Hire Power

Hiring A New Employee Takes Preparation

If you want to grow your business, sooner or later you're going to have to get some help. But hiring can be tough. Sure, it's nerve racking when you're the one looking for a job. But surprisingly, it's also intimidating when you're on the other side of the desk, looking to hire just the right person to help grow your company. With the proper preparation, however, you'll find just the perfect person or people to add to your team. You won't have to do everything alone, and they'll help take your business to the next level.

Ten Hiring Do's and Don'ts:

DO write a clear job description. It is tempting to just jot down a quick job description when it's time to place a help-wanted ad. But developing a clear job description is actually key to hiring success. It helps you attract exactly the right applicants, saves you time and helps you understand exactly what interview questions to ask and what tasks you'll assign to your new staff member.
DO be realistic. While it's typical in a small business for people to wear many hats, consider whether one real live person can manage very different tasks.

DO interview several candidates. Even if you're really excited about on applicant, you'll have a better idea if he or she is really the right person for the job if you interview at least three prospects in person.

DO be prepared. When interviewing, have a list of questions ready and be sure to ask the same questions of every candidate, as well as questions based on each individual's own resume.

DO hire for attitude, train for skills. If you find someone with a can-do and will-do attitude, that'll be more important in the long run, than someone with exactly the right experience or education. Look for willing, eager-to-succeed employees and train them for the specific job tasks.

DON'T be in a hurry. Keep looking until you find the right person. Of course, you'll never find someone who's exactly perfect, but filling a position just because you need someone now is likely to lead to problems later.

DON'T do all the talking. When you're conducting an interview, it's typical to just start talking. You'll want to tell the applicant about the job and your company, but you won't learn enough aout an applicant if you do all of the talking.

DON'T be overly impressed by credentials. It's easy to be swayed by names of big corporations or leading universities on a resume. But remember, you're looking for the best candidate, not the best resume.

DON'T be swayed by your first impression. For important jobs, arrange for a second in-person interview with your top prospects. Also be sure to check references.

DON'T make - or imply - promises of job security or future raises. For legal reasons, be careful not to say anything that can be misinterpreted as an implied contract, such as "I never fire anyone," or "You'll be here for at least five years." It's a good idea to give new hires an offer letter by spelling out their pay and benefits and making it clear that they're an at-will employee (meaning you can terminate them without cause).

We hope that these tips helped! If you would like to see the original article, check out The Costco Connection, Hire Power, by Rhonda Abrams.