As a small business, it’s important to spend every penny on the most valuable options. This includes a team of people to keep your operation running smoothly. Bringing in the right individuals to work for your business could make or break the company.
So how exactly do you make sure you’re choosing the best talent for your team? There are a few steps you can take to find the gems hidden in the crowd. Keep reading to check out these 6 tips for hiring the best candidates for your small business to continue thriving.
1. Look for Enthusiasm
When you’re trying to bring a vision to life and grow an empire, some of the most important people to have around you are people that will cheer you on and be eager to be involved. This is something to keep in mind when hiring new candidates for your small business.
You definitely want to find people who share your interest and passion for the company. Also, it’s beneficial to bring in individuals who will get up every day with lots of positive energy to add to the company culture.
Recruiting enthusiastic professionals can be uplifting for other employees and help when it’s time to figure out a solution to a difficult task.
2. Test Required Skills
It’s easy for someone to say that they are able to perform and complete a certain task. But it’s an entirely different thing for them to actually do so, especially in a way that works best for your business.
During the hiring process, you should absolutely be gauging skills by testing candidates for their ability to carry out required duties. Depending on the job position, you may be able to give assign a “sample assignment”. For instance, if you are looking for a secretary that types at least 60wpm (words per minute), then you could sit people down in front of a computer during the interview and have them type out sentences on a timer.
Be sure to keep it fair and tell the candidates that they may have to undergo a skill test when you confirm them for the interview. The test will also give you a chance to see how the individual’s workflow and temperament are.
3. Don’t Discredit Experience
The classic way of figuring out if an individual is a right addition to a company is weighed heavily on viewing their resume and maybe contacting some references. However, everybody may not look the best on paper but they might have some great experiences that have added to them being able to execute their job accordingly.
Always try to account for someone’s past experiences. Dig into their real-life events during the interview to find out if they have any unique encounters that could be just what your company needs to move into a new direction or become more efficient.
Going above and beyond a piece of paper could help you to find some amazing employees for your business.
4. Have Clear Job Descriptions
A scenario that often leaves employers high and dry when hiring new employees is that someone begins the job thinking that they have been hired to do a set of specific things. However, once they’ve actually begun working they realize that the job isn’t really what they thought it would be.
This situation sounds like a mess, right? Well, it is for both the employee and the employer. There’s a lot of time, energy and money wasted in these types of misunderstandings.
One of the best ways to avoid this is to make sure there’s is enough clarity and straightforward explanations in the job descriptions. Include every detail and duty that the person should be looking forward to and try not to mix roles. You wouldn’t hire a customer service rep for a small business IT consulting agency to handle cloud backup, would you?
You may need to review the roles in your company before publishing the job to make sure everyone is assigned appropriate workloads and aren’t overworked.
5. Ask the Right Interview Questions
We could all probably agree that there have been times during an interview where we were a bit confused as to why they would ask certain questions. Some inquiries had nothing to do with the job or someone’s capability to handle the work. And they surely weren’t going to give a good depiction of what type of person someone is.
It is very important to choose the perfect interview questions when hiring new people. Focus on questions that provide an accurate picture of someone’s skills and abilities. Also, ask things that could give you a more in-depth look into an individual’s personality without overstepping boundaries.
It may be a good idea to incorporate personality tests, such as the Myers Briggs (MBTI) during the interview process. These types of questionnaires are designed to help understand personality types and how the individual would potentially function within your team.
6. Check Social Media
Social media has become a new form of resume in the past decade. Platforms such as LinkedIn give employers another professional view of the candidate with a hint of social factor added.
It might be a good idea to connect with some candidates on some social networks to see things that they may not have been able to share during the interview, such as independent projects they’ve completed and published.
If you do choose to check someone’s social media, it’s important not to be intrusive or jump to conclusions. Be fair about actual “red flags” and remember that people still have lives outside of work that won’t affect their work ethic.
Ready to Start Hiring Rockstars for Your Small Business?
Hiring new people can be scary because your company is important and you don’t want to put it in the wrong hands. But there are plenty of qualified candidates that are overlooked every day for various reasons.
Take some of the tips mentioned into consideration to make sure that you are giving potential employees a fair chance to show and prove their worth. If you’re looking for more small business advice, check out our other articles today.
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