So, you are starting your own business and want to make it the best it can be. You have a product/service you believe in, a strong brand and logo, and smart new premises. Now, you need the essential ingredient to build a successful business – the team. Staff is what makes a company. You must find the right people for the job; otherwise, the success of your company will be at risk. Here are some tips on how to choose staff for your new business.
Determine the Positions that Need to be Filled
Being a small business, your budget is probably quite tight, so it is, therefore, crucial that you hire only the bare minimum of people required. As each employee plays a significant role, companies cannot afford to have so much as a single staff member who does not perform up to optimal potential.
Draw up an organizational chart for your company’s jobs that need filled and write a candidate portfolio for each position that details the job description and what you require from a suitable candidate. The first step is to create an organizational chart that clearly defines every job function needed to operate your company effectively. Initially, multiple job functions may be covered by a small number of employees. For example, sales, operations, and payroll is initially the CEO’s responsibility.
There are six key positions every small business should have fulfilled, and these are General Manager, Bookkeeper/Accountant, Marketing Guru, IT Technician, Administrative Assistant, and Human Resources Manager.
Best Personality for the Job
The General Manager oversees the whole business and is in charge of staff, customer care, and operations. The ideal candidate for this position is someone who has a broad range of strengths, such as effective communication, emotional stability, and leadership.
The Myers–Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is an introspective self-report questionnaire indicating differing psychological preferences in how people perceive the world and make decisions. This test is a useful tool to have when you are recruiting staff. Extraverted-Intuitive-Thinking-Perceiving (ENTP) Myers-Briggs Test Personality Types can excel in careers that reward their need to be continuously challenged and meet with new problems to solve in the workplace. It is personality preferences such as these, among others, that often make MBTI test ENTP’s feel fulfilled in careers as General and Operations Managers.
When employing an Accountant, look for candidates who have Extraverted, Observant, Thinking, and Judging personality traits or the Myers-Briggs ESTJ personality type. Such people possess great fortitude, emphatically following their own sensible judgment. They often serve as a stabilizing force among others, able to offer solid direction amid adversity.
A great marketing guru needs to be creative, innovative, a good communicator, flexible, and adaptable. A passion for learning and keeping ahead of the game is an important quality required in a candidate who will drive your company forward.
Administrative staff needs to be friendly, helpful, well organized, and able to communicate efficiently and in a polite manner. They need to be forward-thinking and able to display initiative. The difference between a good assistant and a great assistant is their ability to anticipate needs and complete important tasks without being asked.
An ideal candidate for the position of Human Resource Manager would be a friendly, well organized, empathetic person who is a good leader and excellent at problem-solving. Like General Managers, this might suit people with ENTP personality traits.
How to Find Suitable Candidates
A small business’ best option for finding qualified staff members is through networking. Asking business affiliates, current employees, and friends if they know of anyone who may be up for the job would be beneficial for companies looking to take on new hires. Sometimes, depending on how much you trust and value your current employees, you can ask them for referrals to past colleagues they’ve worked alongside and give them a finder’s fee if the person they recommend is suitable for the position. Doing so can cut your recruitment costs down.
Social media is a great way to find employees. Sites such as Linked In and Facebook show candidates’ personal experiences and interests and also give an idea of the real person behind the business persona.
Post job adverts on college and university notice boards, local newspapers, and magazines. Job websites are also a great way to reach a wide audience.
Make your business attractive to highly experienced professionals by offering a generous salary and irresistible incentives such as flexible working hours, work from home options, or bring your pet to work days.
