Finding The Perfect Person

Ok so you’re running your biz, you’re bossing it, and you now want to expand, yikes!!

Taking on your first employee is exciting and terrifying in equal measures, right? On the one hand, it’s a sign your business is going from strength to strength; on the other hand, it feels like a lot of responsibility. If you have never employed directly before, there are a few key things to consider at the start:

• Do you have a job description with a few key words of what you’re looking for in terms of the tasks and how they translate to what skills, experience and qualifications your ideal candidate should have?

• Where do your ideal candidates hang out? Will you go to a local publication, social media or can you use a job site such as Indeed?

• Adverts and job descriptions should be factual and ensure descriptive words do not pertain to specific age, gender, race, sex etc

• When interviewing, use competency questions to get a feel for if they are right person. You can use something called the STAR approach – ask them to describe a Situation, the Task they faced, the Actions they took and the Result. This will help you objectively assess each candidate in terms of how they tackle problems, give you a feel for how they would fit in with your culture, and, if you’re asking them to tell a story, it also makes it easier to spot any fibs, Now you've gone through the interview and found your perfect person, you’re ready to make the offer. Make sure you consider: If they have the legal right to work in the UK - Employers' right to work checklist - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

• Do you need to undertake checks such as references, criminal record checks, checks on mandatory qualifications?

• There’s also a need to have a contract for an employee on day one, and a couple of mandatory policies – make sure you have these ready to go.

• Get an awesome induction plan ready including who they need to meet and connect with in their first few weeks, make sure they’re set up with the right equipment, plan in any training, think about any initial tasks to start them off without overwhelming them etc.

Statistics show that 28% of people quit a job within the first 90 days due to a poor onboarding experience. So if you want to ensure you get the right people in who will drive your business forward, and stay and succeed, you need to make sure that they have a great experience as they join you. I recommend getting some help with the end-to-end onboarding process from an independent HR Consultant and to help, I am offering a FREE 30-minute call to see how I can help you drive your business forward and set you up for success!