One of the most challenging areas of business is hiring staff. Especially a small business. You may not know how an employee will pan out until you hire them, but be smart in your hiring. When you think about it, hiring someone in a two employee business is even more important than hiring at say Apple or Google since that one employee influences so much of your business. So here’s a few things to think about.
- Begin hiring before you need to. Just like borrowing from a bank, it’s better to look for staff when you don’t need them. I don’t know about you, but when I’m desperate for staff, my standards drop. I’m more willing to take whoever comes in the door, but that’s a problem. So to avoid that, be looking for staff before you need them. When you find someone really great, you can always find a place for them. Don’t you think? (incidentally, the best time to look for work is when you don’t need it) I think looking for great people is right up there with looking for great customers.
- Take your time. I think for the small business this could be something of a catch-22. If you wait too long, you may lose them, but if you rush into it, you could make the wrong decision. How do you balance that?
- Set your standards and stick to them. Don’t let yourself be wowed by personality if you are looking for productivity. On the other hand if what you need is personality, then by all means hire that. Whatever it is, YOU need to know what you want and stick to it.
- Check the references. I’m surprised by how often potential employers don’t check references. Great employers want to know what others think of their employees. My son, who is a mortgage broker, recently changed firms. When he was negotiating with the new company, they asked for references, which he provided. He told me he gave his best references. What surprised him was that his new boss started calling up companies that he ‘might’ have worked with to see what they thought. Over and over again he received good reviews. Now my son is working for that company and loves it because they knew it would be a great fit before he even started. I think most prospective employers now check google and facebook.
- If it doesn’t work out, end it quickly. Even if the hiring process was good and the references all checked out, you might still have a misfit. Some talented, passionate, well-trained and qualified people may not fit in your organization. It doesn’t matter why. If you can see it won’t work, end it quickly. Probably my biggest regret with employees has been not letting people go early enough. Has that been the same for you?
Of course once you have a new employee, you owe it to them to train them well and let their talents shine.
I’m sure I haven’t covered everything important about hiring, so what do you do? Share your hiring essentials in the comments.
