Who’s hiring?

SmallBiz Stew, Who's hiring?. Photo by: http://www.flickr.com/photos/eszter/3513522028/

You’re ready to open shop but you just realize there’s only one thing stopping you and it’s the fact that you don’t have a staff to operate your business. Everyone has heard the saying, “good help is hard to find”, and so getting the right people to work for you can be a task. Of course everyone you hire, at first, seems to be the best person for the job and then two months later you realize that person wasn’t worth the ink they used on their application. You don’t want the wrong people responsible for your life’s work that is why it is important to have an application process set up so that you can hire the best candidates for your business.

What open positions do you have?

Before you can start hiring you have to know what the different positions are in your company. What will you be hiring for? To figure this out, the simplest way is to make a list of all the open areas in your business you need to fill.

Example:
Kelly’s Daycare

Two daycare workers (as state mandated for centers with over fifteen kids and two toddlers.)
Cashier/receptionist
A licensed social worker (as mandated for centers with special need kids)

Workers needed- 4 (Kelly doesn’t plan to lift a finger in her business)

Use the guide below when figuring out who you need to hire.

1. Responsibilities (List their job details)
2. Title(What is their job title?)
3. Desired background/experience(What attributes, skills must they have to be able to operate this position?)

How will job seekers know about the position?

Now that you know how much staff you must hire, next you need to consider how you will reach them. There are easy and free ways to get the word out that you are hiring and the most convenient and easiest way is WOM (word of mouth). During these hard economic times just about everyone knows someone that is actively looking for a job. Ask around, you’d be surprised of the feedback you’ll get.

Other options are:

• Craig’s List
• EBay ads
• Help wanted signs
• Flyers
• Newspaper ad
• Staffing agency (can/will be pricey)

 How will they apply?
 
Once you figured out how to get the word out, now it’s time to consider how they will apply for your open positions. Do they have to come in person and fill out an application? Do you want them to call and then you can screen potential employees before asking them to come in? You need to decide exactly how potential employees can apply to join your team. Create a plan that details your business’ application process.

Tip: You can create a simple application using word or download a general template from the internet, as well as interview questions. Make sure your interview questions are directly related to the job at hand.

Now that you know what positions you need to fill, how to get the word out and how they will apply; it’s time to start creating your team.

Who’s going to work for you?