Greetings! In yesterday’s post, I talked about the hiring process, what it is, why it is important and some key information you’ll need to set up a hiring system for your business. Today, we’ll cover brick and mortar businesses.
Because my background in is small businesses and companies, this content might not be completely relevant to larger corporations. It can, however, offer a framework to use if you are a job candidate preparing for an interview or an HR director interested in making her hiring process more efficient.
In my last post, I listed a few key recommendations for any small business or company setting up a hiring process. These suggestions can be used as a benchmark to measure your existing hiring guidelines or to create an entirely new system. Let’s dig a little deeper into each.
- What opening needs to be filled? Is it an existing vacancy or a newly-created position?
- Too many startups fail to identify the specific employment needs of their business prior to requiring employees.
- The best time to create a position and its parameters is before you need to fill it. This applies to existing positions too.
- Without answering this key question, employers run the risk of hiring someone who can’t fulfill the requirements.
- This can come as a tremendous cost to any business, considering the amount of time invested in training even one person.
- To build a winning team, you must clarify your employment needs prior to filling open or created positions.
2. Do you have a written job description for the position? Surprisingly, many lack this critical component of small business management. Why is it important to have written job descriptions?
- Job descriptions stabilize a business of any size. They keep management, existing employees and potential new hires on the same page.
- Expectations are managed and met with clearly defined roles for each person in the company. Employees need less guidance when they understand the specific requirements of their positions.
- Motivated employees thrive in an environment without ambiguity. When each person works within a defined role or parameters, there will be less conflict due to overlap.
- A disorganized internal employment structure negatively impacts your bottom line.
- Increase your company’s value with clearly-written job descriptions. The infrastructure of any business, small or large, is a key selling point for investors.
3. Determine exactly what you are offering, in terms of pay, benefits, bonuses, employee discounts, etc., prior to an interview.
- What is the hiring budget per employee?
- The tax burden per employee may vary, but BOTH the employee and employer will pay various taxes, from local to federal, for each employee hired.
- Do you offer any kind of employee discount on products, bonuses or commission? If so, these expenses should be added to your budget and added to each individual job description, again in writing.
4. Develop a standard list of questions you’ll ask each candidate.
- When interviewing potential new hires, use the same questions in each interview. Doing so ensures, as much as possible, equality when measuring their responses.
- Throw a couple of oddball questions into the mix. One of my favorites is to ask the applicant to tell me about one significant life experience and how it changed her and/or her life.
5. Consider your environment and current employees, if any. What is your tribe’s vibe? What personality will your new hire need to fit in with your current team?
- A thoughtful business owner will pay close attention to, and plan ahead for, the company culture she plans to curate.
- The right new employee can rev up your existing team, adding enthusiasm, boosting the environment’s overall positivity.
- Conversely, adding the wrong employee into your mix can cause as much damage as dropping a bomb in the midst of your team, figuratively speaking.
- Paying attention to detail in this area includes adding it to your written job descriptions. You may have different teams with their own dynamics, something you’ll want to respect when adding a new person.
This is by no means a comprehensive list. The content comes from years of experience managing and owning small businesses. I’d love to know questions you have and tools you use when hiring, or setting up job descriptions! Have a productive day!!
I am the author of Bootstrapped! Creating a Small Business on a Budget. I help corporations and entrepreneurs thrive through personal and professional development. For more information visit my website, robinaldrich.com.
Originally published at medium.com