4 Tips for Hiring Employees for the First Time
Has your business grown to the point where you can no longer do everything on your own? Do you need to hire employees to ensure the continued stability and success of your company? If that’s the case, you’re like many other Georgia based businesses who are ready to take the next step but need to add personnel to their ranks to facilitate this growth. Georgia has seen a boom of new, small businesses open, especially within Atlanta, as more people who originated from the South travel to this growing domestic economy to do business.
As you would expect with such an integral component in any business strategy, there are many points to consider regarding bringing staff members on-board. If you get it wrong, it could be a costly experience – one that could even lead to your company going out of business. Get it right, however, and your business will reach previously unattainable heights. Getting your employment right is essential in business growth, as the right candidate can make you more efficient. Of course, hiring the right person is a lot easier in large areas such as Atlanta and New York due to the increased talent pool, but when you go further afield to Douglasville and Hamilton County respectfully, the numbers dwindle, meaning your hiring process needs to be top-notch to get the right person in.
The following article will list four tips for hiring employees for the first time to help you achieve your hiring goals.
1. Get the recruitment right
Admittedly, you have to pay particular attention during the recruitment process. You want to hire the best person for the job, after all. However, if you make basic mistakes – like rushing to hire the first viable candidate or focusing on the wrong questions during the interview – this is unlikely to happen. This is particularly critical if your business is in low population areas, such as the vast majority of Georgia. The reason for this is that fewer people mean a smaller talent pool, meaning your hiring process needs to be spot on to ensure you get the right candidate.
Below are some tips to keep in mind when recruiting employees:
2. Carry out pre-employment checks
The recruitment process is done. You have found the right candidate, and you’re ready to offer them the job.
First of all, it is time to slow down a little. This is because you have to carry out the necessary pre-employment checks. You need to research and see if their qualifications, references, and past experience match up to what was listed on their CV. If all the information lines up, you can move forward with hiring your ideal candidate. Yet if the details were a falsehood, be happy you dodged a bullet.
It’s also worth checking to see if any of your applicants have been convicted in the past, especially in states such as Georgia, as you can get a tax benefit when hiring ex-convicts, which can improve the profitability while also aiding the rehabilitation of an individual back into society.
3. Cover with insurance
When you bring employees into the fold, your business suddenly develops new responsibilities. For instance, you are accountable for their health and safety while they’re at work.
Due to this, you must have insurance like workers compensation; however, the requirements for this differs from state to state, with Next Insurance detailing that all part-time works need to be insured in the state of Georgia. At the same time, this isn’t the case in other regions. Georgia also requires that this cover is also provided to any worker within a business that employs more than three people, meaning that if you’re in this state and are looking to grow and hire more staff, this insurance is something that you’re going to have to consider. This type of coverage supplies your business and employees with financial protection should a staff member suffer a workplace injury. Workers compensation can cover medical bills, lost wages, and emergency treatment.
4. Keep them happy
A happy employee is a productive employee. Plus, when you consider how it is much more expensive and disruptive to rehire for a position rather than retain the same employee, you need to do all you can to keep everyone happy working for your business. Georgia alone has some of the most satisfied workers within the country, so it’s a good idea to look at what their businesses do there to contribute to high engagement and higher retention.
There are various strategies you can incorporate to keep morale up. Recognizing someone’s effort with more than simply a ‘thank you’ can make them feel more appreciated, for example, while creating a fun and vibrant work environment can help to ensure employees enjoy their job each day.