Employees are the lifeblood of any small business or startup. Their actions represent your brand’s integrity and professionalism and their intellectual contributions can help propel your business to the next level. But come hiring day, most business owners struggle to find the right group of individuals thus ending up with a week employee base. Here are 5 important steps you should take when hiring your first employees.
Set a Capital Limit
If you’re hiring your first employees, your business is most probably on its infancy stage and not generating any revenue yet, at least not consistently. Plan and prepare for the costs of procuring your employee base. The more skill and experience candidates bring to the table, the higher salaries they will be demanding. If capital is running dry, seek an investment from Business Credit & Capital. With cash advance options specifically designed for businesses like retailers and restaurants, you can sell a percentage of your future profits and use the upfront payments without any limitations.
Screen For Potential
Track records are great, but potential is even better. When screening candidates, try to consider their potential and how they can contribute to your business’ future. Avoid letting past success cloud your judgment when hiring your first employees. So how do you see potential in a candidate? Look for people who are passionate and highly interested in the line of work they are trying to get into. If they are in it for the generous salaries and bonuses or the unequaled job security, you definitely don’t want them in your workplace.
Have Everyone Interview Your Candidates
Having technical prowess isn’t enough for what you might have envisioned for your brand. Cultivating a mentally and spiritually enriching environment entails having like-minded individuals who get along with each other. Tension between employees can severely affect productivity and overall performance. To screen if a candidate is a social and cultural fit to the rest of your team, interview him/her several times and with 3 or 4 other team members in the room.
Networking is Key
Perhaps the simplest and most cost-efficient method of finding your first employees is by networking. Request referrals from friends, distant relatives, colleagues, mentors, and everyone else whose opinion you respect and trust. Browse social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and of course LinkedIn. You can find key information like what the user does, what he/she is interested and passionate in, recent career achievements and milestones, etc.
If you have enough capital, you can delegate this time-consuming and labor-intensive process to third-party employment agencies and head hunters. While they do involve a fee, these professionals have the experience and technology to fill both entry-level and executive positions in a fast and efficient manner.