One of my biggest consulting clients had a favorite phrase: "Don't just hire; choose good people."  It may sound obvious, but think back on those new employees that didn't work out.  Were they brought on board to quickly fill an open position, or were they chosen because of the basic skill sets they already commanded?

Many smaller organizations run into this issue because they do not have the HR resources to run the recruiting search correctly.  They also may be unable to afford professional recruiting support because their fees can reach up to one-third of the new-hire's compensation.

One major trap is thinking that your organization's needs are unique; therefore, the job posting is centered on that uniqueness.  Consider this example of a company that sells playground equipment (small business columnist Jim Kendall, Daily Herald newspaper, May 28, 2008).  The company followed industry practice by hiring retired parks and playground people and taught them to sell.  However, their experience of managing parks and playgrounds had a rough transition into the world of sales.

Following professional advice, the company changed focus and instead hired proven sales people, and then trained them to understand playground equipment.  Sales took off.

Are you making the same mistakes when hiring.  Shouldn't you be choosing people with the necessary skills you require, and then train them to the "uniqueness" of your business?  Look at a person's transferable skills rather than at their industry experience.  many times, those transferable skills are what you need.