Hiring – Best Practices

Business is booming, and your company is beginning to grow.  Or maybe turnover of bad hires has left gaps in your talent base.  Whatever the reason may be, it’s time for you to add new employees to your payroll.  For many small business owners, the processes of hiring new employees is anything but exciting.  When you are already multi-tasking the numerous responsibilities for core business development, staffing can often feel daunting.  Here are five best practices for ensuring your hiring process is as smooth as possible.

  1. Establish a Clear Job Description

While it may seem obvious, many employers do not take the time to clearly define the specific roles they expect their employees to play.  The generic last bullet of all job descriptions, “all other tasks as required” is often used as a catch-all for an otherwise vague description.  Prospective employees need to know up front what is required before accepting the job, and you need to know what skills will be necessary for the placement to be a success.

  1. Involve Your Team

Many small business leaders assume all of the pressure of selecting the right employee.  But by including other key staff members in the hiring decision, you can empower your existing employees and monitor their interaction with the applicants throughout the interview process.  Knowing your employees are comfortable with the person they may work with is extremely important for maintaining a positive workplace dynamic.

  1. Make Attitude a Priority

Personality clashes can cause tremendous set-backs in productivity and morale, particularly in small business settings.  Knowing the culture of your business and how a candidate will fit in is imperative.  Even the most skilled individual can cause major setbacks if he or she cannot blend well with the rest of your team.  Seek out applicants who demonstrate flexibility, positivity, and a willingness to learn in addition to the right education or employment background.

  1. Stop Talking

We have all been guilty of spending more time talking than listening.  But when you are conducting an interview, allowing your candidate to do the majority of the talking is key.  Ask open-ended questions that require the applicants to divulge more about their personality and work history.  You will be amazed—or perhaps frightened—by some of the things people willingly offer up in an interview when you give them the floor to speak.

  1. Replicate a Day in the Life of the Open Position

What better way to see how applicants will perform than to immerse them into the environment in which they will be working?  Asking applicants to describe how they would respond in specific scenarios can provide great insight.  You might also consider hands-on experiences for select candidates to “test run” the position.

There are a number of other best practices to follow during the hiring process.  By doing your homework, you can significantly improve your ability to identify the right candidate for your company.  And if you still don’t feel confident in the process or simply don’t have time to do it right, relying on Professional Recruiting firms can be a great answer.  Not only are they experts in identifying the right talent pool from which to pull from, they also specialize in the entire hiring process, including advertising open positions, conducting interviews, and processing background checks.  And these firms often employ the selected applicant for up to the first six months, alleviating you from the risks associated with a bad hire.

  • On March 21, 2016