Now that you have your financing locked up, it’s time to hire the employees who help you turn this dream into a reality. Hiring quality employees will be critical to your growth and also for maintaining your reputation for quality and reliability. Even if you are running a one-person shop, things could take off, leaving you unable to meet customer demands alone. So it is never too soon to think about what it takes to hire the best employees possible.
The reality is that 80% of small businesses in the U.S. have only one employee. They’re just like most of you — small operations without a lot of overhead or massive inventories. You don’t have to have dozens — or even hundreds — of employees to be a successful business.
But likewise, just because you are starting small doesn’t mean you won’t grow and add employees later. With success, you may find yourself needing to free up time for tasks that only you, as the business owner, can handle. If that happens, you might need to consider adding an employee or two.
Before you take that step, take some time to consider why you want to hire someone.
Think About the Timing
Making the move from sole proprietor to boss can be a big step. From that point forward, you will be taking on additional responsibility, considering the welfare of your employee(s) in addition to yourself and the business. Don’t add additional payroll costs unless you are certain your business is growing strongly enough that you will be able to consistently cover increased staffing costs.
Be Honest About What You Can Afford
Take a hard look at your revenues and ask yourself if you can justify hiring someone. If so, how many employees can you afford? Will they be full-time or part-time? Will they have regular hours or be on-call? Have you given any thought to providing employee benefits? If so, what will they consist of and how much will they cost?
Hiring the Best
Depending on the state of the labor market, it may not be easy to draw the attention of the best and brightest candidates. That’s where your job posting can be a help. When putting together the job description, look for ways to make your company stand out. Focus on unique opportunities or attractive benefits and perks. Adding a video pitch can help potential employees better understand your company and your vision.
This doesn’t mean that you should oversell your company or the position you are hiring. Employees are wary of pitches that sound too good to be true. They crave honesty from their employers along with a paycheck and benefits that reflect their true worth.
Can You Make the Right Hires?
Before you post a job opening, you need to clearly lay out the specific skills each position requires as well as the responsibilities. This is critical in assessing applicants’ abilities to handle day-to-day duties as well as more complicated tasks. Potential employees should also know, as much as possible, what they would be hired to do.
When you’re ready, here are some tips to keep in mind:
- Ask friends, relatives and business associates for suggestions.
- Search for candidates online using reputable tools such as CareerSource Florida, Florida’s Employ Marketplace, LinkedIn and Indeed.
- Tap into industry association websites.
- Hire a reputable staffing agency.
As applications start rolling in, you will need an organizational system to avoid feeling like you are being buried. Keep a running list of candidates that stand out and screen them first by phone. Try to identify both their strengths and weaknesses, while looking for skillsets that best fit the job you want to fill. Do you need someone outgoing and personable? Someone with leadership skills? Are there certain working styles you prefer? After the initial screening, invite the leading candidates for in-person interviews.
Try to narrow your finalists to no more than four before inviting them to your workplace for lengthy conversations. You might consider an interview over lunch and introducing candidates to other key employees — giving them a chance to interact.
After your interviews, make a list of what you like and don’t like about each candidate. You should know who best fits your workplace and the people who already work there. This will help you extend a job offer with confidence.
Be Ready with the Right Paperwork
When your new hire arrives on day one, make sure you have three important forms ready to fill out:
- I-9 (Employment Eligibility Verification)
- W-4 (Employee’s Withholding Allowance and Certificate)
- Florida New Hire Reporting Form: Available online at servicesforemployers.floridarevenue.com and due within 20 days of hire.
Note: Florida law requires that businesses use federal form I-9 (also known as E-Verify) to check the employment eligibility of new hires.