Looking for your first employee? Hired some who were less than desirable? Let’s work on your hiring process. Try these suggestions to improve your odds of finding a keeper.
First thing to remember—you cannot duplicate yourself. Each applicant has individual habits and ideas. Just make sure the one you choose is enthusiastic about working in your business. Don’t sweat whether she will work the same way you do. Her differences can be a plus. For example, a details-oriented employee might very well complement your freewheeling approach. Or someone full of new ideas may mesh well with your years of industry knowledge.
Next, understand what kind of manager you are. Be honest. You’ll have an unhappy employee if you double check everything she does after you told her she would work independently. Conversely, if you knew your employee would need constant feedback, you must be willing to give it without making him feel inadequate. Each employee needs some amount of oversight. Make sure you both agree on what that is and can work with it.
Have a job description on paper before you run an ad or conduct an interview. Describe what you expect the employee to do. Writing your thoughts will make you get very specific about skills, responsibilities, and schedules. Need someone with computer skills? Will the employee work a regular schedule or fill in on short notice when you’re busy? Will he place orders for supplies? Saying exactly what you expect gives the applicant the chance to see whether the position fits his expectations. This lays the foundation for a good working relationship.
Develop a time-off policy for employees. Include what happens when they come to work late or take off early. Specify meal and rest breaks. Whether for sickness, emergencies, or pleasure, employees will need, deserve, and want time off just as you do. Make a policy or guideline so that neither of you will be disappointed when the inevitable request for time off arises.
Talk with your insurance agent to make sure you have proper coverage in case the employee is hurt, causes injury to customers, or damages their belongings. If this is a new position in your company, you may need to change your policy even if it covers your current employees.
Attach a fact sheet to the application form. On it describe the job and hiring process. Also state the length of time for training. Now you can start the search, but you still have more to do.
Document the training for the job. This may be a detailed manual that takes the employee through days of learning every aspect of the job. More likely it will be you giving one-on-one training while the employee is working. In either case, describe the training and the steps to become fully skilled. This may seem to be overkill when you “just want to hire an assistant.” But the employee is sure to misunderstand what you expect and become frustrated if you don’t tell her up front. Also you won’t understand just how much teaching you have to do until you write it down. You’ve forgotten how long it took you to learn all you know.
Test an acceptable candidate for the skills you expect her to have. This might include using a computer program or power tools. Direct her to do some simple tasks that let you evaluate her skills. If you will teach all the skills needed, you can use an initial training session for a test. Spending two hours or a whole day with a promising applicant can give you a good idea of how suited she is to the job. This can tell you more than a whole battery of expensive tests administered by a testing company.
Run a background check of a potential employee before you hire him, particularly if he will have access to clients’ homes, belongings, or children. This investigation can include drug testing, interviewing references, researching criminal history, and other things that confirm what the applicant has already told you. Inform the applicant and get his signature on a form giving permission before a third-party company investigates. Ask other business owners for recommendations of investigation companies. Or ask local police authorities and your insurance agent. You can also search the web and look in the Yellow Pages.
Don’t rush your search unless simply any breathing body will do. Allow enough time to find a person who will fit the job. Otherwise, your hiring process is likely to fail. But if you are lucky enough to find someone with the enthusiasm and skills to be a great worker, hire her and then create the right job for her.
And don’t pass up a fit for your business just because he’s available only for a few months. We all want to hire someone who will commit to stay for the next twenty years, but that’s not going to happen. Hope that he will like the job and stay for twenty years rather than leaving for a better job or a warmer climate. I know a business owner who passed on an applicant because she was available only for three months. In that time he went through three others who proved unsatisfactory. He could have used that time with a good employee to complete his search.
Create a job-review process and performance policy. You can do this after you have an employee if you can’t complete it before. Include what you will do if an employee abuses the time-off policy; ignores employee- and customer-relationship policies; or misuses money, equipment, or supplies. Also include how you will recognize and reward performance that exceeds the job description. Define how you evaluate performance and determine promotions and raises. If you will have several employees, consider developing an employee handbook that will have all this information and more.
Information from Small Business Success Coach, Peggie Arvidson-Dailey inspired this article. Visit her web site at www.peggiespets.com. You can look under “publications” at the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development website, www.deed.state.mn, for a copy of An Employer’s Guide to Employee Handbooks in Minnesota. For more advice about hiring, go to www.sba.gov, and select “managing your business” and “managing employees.” Also go to www.score.org and select “learning center” and “human resources.” Or make an appointment with a SCORE counselor.
