No matter which industry you are in, you will be facing an important decision as soon as your business grows. You will no longer be able to complete all tasks yourself, and need to hire staff to look after your admin tasks, take care of customers, or simply support you in your venture. Hiring your first employees is a challenge, and not choosing the right person can cause financial loss and frustration. Read five tips below to help you make the right choice first time.
1. Ask for Recommendations from Your Network
The best way of finding talent in your industry is to get in touch with people you work with. If you are a member of a networking group, you can simply ask around. You will be surprised how many people will give you recommendations. Even if you don’t want to use recruitment agencies, you can filter out unreliable and inexperienced applicants. People would not recommend another person for a position if there is the slightest chance of trouble.
2. Offer a Trial Period
If you are not completely sure what you need in the business, you should start with a trial period that ends with an official evaluation. You might even consider apprenticeships for employers to choose from a pool of fresh graduates. This way you can learn a lot about candidates’ abilities without having to commit to keep them on if they are not a good fit.
3. Start on a Freelance Basis
Another way of making sure you have the right person for the job is to get a freelancer for your first project and hire them if they perform according to your expectations full time. You don’t want to take on an employee without knowing that they can create value for your business and help your brand grow. There are plenty of talented people working as freelancers, looking for a permanent position. Check popular websites and make sure your future employee has the right skillset.
4. Offer Remote Working to Attract Talent
If you want to hire the right person, you sometimes have to make allowances. If an applicant is asking about remote working full time or a few days a week, and your role allows this, you should offer it. It is better to get someone who can get the job done than an employee who is sitting around the office and is taking ages to get up to speed. You can still hire people full time and keep track of remote workers’ hours and tasks.
5. Ask Loads of Questions
Instead of deciding plainly on the person’s CV, you want to find out more about their personality. Ask them to complete creative tasks, such as creating a video, or a presentation about their strengths and achievements, to make your decision easier. Use innovative recruitment methods to evaluate applicants.
Hiring your first employees requires a lot of planning and consideration. Don’t jump in head first, and take advantage of your networking and people skills. Offer more than other employers, and you can attract talented people to help your business grow.
