When starting your own company it can be tempting to see just how long you can go without having to hire additional business staff. After all, it makes good financial sense, doesn’t it?
The fact is that if you want your business to grow so you can take on more customers, you aren’t going to be able to handle the growth by yourself – and you shouldn’t have to.
In order to manage your small business, you will need to hire a business staff at some point. Below are some tips on how to get started.
Do You Need the Help?
The first thing you need to do is to figure out whether or not you need business help. If you’re feeling stressed out and overwhelmed, you may need to hire some extra help. Or if you simply want to transfer some of the daily tasks to someone else, that’s reason enough to hire some extra help as well.
When deciding whether to hire a business staff, consider the time you spend on daily tasks and what else you might be able to do with that time. If you’re making a profit, but feel that having a few employees to help will allow you to process more orders faster and bring in new clients, hiring a few employees is an investment in the future of your business.
On the other hand, if you simply have tasks you don’t want to do, you may want to wait for a bit to hire people to take on those tasks.
Where Can You Find Business Help?
Help is easy to find, good help can be more difficult. When you’re starting your search for good employees, you need to have a clear idea of what you want each person to do.
Begin by drafting a simple job description for each position and what is expected of the employee.
Your job description could look like this:
‘Part-time employee needed for light clerical work and shipping items to customers. Spreadsheets, customer service skills, and attention to detail a must.’
You can ask applicants to call your office or if you’re posting an ad online using Craigslist or other online services, ask them to respond via email.
You may also want to make a list of the qualifications you need employees to have (college degree, certain certifications, etc.). Post open jobs on career websites, in your local newspaper, or ask people you know if they have any recommendations. Many times the best employees are those you already know.
When you receive a resume or a response from your posting, make sure to read these over carefully to see whether the applicants match the qualifications you are looking for.
Check references and education backgrounds to be sure you are hiring someone who is actually as bright and as accomplished as they say they are. Take the time to interview people over the phone (if you’re hiring telecommuters) or in person.
What if No One Fits Your Needs?
The fear most businesses have is that no matter how hard they try, they won’t be able to create a business staff that matches their needs. But while this is certainly something to be concerned about, it’s not too common. You are more likely to find more qualified applicants than you know what to do with – so choosing will be the difficult task.
In the end, find someone who has enough experience to do the job you need them to do in order to help your business grow. After all, that’s why you decided to hire a business staff in the first place.
