The goal of every business should be to expand. Even if your business is dog walking, you can only make more money by taking on more clients. That will require a team. Many startups rely on family members for the initial staffing period. This is especially true with new restaurants. The drawback with hiring family is that you might have trouble firing them. Before you develop your firing skills, you need to hone your hiring skills. Here are some great tips to help you find the right staff for your startup business.
Tip #1: Stick With Skill Sets And Avoid The “Fast Learners”
As the owner of a startup business, you want to depend on your staff to get the job done. Yes, you’ll have to train these new employees but they should already have developed skill sets that will benefit your business. Anyone who says they are a “fast learner,” is really saying, “You have to teach me a lot of stuff.” You don’t have time for that.
Tip #2: Go Deep On The Resume
If you’ve written a resume, then chances are you’ve padded that resume to look good. Your role as the boss is to probe deep on that resume and cut through the embellishments. Remember, you’re looking for someone with proven skill sets. This isn’t always about how long someone worked at a previous job but what challenges they met head-on.
Tip #3: Involve Your Team
Suppose your startup business already has a few employees. Maybe you’ve got a business partner who is helping out. Those are the people you need to include in the hiring process. This could mean bringing them in for the interviews. You’re looking to build a team and that team has to get along. If someone you trust is “put off” by a potential employee, then it won’t be worth the disruption to your business to hire that person no matter how skilled they might be.
Tip #4: Check References
Any prospective employee should have references from previous work experiences. Make sure you check them. Obviously, they will be “glowing” but that doesn’t mean you can’t find out some facts that might have been overlooked in your interview. At the very least, those references will be able to confirm your positive thoughts about that employee.
Tip #5: Put Them On Probation
No matter how great someone’s resume looks and how wonderful they are in the interview, they could still fail at the job. This is why you should be upfront about an initial probation period. That could be one to six months. At the end of that period, you get to assess how that employee performed. Did they live up to your expectations? Are they are a team player? Are they drama free? The answers to those questions should determine whether they stay with your company.
Expanding your business by taking on new employees is an exciting prospect. It’s a sure sign you’ve got potential to grow and make money.
