What to know before making the first hires for your business
Your small business is getting off the ground, making revenue, and becoming busy. Congratulations!
While this is a great achievement, it’s also a stressful time. If your business has suddenly got busier, you’ll quickly get overwhelmed if you don’t bring on some more hands to share your workload.
It’s tempting to want to hire people quickly to get things moving again. But, make sure you do your research about bringing new staff on. Don’t just choose the first people who send in good resumes – there are procedures you should put in place to ensure you’re only hiring reliable and qualified employees.
Read our top tips below before you put up your first job ad.
Partner with a background checking company
Performing background checks is essential for ensuring your applicant is who they say they are, that they really do have that degree and that they have the relevant experience for your role. Employment verification is an especially important part of background checks. So, what is employment verification?
This check ensures that the roles and businesses listed on the candidate’s resume are real and that they really did work there in that job. It helps you verify that the person has the correct experience needed to do the role you need to fill.
Our best advice? Save time and money by enlisting a professional background checking company to verify your applicants’ employment history for you.
Your first hires set the foundations of your company culture
Instead of hiring the first person who seems competent, choose wisely. Are they shy and lacking experience, but they have good qualifications? You might want to think twice.
Your first hire should be a quick thinker, a great communicator, and a multi-tasker. They’ll likely need to perform several different functions in your small business. They should be confident but not arrogant, easy to instruct, and full of ideas.
This sets the tone for the next people you employ. If you walked into your office as a candidate, would you want to work somewhere where everyone is quiet and keeps to themselves, or would you want to belong to a strong, outgoing team? Think about the culture you want to build before you sign any contracts.
Hire for potential
Having said the above, you should also try to see through a person’s initial impression. Many people are nervous during interviews, so it’s not a great indication of their true personalities.
A good way to get to know candidates on a deeper level is to hold a two-stage interview process. The first could be a formal interview to get the experience and qualifications side of things out of the way. If you’re impressed by what they do, invite them back for a more informal session to show them how the business works and what they’ll be doing day-to-day.
Since you’ve already met, their guard will be down, and you’ll be able to see more of their true colors. This can be a great way to gauge their true potential within your company. If they’re passionate about what you’re doing and you can see their potential to drive the business forward, they’ll be a great asset to your team.
Hire carefully
You don’t want to regret bringing a team member into your business.
Prevent this by discussing how you’ll implement a hiring process with your co-founders (if any) and create a profile of the perfect person you’re looking for – but be open to having your mind changed.