How to hire the right people for your small business

At the beginning of most small businesses the staff of the business usually consists of the owner and any family or friends who are willing to help out. However, as the business grows most small business owners find that they need to hire an employee (or two), in order to keep their small business growing. If you have never hired an employee before it can seem like a daunting process. As the owner of a small business you want to hire someone who can contribute in a positive way to your small business. This will require some work and effort. The good news is that there are guidelines that can help you. Here is what you need to know about how to hire the right people for your small business-

- Determine what type of employee that you need-Many time's small business owners begin the process of hiring an employee without stopping to really determine if they actually need one. You need to carefully consider if you will have the work to justify hiring a full time employee. Ask yourself would a part time or temporary employee be more appropriate to help you deal with the workload? Could you outsource the work that you need done for less cost instead of hiring an employee? Once you have determined that you really do need the help then you can proceed with the hiring process.
- Write a clear and concise job description along with compensation-The first thing that needs to be done before you begin the hiring process is to write a clear and concise job description for the job that you need filled. Trying to hire without a job description will only end up being frustrating for both you and your job applicants. You need to be able to tell potential employees exactly what you will need to have done. If the job includes being flexible and taking on duties on the spur of the moment then you need to add that into the job description, as well. Finally, you should research how much the type of job that you are hiring for pays in your area. You want to make sure that you are offering fair compensation so that top tier job applicants will consider coming to work for you. Many small business owners often feel that they cannot attract the top tier of job applicants because of limited resources. However, if you are honest about what you can and cannot offer you will still be able to find the right person to work for you.
- Begin the screening and interviewing process-Once you have a complete job description you can being recruiting for the position. Carefully consider where you post the job description so that you will be able to attract the type of employee that you really want. Once resumes come in you can begin to screen out those job applicants that won't work and call in those that will for interviews. There is no set process as to how many times you should interview only that you should be thoroughly aware of the qualifications, experience, and references of the person that you ultimately hire.
- Check back with your hired employees-Many small business owners assume that once they have an employee hired then it's all over. However, being an effective small business manager includes making sure that your employees are trained and able to do their jobs. You should also check back with them periodically to make sure that they are happy in their jobs and see if there is further training that needs to happen or changes that should be made.