It’s no secret that a good business runs on the strength of its employees.
If you don’t have a great team of dedicated employees, you’re not going to get anywhere. That’s why it’s so important that you put a lot of time and effort into your hiring process.
But a lot of businesses get it really wrong. There are quite a few common mistakes that people make during the hiring process and they end up stuck with employees that aren’t good for the business.
To help you avoid that, these are the things you shouldn’t be doing.
Hiring for The Sake of It
You’d be surprised how many companies start hiring people just because they’ve got the spare cash. But there’s no point hiring somebody just because you’re making more money because you might not actually need them.
If that’s the case, you’ll end up inventing work for them and paying them for no reason.
The only reason you should be hiring employees is if you’ve got a gap in the company and you need somebody to fill it.
If you’re hiring people that way, you’ll only end up with new employees that actually bring something to the company.
Not Doing Due Diligence
Everybody exaggerates on job applications and you’re not going to get the whole truth. But in some cases, people might be dishonest to a level that could seriously impact the company if you hire them.
That’s why you should use due diligence checks to get to know them a bit more.
You might uncover something troubling and it’s best to know beforehand than it is to find out after you’ve already hired them.
Focusing on Qualifications and Experience
Obviously, you need somebody with the right qualifications and some good experience but that’s not the only important thing.
In fact, a lot of people focus too much on that and neglect the other important things. You need an employee that fits into the company well and has a good working relationship with their coworkers.
That’s why it’s important that you consider who they are as a person as well as what qualifications they have.
The person with the most experience isn’t necessarily the person that will bring the most value to your company. Try to get to know them as a person more and consider things like their work ethic as well.
Hiring The Right People for The Wrong Role
Everybody has different skills so even the most successful candidates might not necessarily be right for the role that you’re hiring for.
Employers often make the mistake of hiring someone because they’re great, even though they’re not right for that role. If you’re really keen to bring that person on board, find another role for them or don’t hire them.
There’s no point hiring them for a role that they really aren’t suited to.
Hiring the right employee is a lot harder than people realize but if you can avoid these mistakes, you can get it right.
What to Do Instead to Make Your First Hire Successful
There are many things you need to learn how to do as a business owner, and finding the right people, managing employees and turning them into a team are all key aspects.
As with anything else in life, though, in the entrepreneurial world it’s smarter to start small and learn as you go. In this case, that means hiring just one person and then tweaking your hiring process.
Here are some steps to begin with to make sure your very first hire is a successful one:
1. Get digital.
If you want to find the right people to do the job for you, you’ll need to get online and be wherever they are.
They are now relying on their phones for other tasks too, such as filling a job application or creating their resume or cover letter.
So make sure you’re not left behind by not turning to technology.
Social networks are your first stop.
LinkedIn seems to be one of the top choices as both companies, graduates and experienced workers looking for better opportunities are there.
But don’t underestimate Twitter, Facebook or other less popular channels. You can never know where your best candidate can find you.
Then there are all the platforms out there connecting employers with employees. Join Guru, UpWork, Freelancer and PeoplePerHour, post your job and receive tens of applications in just a few minutes.
2. Put more thought into the job description.
In order to make your first hire successful, try to express yourself in the clearest way possible so that there aren’t any misunderstandings.
By clearly stating what the job is all about, what your values are and how the work process will go, you’re saving time both to yourself and the future employee as only the right ones will apply for it.
3. Make online checks.
You want to hire people with no criminal record, so what better way than to request one using a user-friendly online system and receive the DBS in under 48 hours.
4. Communication is key.
One of the biggest tests of all is how the other person communicates.
If he’s asking the right questions, is available for an interview and answers email as often as possible, does well on pre-employment assessments, or else, then you’re onto something.
Also, check if he’s got similar interests and cares about the industry your business is in as that will mean more commitment to the work.
5. Start with a one-time project.
Another smart thing you can do so that you don’t end up trusting someone too much just to be disappointed in a few weeks or so, is to hire him for a one-time job and see how it goes.
If there are any issues, they will come up in the future. Together with that, you’ll be able to notice some personal traits, such as patience, creativity, initiative, time management (or the lack of these).
Once you see what it is to hire and manage people, you can start thinking about growing your team and thus delegating more work and scaling the business.