A couple of years ago I took a seminar that discussed hiring and retaining good employees. It really opened my eyes, and now that I'm in the process of searching for a new employee, I've been reviewing what I learned.

The biggest lesson… when you hire mediocre employees, you get mediocre results. So hire fantastic employees and you'll get fantastic results. Pretty basic, but somehow it was never part of my mindset.

Prior to the seminar I used to dread interviewing people, and spent very little time with them before making the decision to bring them on board. I used to think that the interview process was taking valuable time away from everything else I had on my plate, but I learned that the more time you spend with someone in advance, the more likely you are to see if they'll be a good fit.

The instructor, Ed Ryan, suggested spending anywhere from five to eight hours on the interview process. You might even consider having a potential employee work with you for a day (basically a working interview). This will give you a great opportunity to get a feel for their ability, work ethic, customer service, etc. He also suggested interviewing at least three to five employees to make sure you're choosing the "best of the best."

If you don't find the right person keep going until you do… don't settle.

What are your secrets for hiring the best employees?