Most entrepreneurs have to wear multiple hats when they first get their business off the ground. After all, at that stage, money is tight, and is nearly always better spent elsewhere. Once you’ve achieved some success, however, you’ll need to invest in a working space and begin hiring some employees. This will, of course, eat into your budget, but it’s a worthwhile expense — you can think of it as an investment that’ll help to take your business to the next level.

Or at least, it should help to push your business forward. Hiring your first employees can be a challenge, and it’s important to do things correctly. If not, you may find that you spend a lot of money without getting much in return. In this post, we’ll run through a few handy tips that will increase your likelihood of success. 

1.) Hire Promptly 

Deciding when to hire an employee can be a challenge. If you hire too early, then you’ll be paying huge sums of money for a service that’s not yet needed. However, it’s equally as important — or perhaps even more so — to avoid hiring too late. It’s much more difficult to hire and onboard a member of staff when you’re drowning in work. It’ll be more stressful for you, and likely problematic for your new workers, who will be arriving into a stressful environment. Use your projections and try to hire your employees at the perfect time; it’ll help to get things off to a great start. 

2.) Think Clearly About Your Needs

Knowing that you need a little help with your business is just the starting point. From there, you’ll need to think about what kind of help you need. The more specific you can be, the better. This will help you to put together your job description and ensure that you hire a worker who brings real value to your growing organization. Once you’ve got a clear understanding of your needs, you’ll have a better idea of whether it’ll be best to outsource the role, or hire a part-time or full-time employee. 

3.) Develop a Hiring System

It’s best to take a methodical approach to your hiring. If not, then you’ll be setting yourself up for an expensive failure. On the face of it, bringing an employee on board can seem like a relatively straightforward exercise. In reality, it’s complicated. There are plenty of companies who have ended up regretting a hire, but in that situation, the fault nearly always lies with the business, not the employee. It’s recommended to read articles from authoritative HR websites before you begin the process to increase your chances of success. You’ll find a comprehensive list of the best websites and blogs here. 

4.) Look Beyond The Qualifications

One of the most common mistakes businesses make when hiring an employee is focusing too much on qualifications. A person might have a relevant college degree from an esteemed institution, but that doesn’t mean that they’re the right person for the job. There’s more than one way to achieve end results, and if a candidate works in a completely different way to you, then they’re unlikely to be the right fit. For example, if a person works best in a team, then you’re a fledgling business, which would likely require that people work individually due to a lack of employees, which would not make sense. 

It’s also encouraged to dig a little deeper to ensure your business is fully protected. Checking the references they’ve provided and perhaps performing a more thorough background check can give you peace of mind that they’re a trustworthy employee. 

5.) Ready to Work

You’ll also want to give some thought to your onboarding process. It’s easy to think that hiring an employee is the end of the process, but it’s really just the beginning. Studies have shown that businesses that have strong onboarding processes are much more likely to benefit from excellent employee retention rates than those without. Basically, an onboarding process sets up new arrivals for success. If you have a work facility, then you’ll need to look at a website that has blank ID card stock, which will allow your new employees to access your site. You should also think about where and how the new employee will work; do they have their own desk and chair, for instance? 

6.) Working Space

And talking of where they’ll work: make an effort to ensure that your working environment is conducive to productive work. The working space has a massive influence on how employees perceive their company. If your space is in line with your branding, bright, well-decorated, and generally a pleasant place to be, then it’ll have a subconsciously positive impact on your employees. If you’re still in the process of putting together your office, then you can also consider asking your new employees directly what they would like to see. In addition to strategizing around hiring and workspace, engaging with property development companies can be a savvy move for expanding businesses looking for suitable premises. For instance, property development companies specialize in constructing and renovating buildings tailored to the unique needs of different organizations, allowing businesses to have a workspace that is both functional and aligned with their brand image.

7.) Management Style

If you’ve never been in a management role before, then it’s recommended to take some time to figure out your approach. Most leaders find that bringing a mix of positivity while also maintaining a professional distance is best. It’s also recommended to work on anything that could be an issue at some point. For instance, micromanaging. Some owners have a hard time letting go of control, but that defeats the whole point of bringing quality employees on board. It’s best to learn how to be OK with giving your workers the freedom they need to work well. If you need help in developing an efficient management style consider getting expert advice about this from professional business developers such as David Schulick. Bringing in someone with a fresh eye can give you insight that you may not have on your own and this can help to drive your business towards further success.

8.) Review and Evolve

The tips we’ve provided in this article will help to increase your chances of success when hiring your first employees. But it’s still possible that you’ll make a few errors. After all, all businesses make mistakes when hiring an employee. The goal isn’t to eliminate mistakes entirely (it’s not possible), but to reduce them. Even if you think your first hires have been a success, it’s still encouraged to review your hiring process and see where you could make improvements. It should also evolve over time, specifically in line with changing industry employment standards.