Hiring is a special skill.
When done right, it creates a magical combination and a culture that stands apart! It gives good people a place to call home from a job perspective, and to thrive and bring out the best in themselves.
Hiring is so much more than the legalese though! Finding the right combination of person for position, manager & business, is really hard!
So here’s some quick Frequently Asked Questions (and answers!) about hiring as a small business that can make the difference in whether someone sticks around, or takes off a week or two into the job!
Q1. What is the first thing to consider when you hire someone for your company?
A1: Most important is to ensure that you hire someone who is a good culture fit for the company. If they don’t enjoy working for your organization, if they don’t fit in, they will self-select out quickly. This is especially prominent inside of small businesses because the employees often create a very tightly knit family and it’s hard to come in to that! Remember the first time you met your significant other’s family? It’s awkward and they have so many inside jokes, it takes a minute to get your bearings!
You really have to care a LOT about someone to push through that awkwardness. That’s where it’s important to find someone who is a good position fit as well and passionate about the vision and mission of the company.
I always remind my clients that if your new employee doesn’t already have some level of passion for your vision and mission, if they don’t already embrace your core values at some level already, it doesn’t matter how much money you pay them, they will never be passionate enough to push through the pain of acclimation or interested enough to give you 110%.
Earlier this year I went against my better judgement and hired a lady who had only ever worked for major corporations. She didn’t buy from or embrace small business, and if you understand our mission (To disrupt the way the world does small business), you can see where the problem stemmed.
She lasted less than two months before I let her go.
Culture fit is key.
Q2. Why is it so difficult to find a good fit?
A2: When hiring, you’re looking f