You’ll do a lot of good for your business, but there’ll be an upper limit of how far you can go if you’re doing everything yourself. To reach new heights, you’ll eventually have to look into bringing others into the team by hiring people. This isn’t as straightforward as you might think, however. As much as you’d like to think otherwise, sometimes the people you hire will not only fail to help your business; they might actually harm it. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to reduce the chances of this happening. We take a look at five of them below.

How to Advertise

You’ll make everything a lot easier for yourself if you’re only attracting the best candidates. If everyone is bottom of the barrel options, then you can’t be too surprised if you don’t end up with a great employee. So how do you ensure only the best apply? It’s all about your job description. If all you’re doing is writing a long list of requirements that each applicant must possess, then what would be the incentive for the best candidates to apply? They already know they’re going to be good at the job. As such, you’ll be well-served by writing an ad that says what your company can do for the employee, not just the other way around.

Beyond the CV

A person could look, on paper, like someone who would excel at doing the tasks you’ll set them. But they might not necessarily be a good person to hire. Why? Because the actual work they’ll do is only a percentage of their role within the company. To get the right person, you need to find a worker that fits in with your broader company culture. If you’re offering a cool “start-up” culture, it wouldn’t be right for someone who works best in traditional corporations, for instance.

Security Checks

There’s an uncomfortable truth about employees. They’re responsible for the vast majority of crimes that are committed against companies. As such, it’s imperative that you trust the people you’re hiring to work. While there can be no guarantees when it comes to trusting a person you’ve just met, there are security checks you do to decrease the chances of hiring someone who will do you harm. To begin, conduct an ID check, to ensure that all their documents are legitimate. You’ll also want to conduct a criminal background check, and also follow up with any references that they supply.

Consider Contractor Hires

If you’re not sure about hiring people, or you’ve been burnt in the past, you can also look at bringing people onto the team on a contractor basis. This greatly reduces your risk. If they turn out to be great workers, you can offer them a full-time position. If not, then you’ll be able to easily wave goodbye with no great loss to your business.

Finally, remember to trust your instincts! They won’t let you down. If you get good vibes from a person then it’s worth pursuing!

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