It’s a great feeling when you see that your business is growing, but it can be scary to find it has grown so much you now need to hire your first employee. If you’ve been used to doing everything by yourself, perhaps for years, then letting go of some of that control and ‘sharing’ your business with someone else is not always going to be an easy transition to make. However, if you want to continue to grow and fulfill your customers’ orders, you need to take this big step.
There are some important things you should know before you hire your first employee, however, so don’t rush into the process. Take your time to consider what it is you are doing so that when you do start hiring someone, you know what to do and what to expect. Here are some of the big questions you should ask yourself and find answers to before you begin.
What Will it Cost?
The most important question you need to ask yourself when you are hiring someone is how much it is going to cost you. That doesn’t mean how much it will cost to post your job ad online, for example — you can do that for free. The cost we are talking about is the cost to your business: how much are you going to pay the new employee, and how much will that cost on a monthly and an annual basis?
In order to find the right employee, you need to state a salary that is in line with what other, similar roles are being advertised at. Can you afford this amount? If not, it might be a wise move to outsource some work to a freelancer to begin with, as you will only need to pay them for the work they do, rather than a fixed monthly salary. If you can afford it, can you be sure that you will have enough work in the future to sustain the salary?
Don’t forget that on top of the salary you will need to factor in taxes and any bonuses and perks (such as pensions and insurance) you might want to add too.
Who Do You Want?
You will also need to know who it is you want as your new employee. You don’t have to know the person by name or have anyone particular in mind, but you should have an idea of the type of person who would fit in with your business and get along with you well.
The correct qualifications, the right experience, and a good worth ethic are important, and these should go without saying (although it’s always a good idea to mention them in the job advert anyway), but you also need to know that the person you are hiring is going to work well within your organization. If they don’t, it won’t matter how good they are at their job, they still won’t be happy doing it and you won’t be pleased either.
How to Carry Out the Interview
The interview is the final step to take before choosing someone to hire and it is the perfect opportunity to find out exactly who these candidates are as you will probably only have known them through their application and resume before now.
It is also a good point to showcase your business, so preparing in advance and ensuring you are able to give a good impression of yourself, the business, and what you do is going to be crucial. You don’t want to find the ideal candidate only for them to turn down the job you offer because they didn’t like the atmosphere during the interview.
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