So you are ready to expand your empire and bring on someone to help, congratulations!
Hiring your first employee is a critical milestone in the growth of your business.
As exciting as this moment is, it’s a decision that shouldn’t be rushed. Jumping in before you are fully prepared could be more of a hindrance than a help.
You might find yourself taking steps backwards instead of those forward leaps you were hoping for.
If you think the time is right to bring someone new on board, ensure you get it right the first time by taking these seven steps to prepare yourself and your business.
7 Critical Steps For Hiring Your First Employee
1. Nail Down The Job Description
Before you even consider hiring someone, you need to have a very clear idea of the specific tasks you need help with. Being busy and overwhelmed indicates you need assistance, but taking the time to hire the right person for your needs strategically is vital.
Is there a specific skill you need assistance with, such as marketing or accounting, or do you need general help with a range of tasks?
Take the time to list all the tasks you envision your new hire will assist with, and how long they will take. This will help you come up with a job outline and help with your strategic planning. If you are very clear about what you need, you will attract the right candidates to your business.
2. Figure Out Your Finances
Alright, you know you could use some support, but can you afford to invest in a new employee? Review your budget first. The figures will impact on the kind of help you will be able to source.
There are a bunch of expenses that come along with hiring. Not only the cost of advertising the role and the time investment of interviewing, but you will also have increased ongoing costs also. There is ACC, Kiwisaver contributions, as well as sick leave and holiday pay.
Run your numbers first to understand what the total cost to your business will end up being. Consider industry standard on the hourly rate or salary, and whether you will need full-time or part-time help. These will all impact the overall costs.
3. Decide If You Want To Hire Someone New Or Outsource
Once you have the job description and the costs in front of you, then you can make an informed decision on whether you should be looking to hire an employee or outsource some tasks instead.
For small businesses, bringing in a freelancer or outsourcing specific tasks is a great first step. You get the help you need without a long-term financial commitment, and it gives you an insight into what it’s like to bring a new person into your team.
It might be that you need to engage several service providers when you look at that task list. The great thing with outsourcing is that you can easily hire someone to help with your bookkeeping, another expert to handle your marketing, and maybe someone else to handle the admin.
If outsourcing is not a viable option, then you will have gained a clear picture of the kind of candidate you need and how many hours work you will have for them.
4. Sort Out Your Systems And Processes
While you might know exactly how to do everything in your business, a new person will need some training and guidance. Spend time getting your standard operating procedures for repeatable and routine tasks written down so that a new hire can easily follow the processes and get up to speed quickly.
You can grab our free template for doing that here.
When writing your processes, consider if there is a more efficient way for things to be done or if new blood will mean things have to be modified slightly.
5. Get Clear On Communication Channels
Whether you are outsourcing or hiring, you will have to master managing someone else’s time as well as your own. If you don’t already use team communication and management tools like Slack, Asana, or Google Docs, now is an excellent time to get your head around them before bringing someone else on board.
With today’s modern technology, you don’t necessarily need your employee or service provider to sit in the same room as you. Nailing your communication will mean that you can access people from all over the country (or world) and allow them to work remotely.
6. Plan Your Workload
Bringing on a new team member is going to take up a little more time in the beginning as you follow the steps above, recruit the right person, and train them.
You want to make sure they have an excellent introduction to your business and are onboarded correctly. So, do some schedule shuffling to ensure you have adequate time for each step – and don’t forget to plan how you will spend all that precious extra time once you’ve onboarded your new hire!
7. Understand Your Obligations
Your legal obligations will vary dramatically depending on whether you are outsourcing or hiring in-house. Make sure you understand precisely what you need to do for each option.
If you aren’t sure, then seek advice from a professional expert to ensure you are making the right decisions for your business. An HR or Recruitment expert will also be able to keep you up to date on your ongoing obligations to an employee and employment law.
We know your business is your baby, and it can be hard to let go. But once you find someone you trust to join your growing team, you will relish in the freedom the extra help provides you to do the things you love.
If after going through this process you realise that you simply need to outsource some tasks, then let’s talk! Here at Admin Army, we have a whole team of expert administrators and bookkeepers that can take the stress and hassle off your plate. Get in touch today.
Know you need to delegate, but not sure which tasks to start with?