How to Hire Employees
The employees you hire can help transform your company. Whether you’re currently a one-person operation or a large corporation, the employees you hire can add value to your company. Bringing on new employees empowers you to expand, access innovative ideas, and diversify skills. However, you want to be selective in who you hire, ensuring new employees fit within your company’s culture and are the right match to perform the tasks you need them to do. In this post, we’ll take a look at important steps you should take when deciding to hire new employees.
Apply for an EIN or tax ID
Obtaining an Employer Identification Number (EIN) is to every company’s benefit. This number is a business tax ID and works much like a Social Security Number. Before you start the hiring process, if you haven’t done so already, be sure to apply for your EIN immediately. If you’re planning to bring on new employees, you must have an EIN to legally hire them. This number enables you to withhold payroll taxes and be able to report them to the IRS. Your state may also have specific requirements as well.
Attract potential employees to hire with a descriptive job listing
It’s in your best interest to set aside some time to write a descriptive and accurate job listing. This way, you won’t be flooded with applications from the wrong candidates, and you can attract the right ones. A good job description lets the applicant know what their job will entail, and they can decide if they are qualified (or under/over qualified) before applying. Be sure your job description is:
● Clear and concise
● Free of typos and grammatical errors
● Free of industry buzzwords
● Clear about the duties and responsibilities of the job
● Descriptive of your organizational values
● Honest in compensation and benefits packages
By putting effort into your job listing, you can attract top talent to apply while discouraging inexperienced candidates. According to Indeed, a quality job description positively influences a good candidate’s decision to apply, with 52% saying it is “extremely influential”.
Review job applications to find employee candidates to hire
Depending upon the current job market and your industry, you’ll either receive a slew of resumes or have difficulty attracting the right candidates. Many industries are currently experiencing a talent shortage. This can be a significant barrier in the hiring process. Using a good job description and screening process, you can be more selective and focus on the right candidates to hire.
As a result, it can be tempting to try to interview everyone since you want to hire the right person the first time. High turnover of employees is costly, so it’s a better strategy to first try to identify your top candidates before you begin your first round of interviews. You can always revisit and conduct a second round of interviews later if necessary.
To identify the right candidates to interview, you’ll need an efficient way to screen applications to identify good-fit individuals. This way, you can first focus on qualified and truly interested candidates and not waste time on applicants who are applying everywhere.
If you automate applications by using an applicant tracking system (ATS) (even small businesses can use this software), you’ll improve your chances of finding good candidates. You can also request cover letters from prospective employees, so you can get a good read on who they are and what they can bring to your business.
Interview your top employee candidates to better inform your hiring decision
Once you’ve identified your top employee candidates, it’s time to begin scheduling interviews.
Start With Phone or Zoom Interviews
To streamline the process, consider starting with preliminary phone or Zoom interviews. This facilitates introductions, and you can get a good read on a person before scheduling time to bring them in for an in-person interview.
During this meeting, you can talk about the job and its responsibilities, compensation packages, and organizational culture. This will help both you and the candidate determine if you should proceed to an in-person interview.
Shift to In-Person Interviews
Once you’ve created a list of candidates you believe would be the best fit for your position(s), start to schedule interviews with them. Good questions to ask include ones related to:
● Background interview questions, such as previous experience, why the candidate chose the field, past achievements, future goals, strengths and weaknesses, and other relevant details about themselves.
● Behavioral interview questions to learn more about the applicant’s skills and see how they have handled specific scenarios in the past. This will give you a good idea of how they have previously handled conflict, provided solutions, or otherwise acted during a work situation.
● Situational interview questions to ask candidates what they would do in hypothetical situations that could feasibly happen during their workday in your organization.
Before you bring candidates in for appointments, establish a set of questions to ask each candidate. This way, you can easily compare answers to help identify the right person to hire.
During the interviews, be sure to be an active listener, so you can truly glean what each candidate has to offer your business. This will help you to make the best decision and avoid high employee turnover. If you find none appear to be a good fit, go back to your stack of resumes and start connecting with your second round of candidates.
Make a final choice about the best employee to hire
Once you’ve interviewed your top candidate choices, chances are you’ll probably have a short list of people you envision working for your company. To choose the right one, don’t be hasty. It’s better to hire the right person than to lose them and have to go back to the drawing board.
● Consider cultural fit
● Think about personable attributes
● Factor in both hard and soft skills
● Contact references
If necessary, call your top candidates back for a second round of questions to help you better determine which ones are perfect for the job.
Hiring the right employees can seem difficult, but breaking it down in stages makes it an easier experience. It all starts with obtaining your EIN.