It doesn’t matter whether you’re hiring your first employee or extra staff. What does matter is the way in which you do so. Believe it or not, some company owners end up hiring the wrong people for the job. That’s because they don’t know the best way of selecting the right employees!
As you can imagine, HR costs are high enough without needing to find replacement staff. Before you go out and start employing people, you need to read this handy primer first! Here is what you need to know:
Create a clear job specification
Before you hire anyone, the first thing you must do is create a clear and concise job specification. In a nutshell, this is a document that details the requirements of the role. Examples include the tasks and responsibilities the role holder must carry out.
Doing so ensures that both you and the person you hire are clear on what the job is about. It removes any “grey areas” and negates the need to negotiate higher salaries with staff. One way to create a job specification is to list what the person would most likely do each day.
You can then take that list and rewrite it into a compelling and detailed job description.
Decide if you need to carry out security checks
For some roles, you may need to carry out criminal record checks on potential employees. With certain roles like child carers and those that work in a bank, those checks are a must.
If you do need to carry out security checks, be sure to use a reputable service provider. And, of course, you must disclose to each applicant that you need to run a check on them before a job offer gets made.
Get the right pool of candidates for the job
The last thing you want to do is waste time sifting through poor quality applications. I suggest using a recruitment company to help you gain access to real talent. You should also use a firm that specialises in your industry. For instance, use Hyperec if you’re hiring for science jobs.
You could, of course, use general recruitment companies. But, it makes sense to use a provider that has in-depth knowledge of your industry. That way, they can field applicants and only shortlist candidates that are suitable.
Make sure you have the right insurance
If you’re hiring your first employee, there’s something you need to know. By law, you might have employers’ liability insurance. It’s a type of cover that protects your business should an employee sue your firm.
We like to think that no such things would happen in our businesses. But, if an employee injures themselves at your premises, they could sue you. Especially if you’ve been lax in health and safety matters!
Have a detailed job offer letter and terms ready
Once you’re ready to offer the position to a candidate, you need to make the offer formal. Sure, you can tell them by telephone that you’d like to hire them. But, from a legal point of view, you need to write to them and make the offer official.
The way to do that is by sending them a detailed job offer letter and terms. They then sign a copy of the terms and hand it back to you.
Now you know how to hire staff for your business the right way!
