Many of the businesses I work with get to a point when they need some extra manpower - either to add to an existing team, or maybe to recruit their first employee.
For most small businesses it is seen as a major step to recruit staff, so how do you take this step with confidence, knowing you have done all you can to minimize the risks? Here's the easy way.
These are the mistakes I see people making time and again - maybe not all of them - but just miss one of these and it could cost your business (and your patience) dearly.
Simply ensure you avoid these common mistakes, and check you can answer all of the questions below.
Mistake no.
1 Not being absolutely clear about what the role is.
What are the tasks you are looking to hand over to someone else? A good starting point is to analyse what you spend your time doing which could be done by someone else more quickly, more proficiently or for less cost.
Remain true to yourself and your values, and do a sense check that these are tasks you will confidently hand over to someone else.
And how well do any new or additional roles fit in with your overall strategy for growing your business? Mistake no.
2 Being unrealistic that this superman (or woman) exists.
How easy will it be to recruit for this position? Is your ideal role a position you can really afford? Or are you expecting such a mix of skills that no single person would be able to or want to fulfil all these tasks? If so, how could these be broken down into a number of smaller roles? Mistake no.
3 Not calculating the number of hours actually needed for someone to perform this role.
It is so easy to take on someone full time and then find there is not enough work to keep him or her occupied.
Is this a full time position, or could it be part time? How regular is the work? Could you take someone on a freelance basis or use a virtual assistant? Yes, is will cost more per hour, but the savings on training and down time when work is slack will cover this and you have the added bonus of flexibility.
If you are looking for someone to work on a specific project, is the project confirmed, when will it start, will others be freed up from other work by then? Mistake no.
4 Not identifying precisely what type of person would best suit this role.
You can't hope to find the right person if you don't know what you are looking for.
What skills, attributes, training or experience are needed.
Could you take on a student - if so, what are the implications on your time in training and guiding them - or could someone else in your team take them under their wing? And don't just focus on skills and experience - think too about their values and attitude - how will they be perceived by clients, how well will they manage and behave when you are not in the office? Try to identify characteristics that are measurable, so that you will be able to check that these are being met.
Mistake no.
5 Not calculating the full cost and expected return on investment.
Be realistic about what you can afford.
As well as researching the going rate for the role you require, cost the initial set up e.
g.
advertising and recruiting, or agency fees if appropriate.
Now consider what you will be spending your time on instead (e.
g.
generating new business), and how much of this you will need to do to generate enough extra income to cover the cost.
Mistake no.
6 Not exploring all opportunities to find the right person.
Advertising or agency can be an expensive option, so consider the alternatives.
Where would your ideal candidate look for work? Who do you know who may know someone? If you do you advertise how do you attract the right candidate to get the best response rate? One or two of the right applicants is worth any number of the wrong ones.
Do you trust your own judgment, or do you need to ask for someone else's input? Maybe within your network you know of others who have been through a similar recruitment process - can you share ideas, contacts, resources? Mistake no.
7 Not being realistic about how long it will take to reap the benefits.
Once you have found the right person, what training or brief will they require? How soon will they be up to speed - a couple of hours, a week, six months? Even a qualified or experience person will need time to settle in and get to know your systems, clients and ways of working.
The time you (or someone else in your team) spends on inducting them into the role will pay for itself ten fold.
Not only will it help them get into the role sooner, it will enable them to settle in more quickly and reduce the risk of them leaving, and putting you back at square one.
But this requires an investment of time - be realistic about this and factor this in.
I am sure you will agree, there is nothing surprising about this list, but you'll be amazed how many people try to recruit without considering these elementary questions.
And of course once you have avoided all these mistakes, don't throw away all your efforts by making the final mistake - forgetting all your intentions and recruiting someone anyway, even when they don't fulfill any of your criteria!
For most small businesses it is seen as a major step to recruit staff, so how do you take this step with confidence, knowing you have done all you can to minimize the risks? Here's the easy way.
These are the mistakes I see people making time and again - maybe not all of them - but just miss one of these and it could cost your business (and your patience) dearly.
Simply ensure you avoid these common mistakes, and check you can answer all of the questions below.
Mistake no.
1 Not being absolutely clear about what the role is.
What are the tasks you are looking to hand over to someone else? A good starting point is to analyse what you spend your time doing which could be done by someone else more quickly, more proficiently or for less cost.
Remain true to yourself and your values, and do a sense check that these are tasks you will confidently hand over to someone else.
And how well do any new or additional roles fit in with your overall strategy for growing your business? Mistake no.
2 Being unrealistic that this superman (or woman) exists.
How easy will it be to recruit for this position? Is your ideal role a position you can really afford? Or are you expecting such a mix of skills that no single person would be able to or want to fulfil all these tasks? If so, how could these be broken down into a number of smaller roles? Mistake no.
3 Not calculating the number of hours actually needed for someone to perform this role.
It is so easy to take on someone full time and then find there is not enough work to keep him or her occupied.
Is this a full time position, or could it be part time? How regular is the work? Could you take someone on a freelance basis or use a virtual assistant? Yes, is will cost more per hour, but the savings on training and down time when work is slack will cover this and you have the added bonus of flexibility.
If you are looking for someone to work on a specific project, is the project confirmed, when will it start, will others be freed up from other work by then? Mistake no.
4 Not identifying precisely what type of person would best suit this role.
You can't hope to find the right person if you don't know what you are looking for.
What skills, attributes, training or experience are needed.
Could you take on a student - if so, what are the implications on your time in training and guiding them - or could someone else in your team take them under their wing? And don't just focus on skills and experience - think too about their values and attitude - how will they be perceived by clients, how well will they manage and behave when you are not in the office? Try to identify characteristics that are measurable, so that you will be able to check that these are being met.
Mistake no.
5 Not calculating the full cost and expected return on investment.
Be realistic about what you can afford.
As well as researching the going rate for the role you require, cost the initial set up e.
g.
advertising and recruiting, or agency fees if appropriate.
Now consider what you will be spending your time on instead (e.
g.
generating new business), and how much of this you will need to do to generate enough extra income to cover the cost.
Mistake no.
6 Not exploring all opportunities to find the right person.
Advertising or agency can be an expensive option, so consider the alternatives.
Where would your ideal candidate look for work? Who do you know who may know someone? If you do you advertise how do you attract the right candidate to get the best response rate? One or two of the right applicants is worth any number of the wrong ones.
Do you trust your own judgment, or do you need to ask for someone else's input? Maybe within your network you know of others who have been through a similar recruitment process - can you share ideas, contacts, resources? Mistake no.
7 Not being realistic about how long it will take to reap the benefits.
Once you have found the right person, what training or brief will they require? How soon will they be up to speed - a couple of hours, a week, six months? Even a qualified or experience person will need time to settle in and get to know your systems, clients and ways of working.
The time you (or someone else in your team) spends on inducting them into the role will pay for itself ten fold.
Not only will it help them get into the role sooner, it will enable them to settle in more quickly and reduce the risk of them leaving, and putting you back at square one.
But this requires an investment of time - be realistic about this and factor this in.
I am sure you will agree, there is nothing surprising about this list, but you'll be amazed how many people try to recruit without considering these elementary questions.
And of course once you have avoided all these mistakes, don't throw away all your efforts by making the final mistake - forgetting all your intentions and recruiting someone anyway, even when they don't fulfill any of your criteria!