Hiring a new employee can be a challenging and anxiety-provoking process as it is important that you find the right person for the right job. Whether you are in the process of hiring your first new employee, or you are adding to an already established workforce, it is crucial that you take the time to make smart hiring decisions. Hiring the right new employee can make all the difference to your team, working environment, and overall business productivity. However, hiring the wrong person for the job can bring a whole series of problems and issues.
Therefore, it is key that you do everything you can to ensure you pick the right person for the job. So, to make the process easier for you, we have put together this guide of 5 things to do before hiring a new employee.
Carry out relevant checks.
There are lots of ways to check up on a person. For example, if you wanted to vet a potential date, you would use public records to access publicly available information on an informal basis, including arrest records, birth records, and even speeding tickets.
Employment checks are different, but the principles are the same.
The idea is to look for red flags that might suggest the person is unsuitable. Carrying out effective and relevant checks into a potential employee is one of the most important steps you will take before bringing on a new member of the team. While you will take the time to read their job application and resume, it is crucial that you don’t take everything at face value.
You need to check and verify that all the experience and skills that have been stated on the application are possessed by the candidate and are correct. It can be really easy to lie on a CV, so you need to check that everything is factual. Remember that depending on the job role you are hiring for, you may be required to do further background checks to protect your business and your clients.
Define the job and what is expected.
It is much easier to find the right candidate for the job if you have a clear definition of the role you are hiring for. By defining the job role, the tasks associated with the position, and a list of key characteristics for that role, you will know when the right person comes along.
A detailed job description usually includes the job title, a summary of responsibilities, company values and benefits, and job location.
This will also make it easier for the candidate to know exactly what is expected of them in the role, should they be successful, meaning that it is easier for them to get started. Also having a clear job description makes sure you meet with the right interviewee at first instance.
Check your insurance policy.
It is important that you check your insurance policy before you hire a new employee to ensure that you are covered for any future claims made by members of staff. Some insurance policies have stipulations about how many members of staff your insurance policy covers. You may need to upgrade your insurance policy to cover your growing workforce and any extra inventory. This is a great opportunity to shop around and find a better insurance deal for you and your business.
Ask the right interview questions.
If you haven’t hired an employee before, then you may not know where to start when it comes to interview questions. However, it is important that you think carefully about what questions you are going to ask, as you only have a limited amount of time with each candidate.
Don’t feel obliged to ask the standard questions everyone is used to, such as “why do you think you would be good for this role?”. Instead, you could present them with different scenarios that your workforce are regularly faced with and see how they would handle them. This will give you some insight into how they will react to their daily tasks as part of the team.
Take your time preparing for interviews with candidates, so that you get as much information out of the meeting as possible. This will help you to make a more informed final decision.
Find out about their personality.
While it is important that you ask the right interview questions regarding qualifications and experience, you also want to find out what they are like as a person, and whether they would fit in well with your existing workforce. Don’t be afraid to ask potential candidates about their hobbies, interests, or life experiences as a way to gauge more personal information from them.
This will help you to find out more about them as an individual and how their life skills will equip them to be successful within this role.
Growing your workforce is an exciting time, as it shows that your hard work and dedication to your business are paying off.
However, by rushing into quick hiring decisions, you could employ the wrong person for the job, which can have fatal consequences for your company and limit the current success that your business is enjoying.
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