Hiring new employees is no simple task, especially in such a competitive market. It can be especially daunting trying to find the perfect fit for your business if this is your first time hiring a new employee. If you’re sweating this first step into expanding your small business, don’t worry!
We’ve compiled a step-by-step guide to hiring that will get you on your way to finding the next key member of your team. Take a look at our guide on how to hire employees below!
Five Steps to Hiring An Employee for Your Business
Step One: Decide whether you’re looking for an employee or an independent contractor.
Consider the position you’re hiring for. What are the time commitments for this work? How much have you budgeted for compensation? Do you plan for this hire to be permanent or temporary? Once you’ve asked yourself these questions, decide whether you’re interested in hiring a part/full-time employee or an independent contractor. Either type of worker can be an excellent addition to your team, depending on what your hiring needs are.
By deciding on an employee or an independent contractor first, you’ll be better able to better tailor your recruitment plan to the position type as you move forward in the hiring process.
Step Two: Obtain your EIN.
Once you know the type of employment you’re planning to offer, it’s time to get your Employer Identification Number, otherwise known as an EIN. This nine-digit taxpayer identification number is used by the IRS to identify your business. While some entities like sole proprietorships aren’t required to have an EIN, most businesses must have their EIN set up in order to hire employees.
If you’re unsure whether or not you need an EIN, you can always take this quick test from the IRS to be sure. After determining your need for an EIN, you can apply online for your identification number.
Step Three: Make a recruitment plan.
Who’s in charge of recruitment? How are you recruiting? What are the timelines you need to adhere to? All of these questions are important to consider when it comes to your hiring process. Most small businesses won’t have a full HR department to create and implement a recruitment plan, especially when they’re just starting out. You as the owner of this new business will likely need to be in charge of this process at first before you can hand it over to designated team members.
By creating a plan that you can easily follow each time you need to hire a new employee, you’ll be able to streamline the entire process at a much faster pace than if you attempt to start from scratch.
Step Four: Have a clearly defined description of the role and the skills/experience you’re looking for in an ideal candidate.
Once you know your recruitment plan, it’s time to implement it! Take the time to make an ideal candidate profile before writing your job descriptions, so that future applicants have a clear picture of precisely what you’re looking for.
The more detailed you are in your posts, the more accurate your application pool will be. If you don’t clearly outline your candidate desires, you’ll have to take additional time out of your recruitment plan to sort through unnecessary applications that don’t fit your needs.
Step Five: Evaluate your pool of applicants.
Are you ready for the final step? Evaluating your pool of applicants is the last and most essential step of hiring a new employee. It’s incredibly important that you allow yourself ample time to go through each application and don’t rush the process to fill the position faster.
When you rush, you could gloss over someone who may end up being the perfect fit for your business. Once you’ve ruled out some applications and you have a reasonable number of final candidates, you can contact this shortlist to set up phone screens and in-person/virtual interviews to determine your final choice.
Outsourcing as a Way to Save on Recruitment Costs
While you handle the complexities of small business hiring, let us make the rest of your day simple! By outsourcing reception to the best live answering service for small businesses, you’ll never have to worry about missed calls again. VoiceNation’s virtual receptionists are available 24/7/365 to provide your clients with top-of-the-line care.
Plus, with our free call forwarding answering service, you can stay connected to the big calls without having to be watching the phone all day! Our team will make sure you’re able to focus on building the best team possible while maintaining the excellent customer service skills that your clients have come to expect.
Check out our flexibly priced plans today and find the option that works best for you!