5 Steps to Hiring a New Employee

With so many people looking for work these days, you’d think that hiring a new employee would be the easiest thing in the world. The truth is, finding an employee who would be a good fit can be difficult, not only with the position you’re trying to fill, but with your company as a whole.

By trying to rush through the process – or by lacking a game plan for hiring in the first place – many businesses find that their hiring processes turn up the wrong candidates or even fail altogether. It can cost up to 33% of an employee’s salary to replace him or her, so if you’re not being deliberate about your hiring choices, it could really cost you. That’s why for today’s discussion, we’re going to be looking at a five-step plan that any business can follow to ensure that their hiring process is both simple and effective. Let’s begin:

Step 1: Make a Wish List of Attributes

It’s obvious that you want someone who has the education and skills necessary to perform the job functions, but it’s important that you don’t forget about the importance of personality. For example, if the position calls for someone who is outgoing and bubbly, that is exactly the kind of person you should target. On the other hand, if the position consists of working alone a lot of the time, perhaps a person who is slightly introverted would be a better fit. This is why making a list of ideal attributes for the new hire is the first thing you should do.

Step 2: Locate Desirable Candidates

While there will always be people searching for jobs, finding the right candidate can be tricky. The best way to ensure success is to create an online posting that is as specific as possible, not only about education and past experience, but also about the personality that is typically needed to find success in the role.

Step 3: Interview Those Candidates

Now, the real fun begins – the interview process. Whether this is done by the business owner or a hiring manager makes no difference. What you want to focus on here is an evaluation of the person’s skills and professional acumen, as well as the personality of the applicant. Yes, there’s that darned personality again. We told you it’s important!

Step 4: Check Background and References

It is a business’s responsibility to ensure the welfare of its employees, clients, associates, and the public by providing a safe working environment. The best way to make sure this happens is to perform a series of background checks that search for criminal records, drug history, education verification, and more. Also, be sure to check an applicant’s references, which will give you a pretty good idea of the kind of person they are and the company they keep.

Step 5: Extend an Offer for Employment

Now that you’ve chosen the right candidate for the job, it’s time to extend an offer for employment. This is a rather cut-and-dried step of the process. Even though email is a normal mode of communication these days, it’s better if you start off with a phone call to let the applicant know that he or she has been chosen, and then follow that up with an email that includes all of the pertinent details. From there, there’s a good chance that the employee may want to negotiate the terms of employment or ask for consideration of a special circumstance or need. Just remember that this is entirely normal and try to consider accepting their terms as long as they are reasonable.

Hiring a new employee may not be easy, but with a little dedication, a lot of perseverance, and effective background checks, you will find that perfect person you’re looking for before you know it. NationSearch can help you dive into a candidate’s background to ensure that you get the very best. Reach out to our experts and we’ll work together on determining which searches would be best for your business.