Things to Look Out for When Hiring Your First Employee
Selecting your first employee is a big deal. Not only will you be handing over responsibility for a piece of your business to someone new, but you will also have to be conscious of your duties and obligations as an employer.
The Sooner, the Better
Hire someone as soon as you understand that you want them and can afford them, even if it’s uncomfortable at first. The additional oomph that another person gives in brainpower, creativity, and sheer legwork is worth it. Things that would differently take you weeks will be doable in times. Entire work streams will escape from your to-do list.
Hire for Potential and skilled person
One key characteristic of a skilled hiring manager is the capacity to see the potential, not just proof of past success. Look for someone who has a great interest or passion for causes or missions that are similar to yours, and, clearly, evidence that the person is good at what he or she has done since (even if that’s a kind of different things).
Have Candidates Demonstrate Skill or Aptitude
Many people know specifically how to answer interview questions in a way that inspires confidence in a hiring manager. In short, it’s (comparatively) easy to bullshit. So, research reveals that the best way to vet someone is to have him or her finish a task for you—for example, if you’re hiring a seller, ask them to sell you something.
Have Everyone on the Team Interview the Stars
Getting a cultural fit for your company is tricky. Just because Person A and Person B get along, and Person B and Person C get along, doesn’t suggest that Person A and C will get along (let alone work well together). As three co-founders with very different personalities and work styles, we interviewed him four times, twice after we understood he was our top choice.
Design an Onboarding Process
While we did some stuff right during the hiring process, there are others we would have done separately.
Carry out background checks
Once you have found a suitable candidate for the position you’ve advertised, you must make sure that your prospective employee passes any further checks which may be appropriate to their new position – particularly employee background checks.
Your first hire is a tremendous step in the life of your company. Take the time to do things the right way, and you’ll make certain that your first employee will be there for the long haul—and be one of the biggest things to happen to your company in its early days.
