Small Business Corner – Hiring and Retaining Top Talent

One of the best ways to improve your overall profitability is to hire and retain top talent. Hiring is especially critical in a small business, as you have less employees, and thus, less room for error. Hiring the wrong employee can cause many issues, including: employee turnover, loss of customers, low morale and poor team performance, as well as legal issues. Here are some ways to make sure that you hire the right employee:

1. Get Clear About What You Want

The first step in hiring the right person for the job is to write down exactly what it is that you want. Be clear about what the daily job responsiblities are, what type of person you are looking for, as well as what you can afford to pay. Determine what skills and talents the person needs to have, as well as what type of personality will work well in your existing team. Additionally, ask yourself what your future plans are for the position. What will their career path be?

2. Network Your Way to Success

The internet job boards are very appealing when it comes to hiring someone, as it is very easy to put up a job posting and wait for someone to apply. However, the results are usually very poor. Only about 7% of jobs are landed through the web. A better way to go is to plug into your existing network, and see if someone you know can refer you to the person you are looking for. About 75% of people get jobs through networking, and networking can help increase your chances of hiring the right person.

3. Interview the Person Multiple Times

First impressions are lasting impressions, but multiple impressions increase your chances of hiring the right person. Make sure that you structure your interviewing process to support what you are looking for. Ask questions that will help you ascertain the prosepctive employee and their skills. Additionally, get input from your team by allowing them to interview the person and provide their impressions.

4. Utilize Assessments

Interviewing a prospective employee only gives you the tip of the iceberg. Using high quality assessments can provide you with tremendous insight into the skills, talents, and personality of the person you are hiring. This is a small up front cost to pay when you consider what can happen if you hire the wrong person for the job.

5. Hire the Person for a "Trial Period"

Once you determine who you would like to bring on board, bring them on for a couple of days to see how they work out. Offer them a trial period where they can evaluate you, and you can evaluate them. If there is a good match, then bring them on board. If not, you have a way out.

Follow these 5 steps to make sure that you hire the right person for the job!

Happy recruiting!