Hiring a new employee shouldn’t be taken lightly. There is a lot to consider when recruiting that could make or break your business. The right person will have a positive impact on your company, increase productivity and form a good working relationship with you. Choosing the wrong person, however, can be a drain on your finances and drive you crazy as you struggle to work with them.
This isn’t a comprehensive guide to employing a new staff member. Rather, it is a useful guide to help you through the stages of the recruitment process.
Plan ahead
Can you afford to pay for new staff? Not only will you be paying their salary, but you are also liable for their taxes, as well as a possible pension plan.
Think about the intended job role. It would be remiss of you to hire somebody on a full-time basis and then find you don’t have enough work for them to do. Alternatively, hiring somebody part-time and giving them more work than they can manage is also an oversight you need to avoid.
Your planning will form the basis of a job description. How many hours can you offer? What skills are required? What are the daily responsibilities? Having an effective strategy in place is your first step towards finding the right person.
Application process
When you advertise the job role, you will be asking applicants to send you their CV and covering letter, or an application form. Prepare a checklist of the characteristics and skills you are looking for, and tick them off when you read through the applications. Make a shortlist of the most suitable candidates, and call them in for an interview.
Interview
As a potential employer you need to be fair and consistent, so consider asking these questions to each applicant. Their application may have looked good on paper, but this is your opportunity to find out if they are a good fit for your company. They will understandably be nervous, so be respectful but remember that this is your chance to see how they perform under pressure.
Background checks
From references to criminal background checks, this is your next stop in finding the right person. You may think you have the perfect candidate, but if you discover they were bad timekeepers in their last job you may need to reconsider. Consider uCheck for online background checks. While people with a criminal history do deserve a second chance, you don’t want to hire somebody who is a potential risk to your business.
Job Offer
When you have settled on the right person, contact them with an offer of a job and have a contract ready for them to sign. Be aware that they may turn you down, so have a backup plan with a second and third choice. If you haven’t found a suitable person, you may need to go back to the drawing board. However, don’t be too fussy as you are trying to find somebody who can aid your business, and not a clone of yourself!
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