Avoiding the Bad Employees: Hiring Tips for Your Small Business

Posted on July 28th, 2008, 06:07 am
Filed Under (Biz Start Up) by Joe Witte

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Let me get the catchphrase out of the way…your employees, also known as “people”, are really important to your business.  They’ll handle your money, your customers (who give you money), your product (which you sell for money) and you’ll spend more time with them than your family.  So why do so many people get stuck with bad employees? Typically, it’s because we fail to search, prepare and interview candidates thoroughly, and are hasty to hire someone hoping they’ll work out. These bad hiring habits result in a weak workforce which will make your life miserable and destroy your business.

My first suggestion is to ensure that workload doesn’t cloud your judgment.  If you are desperate for an employee because your team is overworked, or you just lost an employee, you’ll inadvertently drop your standards just so that you’re not stuck working 12 hours a day. This compromise will usually lead to hiring some knucklehead who is under qualified, lazy or dishonest which leads to frustration and wasted time and money.

So where can you find good candidates? Clearly, the position and degree of experience will require different search methodologies, but for entry to mid-level white collar employees, we have used Monster.com. This site can usually produce 15-20 relatively qualified resume’s that have led to multiple successful hires for our firm. Other sites to consider are CareerBuilder.com and HotJobs.com. These postings are not cheap, so start by posting one career opportunity on the site of your choice and see if it meets your expectations. Career fairs are also a great way to meet hundreds of people immediately and get a good sense of a candidates “presence” and professionalism. “Grading” the resume’s you receive and setting up interviews on the spot is a great way to maximize your investment in the show. For whatever reason, many of the candidates won’t show up for their interview or even give the courtesy of calling.  The best method of finding a good employee is employee referrals. These referrals are cost effective, and good employees usually won’t recommend someone who would embarrass them.

The next phase is interview preparation. It’s not just the candidate that has to get ready. Make sure you and your staff dress properly, and make your candidate feel comfortable when they arrive so they are more forthcoming with their answers. Ensure that you have researched and developed a thorough list of questions prior to meeting candidates- and that you ask each candidate the same questions. Questions should relate to their experience and what they will bring to the position, character and their personal interests. Pay attention to the prospects’ dress, handshake, eye contact and level of confidence. If the position requires technical skills, TEST THEM. I always look to see if the candidate is involved in some form of community service. This is a clear indication of responsibility, kindness, teamwork and lack of selfishness which usually makes for an excellent employee. Don’t overlook interview blunders such as resume’ spelling errors (or not having a resume’ in an interview), tardiness or inappropriate dress. If someone makes these errors this early in the game, they aren’t going to get better, they’ll get worse.

Be sure to have 2 separate interviews with the candidates and get at least one other person to meet with them from your staff. It’s impossible to get to know someone in one hour, but over the course of 3 or 4 hours on multiple days, you’ll get a better sense of their personality and character.

So, how do you choose? A simple rule to remember is hire people you like and who seem to have good character. If you get along with them well, and they have the right requirements chances are it’s a good fit.

Joe Witte is a partner at Logo Design Guru, and has successfully started 3 small businesses including CentricSource and Travel Ad Network