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Hiring tips for your Small Business

Small business owners around the world know that the hardest part of running a business is getting the right kind of employees. You should ask yourself a few questions before you start to hire your next employee. What are you looking for in an employee, what you want the employee to accomplish, and what kind of employee best fits in your business? Did you know that one bad hire can potential cost your company thousands of dollars? With the economy being the way it is, can you as a small business owner really afford to lose thousands?

  1. What type of style do you use to run your business? If you are very controlling you probably don't want to hire someone who wants to work independently. They might see you as overbearing and their work may suffer in result.
  2. What are the basics of the job the employee will actually be performing? Is the candidate capable of achieving all tasks?
  3. Make your expectations for your potential employee clear to them to ensure they actually know what they are getting their self into.
  4. Never settle on a employee just because you haven't had a lot of people apply for the position. Hiring someone you're not completely sold on is never a good idea.
  5. Make sure you give the employee a background of your company and let them know the benefits of working in a company such as yours.
  6. Don't put unrealistic deadlines on yourself by needing to hire someone by September 15th and only starting to do interviews September 13th. You must give yourself ample time to make the right decision.
  7. Make sure you have policies already set in place regarding paid time off, vacation, and holidays.
  8. Do a background check on your potential employees.
  9. Require drug testing before hiring.
  10. Call references and see what old employers had to say about the employee.
  11. Conduct more than one interview with the potential employee.
  12. Ask some of your trusted current employee's for suggestions on people to hire, in most cases someone already in your office knows someone who would be great for your business.
  13. Look for candidates that have had success in past jobs.
  14. Look for potential employees at business you visit, you would be surprised how many companies find their best employees from other businesses.


We all know that we as the business owner are our best employees, and can do every aspect of the business far better and more efficiently than any employee we have on staff. The question is, do you really want to spend every waking moment at work. Part of the fun of having your own business is making your own rules and hours, and having the freedom of taking a vacation. That's why we need employees that can do the job successfully and make us leave the worries all behind. You can't hire someone exactly like you so do your best to find the person that best fits your business.

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