples of past work, case studies and testimonials from previous clients or employers before committing to anything.
Do you have any of your own tips or advice on hiring an expert in a field you can’t fathom? Leave them in the comments below or come and join the conversation over on Twitter.
