Hiring the right employee for a small business

Hiring the right employee is key to growing your business and ensuring it runs smoothly and successfully. If you can figure out how to hire the right people, you are well on the path to success - but how do you hire the right person for your small business? Here are some tips to help make the hiring process as easy as possible.

Firstly, make the job description clear. Often, new employees in small business fall into the 'jack of all trades' position and are expected to pick up the slack in multiple areas. To avoid this, make sure the position is clearly defined and that your new employee knows exactly what is expected of them. This will help to avoid confusion and will make sure the new addition to your team isn't spread too thin, and can focus on doing what they do best - and what they were hired to do.

Secondly, dedicate some time solely to the search for an employee. As your business is coming along well, it is easy to get caught up in running it, meaning the hiring process can become rushed and lack thoroughness. Choosing the right employee is important and deserves your undivided attention. If you really cannot spare the time, consider hiring a specialist recruitment agency to help you.

Business culture

Sell your small business culture. So you can't offer medical schemes and a company car, but can you give your employee flexible hours? Negotiate some time for them to work from home? Allow them to bring their children to the office after school or nursery? A close-knit, understanding environment with lots of support and guidance? A percentage of company profit if the employee performs well? If you can offer any perks like this, you have a better chance of persuading a candidate that you would be preferable to a big corporation, so don't be shy to sell the pros of joining your business.

Make sure that the interview process determines whether the candidate has the right attitude for your business. This depends entirely on the business itself, but most start up and small business will probably require hard work, creativity and resilience at the very least. Do not make the mistake of talking too much during the interview - the goal is to find out about the candidate, so don't be afraid to ask difficult questions. Finally, find out why they left or want to leave their last job. Unresolved issues or conflicts could become problems in the long term at a new position within your company.

Last but not least, consider whether your gap can be filled by freelancers. If not, consider asking for recommendations from friends, family or colleagues. If somebody you know and trust will vouch for them, it is likely that you are on to a winner!