Growing your business will inevitably mean that at some point you need to hire people to help you.
You want to make sure they are the right people though. Don’t hire quick just because the person seems nice or you think they will be “fine” with the job you have for them. Hire slow. Take your time, get to know the person and the skills they have, make sure you have onboarding in place to make it easy for them to learn their job and dive in too.
Another topic I see a lot about on social media is the fact that people are hiring entry level positions and requiring tons of experience. That defeats the point of entry level.
Here are my tips to find the right person for the job:
- If you are hiring for entry level be sure you have the time available to teach the person the job. Everyone isn’t coming to you with experience. They are looking for an entry level position so they can learn as they go. Are you ready for this? Some things you can put in place to help would be a process guide that has step by step instructions for the tasks you are delegating. You can also do video trainings they can watch using a platform such as loom, or Zoom. You want to have in place a list of resources they can reach out to if they have a question, and you won’t be available to assist. Most importantly, remember they are entry level. Have patience, teach them the ropes, answer questions and guide them. Just because they are entry level now doesn’t mean they can’t be your top person after a while if you treat them right and take the time to teach them in the best way they learn.
- Don’t expect your hire to do everything. Often, we start out hiring someone for a specific job and when we realize how much more they can do we add that into the mix. We may even give them a fancy title to encompass all they do. There are a few points you should think about if you are doing this though. First, are you burning them out by loading them down with projects? Second, are you able to pay them what they are worth for the extra work they are taking on? These are both key factors to keep that person happy and with the company for years to come.
- Are you providing ongoing support? This would be things such as new trainings they are interested in taking that you pay for, memberships they would like to be a part of that would be a benefit to the company that you cover the cost of and allow them the time to attend meetings, books that they may be interested in, etc. All the items that can further enhance their skill sets and benefit the company in turn are great ways to show you appreciate them and support their growth.
If you want to grow your company and keep your team for a long time to come, these are just a few of the tips that will help you get there. There are plenty of other things as well such as benefits you provide, team retreats, paid time off, a good work environment, and more. When you treat your team with respect and nurture their growth, that will come back to you in positive ways for many years to come.
Hiring is a personal decision. You need to be clear if you want to hire on site team or virtual team, what your policies are and what level of team you are looking for. Once you have clarity you will have a much easier time finding the right person for the job.