Looking to hire someone to work for your company isn’t an easy decision. Aside from the obvious financial implications, trying to select the best fit for your company can be daunting. After all, you need someone reliable, dependable, and qualified. Sifting through the countless applications takes time and effort. Interviewing individuals can be exhausting. Should you do a background check? If so, is it worth the investment?
Fortunately, there are five simple steps you can take to alleviate some of the risks that come with hiring:
- Make sure your expectations are clear and concise.
Before posting your job online, it’s essential to define the role you’re trying to fill. It’s important to determine what specific tasks this individual will be responsible for daily, weekly, or monthly. If you’re hiring administrative positions, for example, will they be responsible for answering the phones? What about greeting customers? Try to evaluate other similar posts for both required skills and job specifications.
People respond better when there are outlines and clear expectations. Likewise, a clear job description will prevent underqualified individuals from applying, particularly if you’d prefer candidates with prior experience. Should your position require post-secondary education or a specific qualification or certification, include that in the job description. Whenever possible, always have specified hours (whether contract, part-time or full-time) and expected salary or hourly rate. If you’re not comfortable posting the salary, include a section for potential applicants to address expected salaries on the application.
- Interview Potential Applicants Using Thoughtfulness
Every individual who gets called into an interview is going to have the standard answers ready. Common questions are expected with an interview, as it highlights work-related experience, but it fails to get a feel for the individual on a personal level. Instead, consider asking questions relating to their real-life experiences. Throwing an unexpected question at a candidate (for example, what is their favorite hobby) will not only give you better insight into their personal lives it also highlights how they’d react under pressure.
The idea behind an interview isn’t always selecting the most qualified individual; it’s about choosing the best fit for your company long-term. You’ll want to hire someone with a similar work ethic, values, and personality, especially if teamwork is a significant component of the job.
- Verify All Information Provided by Applicants
Although you don’t have to call every employer personally they’ve listed on their resume, you’ll want to confirm the information they’ve provided matches their history. After all, the last thing you need is someone lying about certifications. When you perform a background check, it allows you to verify these details before offering them a position at your company. Remember, all employers must have signed consent to run and obtain any background information by law. Always get their permission in writing before pulling their confidential information.
Information provided will include financial information (credit reports), criminal history, driver’s abstract, employment history, social media accounts, and social security number details. Using this information can determine whether an individual is a qualified person for the job. This verification is beneficial when verifying a person’s capacity to perform the job in question, primarily if they will be operating motor vehicles or working with large sums of cash.
As an employer, you are allowed to disqualify potential applicants from the position based on your findings. You need to provide a copy of the report used with your disqualification so that they can review the results too.
- Have a Professional Employment Contract Drafted
When it comes to offering someone employment, you’ll want to have a professional contract in place. This contract will need to include any terms of employment, review periods, termination clauses, and outlines of the job. Unfortunately, writing a professional contract is not an area where saving a few dollars is helpful – so contact an attorney to help you create the contract.
Make sure you protect any confidential information like proprietary items, client lists, or privacy terms too. Likewise, you can always include NDAs, pay agreements, non-disparagement agreements, and confidentiality agreements too. The last thing you need is a rogue employee disclosing your business’s information to the competition.
- Closely monitor any new hires for at least three months
It may feel like babysitting, but monitoring a new employee is the only way to protect your business. Aside from basic training that may occur, you’ll want to keep tabs on their daily schedule for an extended period. Having daily or weekly check-ins can provide communication for both you and the new hire. Ask any new employees about their finding the job, what they’re enjoying most, and what they’d like to see improved. Just as you provide constructive feedback, it’s important new hires feel their opinion is important and valid too.
If at any point you notice problems with the hire (extended breaks, liability issues, poor performance, extended absences, or difficulty performing the job), evaluate whether it’s worth continuing the position. Although no one likes terminating an employment contract, it’s easier to replace the employee than face a potential liability long-term. You are responsible for ensuring your business’s health, safety, reliability, and security to both your staff and clients. Should anyone compromise those positions, it’s your responsibility to fix it.