Way to go! Your small business has grown and you need to hire someone. If you’re going to stay ahead of the game and leverage your business, hiring others is a necessary step.
If you think that everything will be roses and sunshine once you decide to hire someone, think again. Hiring is not a one and done. Hiring is a consistent process of recruiting, much like networking is for referrals.
With over 20 years mentoring business owners on leveraging their business, hiring is the most important strategic element in leveraging your company. Every new employee or contractor will either improve your company or inhibit its growth.
When followed, these tips will improve your hiring process so you find the best team:
1. Clearly define your strategy.
A formalized approach to acquiring talent will save you time and a lot of headaches. When creating a talent acquisition strategy, you need to consider your whole hiring experience, including branding, hiring standards, candidate assessment and your unique message or approach to hiring.
When you have your strategy, determine if there are other ways to complete the work, like automating or systematizing functions. Hiring too soon without exploring these options may keep you from the results you intend.
Additionally, your strategy should include clearly defined metrics when to hire. You should know at what point you will get a return on your investment for the hire and make sure you can justify the expenses.
2. ABR – Always be recruiting.
Hiring is not just a one and done event. It is a continuous system where you are always looking for talent to take your business to the next level. If you wait until you need someone, you’re setting yourself up to make a desperate decision. When meeting with people, find out more about them and their skills. You never know who you might meet.
They may also not be a traditional employee either. They may have their own company but provide the kind of service you need to move your company to the next level. Keep your mind open to a different way of getting the job done.
3. Include others in your process.
When hiring, don’t always count on only your opinion. Include others on your team to interview candidates. When you have final candidates have them interview with others in your company, especially with others they will most interact with. This practice provides additional perspectives you may not have seen which increase the odds of finding the candidate with the greatest fit.
4. Don’t stop at your hire.
Orienting and training new employees is an integral part of your hiring system. If you end up of doing work that would have normally been delegated to the new hire but they are not fully trained, you’re missing an important part of your hiring process. Make sure you have a way to train them.
One effective way is providing an Operations Manual or Training Manual for your new hire to review. You might also have a resource manual that illustrates certain routine processes, too. With an Operations Manual, Training Manual and/or Resources Manual, you can shorten the training cycle.
In the end, whether you hire a contractor or an employee, you want to have a solid selection process in place. A formalized system helps you clearly see the type of work that needs to be complete, the qualities of the best person, and how to improve company performance. When you put in place an effective talent system, you’ll improve your time, effort, productivity, and bottom line.
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