Most employees are looking for advancement opportunities within their own company. Work with each of them to develop a career growth plan that takes into consideration both their current skills and future goals. If employees become excited about what’s down the road, they will become more engaged in their present work.

Hello
Hiring the right employee is what every small business owner wants to do. The right employee will bring years of productivity and harmony to your business. However, oftentimes due to poor hiring procedures and policies, a bad employee sneaks in the door and turns out to be a costly mistake in both time and money.
What can you do to make sure you get the right employee for your small business’ hiring situation? Here are some tips you can use to assure that your job opening is filled with a quality candidate.
1. Create a Clear Job Description
The first step in hiring the right employee is to develop and produce a clear job description. A job description helps both you and a potential employee find common ground that will result in clear expectations. In your job description, you should include the following:
o Job Title
o Duties & Responsibilities
o Experience and Qualifications Desired
o Skills & Education Required
o Work Environment
o Salary and Benefits (Salary can be noted as negotiable)
This type of job description gives your candidates a starting point to determine whether they are interested and are qualified for the job. This also gives you an opportunity to sort through resumes and applications to find only the most qualified and desirable candidates.
2. Where To Look
Where will you find your desired job candidates? Hiring the right employee requires you to formulate a hiring strategy that puts your job opening and description into the hands of the people who will meet your criteria. Will you post an ad in the local newspaper or on Craigslist? Hire through an employment agency or headhunter? Recruit nationally through trade magazines?
3. What Questions To Ask
Once you have pre-screened your candidates from their resumes and determined the right ones to interview, be sure you develop a list of good questions. Refrain from obvious and broad questions like, “why are you the best candidate?”
Instead, ask your small business hiring candidate to give specific examples of certain criteria, such as an above-and-beyond customer service instance. You will get more candid answers and better background information with these types of questions.
4. Check Background and References
With the interviews completed, you think you have found the person who could be a perfect fit for your company. However, don’t give an offer of employment just yet. Hiring the right employee means you must thoroughly check a candidate’s references and background. At the minimum, make the effort to call previous employers and get what information you can. Contact provided references and get opinions of character. You may even want to request a credit check and report. This information could help you determine whether a candidate has a criminal history, legal issues, or simply poor money management, which could be vital if he or she will be handling money in your establishment.
Hiring the right employee for your small business doesn’t have to be a chore, nor does it have to end in heartache. Take the steps necessary to form a sound hiring strategy, and you can get the right employees in the door.

Thanks,
Nadia