Hiring an employee is a big deal. It’s a common practice, but every time you introduce a new employee into your company, you’re either reinforcing your culture, making it stronger, or breaking it down. Hires need to be made thoughtfully, and it’s important that you understand where to begin the journey of considering a new employee.
Here are the main things you need to consider:
Cash Flow: Can you afford an employee?
You need to be able to look at what’s fiscally possible. Do you need someone long term or short term? Do you need a contractor or employee (this is a legal question, make sure you have council on this)? Is this a position that will help you generate money or a position that has other benefits? If it is a position that will help you make more money in the business, how long does it take for that to happen from the point of hire?
All of these things are important for you to understand completely so that you make the right choice. You may find that hiring today doesn’t make fiscal sense for the company, but hiring in two months does. Before going any further, make sure the business can handle bringing on an employee when it comes to cash flow.
What’s the need for this employee?
Look at your team. Is there truly a need for a new position, or do tasks need to be moved around so things are completed more efficiently? Will bringing on a new employee make the team stronger? How will it help your other employees accomplish their goals and tasks?
Make sure you know exactly how the new employee will fit into the company before conducting interviews. If you don’t understand the need for the company and the need for your existing team that this new position will fill, then you won’t know when you’ve found your perfect person.
This is where fit matters the most. Employees want to know that they’re important—that their contribution matters. And your existing team members want to know that they’re not going to be replaced or eclipsed. It’s vital that your team understands how this new person will fit into the company and help them accomplish their goals.
What kind of impact are you looking for?
Every employee impacts the business. What kind of impact do you need from this particular new hire? Once you know what you need from the position you’re about to hire for, you can lay out expectations for that future employee and show them how they impact the business.
The more you can show an employee how their work, actions, and contribution matters to the business, the more invested they’ll be in doing a good job. When employees see the results of their effort, they are better able to understand how to magnify the impact of their work. This will also help you understand how each employee contributes to the success of the business.
What are the expectations you have for your employee?
Expectations that aren’t crystal clear, set your employees up for failure and kill their confidence. On average, people don’t like to make mistakes, and they’re afraid of disappointing others. So when your employee doesn’t understand what’s expected of them, it becomes difficult for them to rise to the occasion.
It’s better to understand and map out the expectations you have for a new hire before you even start the hiring process so that you can talk clearly and thoroughly about them in the interview process and beyond.
Should you do the hiring with internal HR or should you hire help?
This is a more complicated question. You have to consider:
- What’s your experience hiring and keeping people?
- What’s your access to great candidates?
- What kind of positions are you hiring for?
If you have an HR team that’s experienced at hiring candidates who stay with the company for long periods of time with little turnover and for all kinds of positions, from leadership to entry level, then you’re likely okay sticking with your in house team.
If you have an HR team that has a history of hiring candidates that don’t stay or aren’t used to hiring the position you’re looking for, then you may want to consider getting help.
Overall…
Hire intentionally. The clearer you are about the true need within the company for a new person, how that new person will fit in, and how the company can create fulfillment for the person in that new position, the more successful you’ll be in the hiring process.
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