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Is Your Small Business Hiring for the Future?

Don Amerman

September 01, 2014

Whether your small business is a startup or a well-established enterprise, your full-time hiring decisions should always be made in furtherance of the long-range goals you've set for your company.

There's certainly nothing wrong with bringing in temps or independent contractors to help you with a special project, particularly one involved in getting your business off the ground.

However, when you're looking for full-time hires, try to do it strategically.

Just as in solving a difficult jigsaw puzzle, search for the individual who is the perfect fit for every opening that you have.

Don't Be Shortsighted

Shortsighted hiring decisions do a disservice to both the people whom you hire and to your business as well.

To that end, try never to settle for someone who is less than an ideal fit for the job. If you're having trouble finding the ideal candidate, see if you can hire a temp to fill the position until the right person for the job comes along.

Who knows? Sometimes the temp you hire turns out to be just the type of person you need. And if he or she can be persuaded to become a permanent employee, you're set.

 Because yours is a small business, it helps to look for prospective employees who not only express a willingness to juggle multiple responsibilities but who also actually crave that sort of variety and flexibility.

In fact, many capable job candidates perform at their very best when given the opportunity to work in multiple areas over time.

And in the absence of the occasional change of pace, they soon become bored and move on.

Importance of Cross-Training

 One of the many benefits of hiring employees who enjoy working at different tasks from time to time is their amenability and adaptability to cross-training.

And as a small business owner who must make do with limited personnel, cross-training allows you to ensure that all key job functions can be at least minimally covered when emergencies -- particularly those involving extended absences -- occur, and sooner or later, they will.

It always helps when the positions you're filling fall into the category of jobs that potential candidates regard as fun.

To learn about some career choices that qualify, take a few minutes to read the article “3 Business Careers That Are Actually Fun" and increase your knowledge.

Promote a Stimulating Workplace

However, even if the jobs you're filling aren't popularly considered to be ¨fun," you can make an effort to create a workplace atmosphere that is as stimulating and enjoyable as possible while still getting the job done quickly and efficiently.

Here are a few other tips that may help you to make the best hiring decisions possible so that you can build a team of loyal and satisfied employees who are willing to do whatever's necessary to get the job done….

Clearly Define Job Requirements

1. Well in advance of your first interview with a candidate for a job opening, clearly define in your mind exactly what you are looking for from this particular employee. If you can't outline precisely the responsibilities you expect the employee to handle, you obviously can't communicate that all-important information to prospective job candidates.

Both you and job candidates need to know everything possible about the job. In the absence of clear definition of job responsibilities, trouble can develop down the line when you find you're demanding more of the employee than he is prepared to give. And all because it wasn't spelled out completely at the job interview.

Pay for What You're Getting

2. Be prepared to offer a salary that's commensurate with the responsibilities that a job entails. If you expect to hire a well-qualified individual to fill a position, you will need to pony up a rate of pay that's competitive with -- or a bit higher than -- the going rate for comparable jobs. If in doubt, check out what your competitors are paying employees in similar positions.

3. In interviewing candidates for a position, discuss with them not only starting pay but opportunities for advancement, the fringe benefits your business offers, and its policies on sick pay and vacation time.

Evaluate People Skills

4. Evaluate not just the job candidate's experience and qualifications for the position you're filling, but also his or her personality and people skills to get a sense of how well the candidate works with others. In a small business setting, even the most talented job candidate might be the wrong pick if he or she seems to be the lone-wolf type who finds it difficult to get along with co-workers.

5. Don't hesitate to ask promising job candidates to demonstrate their skills through some form of testing. If they are well qualified, they usually will be more than happy to demonstrate their proficiency. If they object to testing, it is often a sign that they are unsure of themselves and not apt to do well on a test.

6. At the risk of being repetitive, take your time. If you're not truly sure that you've found the right man or woman for the job, keep looking. Hiring the wrong person is unfair to your other employees and to the new hire as well. To tweak slightly a time-worn proverb, ¨hire in haste and repent at leisure.¨

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