Your team can make or break your business. Finding and hiring the right people that are superior fits for the important positions in your company is essential to a productive and profitable company.
It is well worth the investment in time to plan and understand the necessary steps to define rolls and recruit the best and most qualified candidates.
Write an effective job description
Job descriptions are an essential part of hiring and managing your employees. These written summaries ensure your applicants and employees understand their roles within your organization, what they need to do, and expectations of the position. A job description should be clear and accurate to effectively define your needs. Good job descriptions typically begin with a careful analysis of the important facts about what you envision as the actions and contributions of that employee. Be flexible with your job description. Jobs are subject to change for personal growth, organizational development and/or evolution of new technologies. A flexible job description encourages employees to grow within their position and contribute over time.
Decide if you want to hire a contractor or employee
Many small businesses rely on independent contractors for their staffing needs. There are many benefits to using contractors over hiring employees due to the overall cost savings and reduced liability. Visit the IRS Independent Contractor or Employee guide to learn about the tax implications of either scenario You can also download and fill out a form to have the IRS officially determine your workers’ status and find other related resources.
Plan your interview to get your desired result
Just as a candidate will prepare for their meeting, you too need to be prepared for the interview process in order for it to be effective. Start with the end in mind and know the exact traits, skills, personality, and experience that best fits the position you need to fill. Design questions around uncovering the vital information that will help you compare one candidate against another in terms of appropriateness for the job at hand. Consider both your short term needs and long term goals. Will this person help now and be willing to grow to meet future needs down the road?
Should you do a background check?
When you are hiring employees, you might need more information on a candidate to make an informed decision. Credit Reports, Criminal investigations, as well as other screening methods require written authorization from the prospective employee. To what extent a private employer may consider an applicant’s criminal history in making hiring decisions varies so be sure that you are up to date on what is applicable for your particular location before you engage in any background check investigation.
Be prepared before you staff up
Before you hire your first staff members be sure that you have your policies and procedures in place. A well-written, comprehensive employee handbook needs to be assembled and reviewed for legal and compliance factors prior to bringing new employees on board. Other items such as non-disclosure agreements, anti-discrimination policies, compensation, benefits, work schedules & payroll, standards of conduct, and general employee information all need to be decided and in-place prior to any hiring.
Staffing up your new or existing business is an exciting pursuit with great anticipation and eagerness for success. Putting all of the necessary measures in place before hiring will save a lot of unnecessary hassles and possible legal issues down the road.