Hiring for the First Time? Make Sure You Begin with These Three Steps!
One of the most popular questions people ask us when they’re thinking of hiring for the first time is, “How do I hire someone? Where do I even begin?”
Here at Growing Your Team, we completely understand that feeling – the excitement of knowing that you’re ready to start hiring coupled with a fear of the unknown.
Even if you’re totally sure that hiring a new team member is your next most important step, it’s important not to try to run before you can walk. Taking the time to understand the first steps will set you up for success and ensure you get your hiring process exactly right the first time.
Why Where to begin is important
Understanding where to begin makes hiring a much smoother, easier process
Hiring a new team member into your business for the first time is exactly like learning any new process or skill – you need to start at the beginning.
After all, you wouldn’t jump into the middle of a body of water without a life jacket and expect to swim to shore successfully if you’d never swam before, right? Too many things could go wrong, and if they did, the consequences could be disastrous.
It’s the same with hiring. If you jump in without knowing the basics, your chances of failure are higher than your chances of success. And when you get the hiring process wrong, the consequences for your business can be drastic.
You could end up hiring the wrong person
The basics of hiring might seem easy. You post that you’re hiring and you’re thrilled to find out that people want to work for you! You start talking to them, and find a candidate that you instantly click with. The best part is they seem amazing at what they do!
But does what they do match what you need?
The last thing you want at the end of your hiring process is to realize that the person you hired is completely wrong for your business. It’s a waste of your time and money and can put you off hiring new team members in the future as well.
Remember – Just because someone is great at what they do does not mean that they are right for you!
That means that hiring a new team member is about so much more than simply finding someone qualified. It’s about finding the person who is right for your position within your business. So, how do you make sure you’re going to find them?
Where to begin
Step 1: Develop the position
We always advise our clients to start at the beginning, and that means putting in the time to carefully develop the position you are looking to fill with your new hire.
Start by asking yourself: what task do you need to get off your plate? This might not necessarily be the tasks that you dislike the most – even though it’s tempting to offload those ones first. Instead this should be the task that, if delegated, will bring you the best return on investment (ROI).
Secondly, what will this person do for you and your company? What qualities or skills are you lacking that would help you to grow and scale your business? Always keep in mind your future goals when developing a new position on your team.
Step 2: Understand how that role will fit within your company
The most important part of this step is considering your business. That’s because the position inside your company is different from the same position inside a different company.
Your company culture, values, and mission play a big part in this because whoever you hire not only needs to be able to complete the tasks you delegate to them, but they also need to fit into the business as a whole.
So think about these questions when you’re developing the position:
- How will you interact with the team member? How will they interact with you?
- What are your company culture, values, and mission?
- How will your business be impacted by having this person on the team?
Step 3: Write a job posting that clearly describes the role
Now that you’ve got a clear idea of the tasks that need to be completed and the values your new hire needs to have, it’s time to write the job posting.
In the posting, you need to paint the picture of the position so that potential candidates can visualize all those different elements of the role and decide whether they can see themselves working in your business.
Remember to include what the person will do, how they will impact the company, and who is right for the role in terms of character traits and skills.
For example, if you’re looking for an assistant, you’re not just hiring an assistant – you’re hiring a certain type of assistant based on the specific needs of your company.
That might mean that you’re looking for someone who is detail-oriented and a self-leader who can help you turn chaos into a well-run business inside and out. If so, you’re looking for a very different person than if you want to hire an assistant who enjoys following a set process, is highly experienced working with customers, and keeps the office well-stocked and presentable.
To summarize
Once you’re clear on the position, you’re on your way to finding your perfect-fit team member!
This is just the first of many steps in a hiring process, but by spending the time to get it right, you can feel confident that the rest of the hiring process will go smoothly.
Are you ready to learn the next seven steps to hiring your first team member?
Download your copy of The Hiring Checklist: How to Hire the Right Team for Your Growing Business and learn the eight action steps you need to complete for a successful hiring process.
A process that not only leads you to a pool of your ideal candidates but also points you directly to the person you should hire because they can succeed in the role (and avoid hiring someone simply because they had a pretty resume!)
