How to hire employees for your small business

If you own a small business and have reached a point that you need to hire an employee (or maybe more then one), it can be both exciting and overwhelming. However, there are tips that make sure that you are hiring the right employee and expanding your small business in a profitable way-

• Make sure that you really need an employee-There are many small businesses (smaller, more service oriented), that can get along fine on the efforts of just the owner. It is important to realize that if your business plan doesn't call for growth, and you are perfectly content with your business the way it is, there may be no need to hire your first employee or employees.
• Realize that you will have to change your mind-set-There are some owners of small businesses that can't effectively delegate responsibility, because they think of the company as their baby. If you are looking for growth, you have to realize that you can't enjoy complete control over the business, in the same way that you used to. You will need to reorient your thinking to embrace the prospect of outside help.
• Define the job and the compensation you will offer-Remember that your employee will be that-your employee. You will need to define specific and limited tasks, and responsibilities, for the position, before the process of hiring begins. You will have to realistic in your assessment of what a new employee can or should do. It is also at this point that you will need to have a clear idea of what kind of compensation you can offer. Much of the compensation will be determined by whether the job is full or part time, the market rate and what will be expected.
• Advertise the job-You will want to post your help wanted ad in the right location. Make sure that the job description shows up where you are most likely to find good candidates. You want to reach the audience of job seekers that have the skills you are looking for. This will save you considerable time and money in a fruitless job search.
• Organize resumes-Once you have written your job description, you can expect to receive lots of resumes. You will need to organize resumes into three categories: prospects, maybes and nos.
• Interviewing-This is one of the most important stages in hiring your employee, because this is the first time that you're having an interactive conversation with a potential worker.

1. The phone interview-This is done before arranging a sit-down meeting. The small business owner spends 10 to 30 minutes speaking with the interviewee. Remember that your goal isn't to make a decision, but to eliminate the possibility that you have no chemistry with the prospect, and to ensure that your potential hire is still interested.
2. The sit-down interview-Now is the time to meet face-to-face. This is your chance to evaluate the prospect's professionalism in dress, communication style, and preparedness. It's also the interviewee will also have the chance to discuss previous experience and qualifications for the job in-depth.Make sure that you check references to determine how well the person did at previous jobs and the reasons for leaving those positions.
3. The follow-up-Many business owners choose to have a follow-up interview to make sure that they are hiring the right person. Keep in mind that this can be as comprehensive or as cursory, as you like.

Make the job offer once you are sure you have the right person. You can make the job offer in writing depending on how you're trying to present it. Once the interviewee signs off on the letter, you have your first employee. Then you can move on to the next step-introducing your new employee to your growing small business!