How to Hire Your Ideal First Employee
Now that you have a great product or service, it’s time to go out and market your company to the rest of the world. While you may be able to get by running the business yourself initially, a time will come where you’ll need to hire others. Like a good location, employees are an integral part of any business.
Depending on the position, your first employee will play a big part in deciding how fast your business takes off. So it’s important to hire well, and hire smart. To get you started, here are 7 pointers you can follow to help you bag the ideal first employee.
1. Questionnaires & interviews
These are important because they help you gauge the applicant’s character and personality. Assess potential for conflicts by asking questions about working style and previous employment histories. Don’t just trust your instincts or look at paper qualifications – there is a possibility they could be inflated. Instead, take time to speak with every candidate, and set up a rating system so early applicants don’t get forgotten.
2. Check their references
Require every applicant to provide references and follow up on them. This will help you get a better gauge of their capabilities and working style. Also check for anything that may be an impediment to their productivity such as heavy family commitments. Get to know as much as you require about the applicants but be sure to respect their privacy.
3. Hire by attitude
In a small start-up, a lot of synergy and cooperation is required. Rather than someone who is highly skilled but lacks the patience and willingness to compromise and discuss, choose an easy-going go-getter who is willing to bounce off ideas with you. Usually, if an applicant is smart, eager and open-minded, skills and training will come easily, especially in a small business which requires them to handle multiple tasks.
4. Test the waters
Before making a full-time offer, let the applicant work for a while so you can see how he or she pans out. Giving someone a trial period (as a part-timer or on a probationary basis) will allow you to see whether or not the candidate is someone you can work with. Vice versa, your prospective employee is given the chance to test if he/she can adapt to your working environment. This will likely be a learning period for you too as you’ll realise what you like or don’t like about managing and what qualities you want in an employee.
5. Tap your network
Tap your networkAsk people in your network if there’s anyone they think is suitable for the vacancy. Candidates who come in through referrals usually have a more accurate picture of the company than those who come in through ads. And in most cases, your contacts will usually recommend people that they trust are good enough for the job.
6. Consider staffing firms
Staffing firms often have procedures that will help match potential candidates to a job based on their qualifications, ability to commit, as well as salary expectations. You can expect to pay a fee for their services, but it is a worthwhile investment because it saves you time going through unsuitable candidates. Staffing firms also have screenings to maintain their credibility, so this makes your new hire more reliable.
7. Sell your company to your candidate
To attract talent to your company, you’ll need to let them know what’s in it for them too. How can your business compete against big companies that offer a bevy of benefits? You need to convince them of the pros of working with a small start-up by selling your company’s flexibility, job diversity and potential for growth. By joining you, executives and managers are taking a risk, so you need to provide some sort of equity to convince them that it’s worth it. For entry-level workers, show them there are great opportunities for learning and professional growth.