Unfortunately, when you begin a new business it’s rare for prospective employees will flock to you and the perfect candidate will walk in and begin working. Choosing new employees takes time, effort and an awful lot of energy. Even worse, when you starting a company there’s rarely time to wait for six months and pick a candidate.

You may not have even interviewed for a job before, so how do you know what the candidate will be like? Should you wear formal clothes? Do you need to do a trial? What if they don’t like the company? Interviewers can be just as nervous as the interviewee, so knowing how to approach the process will give you an advantage as wells as a professional image.

Take Your Time

You may be desperate for an employee right now, but you can’t jump the gun. You will probably hire the wrong candidate for the job and have to find someone else, which will end up being a much longer process. Start looking for candidates before you even start up your company; being organised will be your biggest asset when it comes to getting your business off the ground!

Dedicated and interested employees will be what bring your customers back, so never underestimate the power they have over your business. Although you’re employing them they can sometimes be the ones with most power over the company image.

Look Around

Putting an advert in a local newspaper can be a great way to scout for small business talent. However, you’re also missing out on a big audience. Many people looking for jobs won’t go to the trouble of buying a newspaper when the internet is at their fingertips for no cost at all.

Scout around the different methods of job advertisement online before you pick one and stick with it. Great places to advertise your vacancy include; your website and blog, social media accounts, LinkedIn, job advertisement sites and local Facebook groups dedicated to job hunters. With such a wide range of places to choose from it’s unlikely you’ll struggle to find a great, local candidate.
 
 

Have Several Interviews

Sometimes small businesses will see the perfect candidate on paper, decide they’re the one and invite just them to the interview stage. Remember, you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover. Candidates who look good on paper are not necessarily perfect in person. CVs are crafted over several hours with specifically chosen language which makes them appealing to the employer. There are even candidates who will lie on their CV to get a job.

Interviews aren’t as forgiving as CVs, and so many candidates who look perfect crumble when they get to the interview stage. Invite at least a few of your prospective candidates to meet you to give yourself the best chance of getting the perfect employee. It might be time-consuming but you can’t skimp on choosing someone who will be representing your company.

Trials

Holding trials is a good way to see employees in action. If your company is particularly hands-on or you would like to see the person in action before hiring them, they can give you an insight into how well they would perform through a variety of different tasks.

Group trials are even better if you are expecting your employees to be particularly customer based. They will give you an inkling as to how each interacts with others as well as their personality. If they’re chatty and interested in what other people are saying, then it’s likely they will give the same service to customers, and make a great front of house. If they are quite reserved, or too boisterous then they might not provide the best service on a day-to-day basis.

Decide!

Now it’s the difficult part – picking your new employee. Temptation to pick your personal favourite candidate will always be there, but you need to have a business head on when you’re making your decision. Rather than choosing the candidate you’d love to go out with on a Saturday night, choose someone who is driven, has interest and a lot of favourable qualities.

Luckily once you’ve made your decision you get to notify your new employee! Unfortunately you also have to tell the unsuccessful candidates. Although they weren’t a good fit for your business it doesn’t mean you should ignore their applications and effort. Make sure to give feedback if they ask for it – there’s no worse feeling than not knowing how to improve.

Have our tips been useful in your decision-making? Leave a comment below and let us know!