Small Business Employee Hiring

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I became very effective at getting good people and efficiently completing the hiring process. I learned that finding quality employees is important for two reasons: 1) Obviously you want the best people working for you and 2) Hiring the wrong employee costs you money -- rehiring and training, unemployment insurance, lost productivity, and so on.

As a new or early-stage small business person you should be aware of a couple basic challenges you'll face in small business employee hiring.

• First: Lack of YOUR Interview Experience

  You may not have had much experience in the hiring process. Even a seasoned executive may have only interviewed a small number of people in his or her career.

• Second: Narrow Range

  You will need to hire for a wide range of positions, many for which you may have no experience evaluating candidates.

As a small business owner, you just won’t have time to fool around in the hiring process. Nobody does, really, regardless of company size. I’m still amazed at otherwise top-performing, senior staff members who will spend hours and hours with candidates that are clearly not appropriate for a job. Not only is this wasteful of their time but it also doesn’t reflect well on their ability to prioritize.

So how to get the right people the first time?

Here are the 3 main types of interviews you'll be conducting, and how to do them effectively.

1. Resume Review

   Of course you are going to review the resumes and cover letters to pinpoint the people who might be good for the job. I expect each candidate to submit a cover letter with a resume and it’s a bad sign if they do not. To me it shows that the candidate is either not thorough, lazy, doesn’t care, or all three.

   What to Look For In the Resume:

   • Empty Promises. One problem I have with resumes is that I see so many people repeat the same old things all the time with nothing backing them up. Examples: "Strong attention to detail"... "Good people person"... "Excellent communication skills"... Everyone says these things and it would be nice if they gave me some reason to believe them. I have had many people in my office claiming to be these things who went on to demonstrate that they had none of these qualities.

   • Subtle Clues. Use any clues on the resume that indicate they are not right for the job to whittle down the resumes. For example, people who tell you how detail oriented they are but misspell words are clearly not honest about their capabilities. Take notes on candidate resumes of what you need to ask them and where you need to probe (gaps in employment, etc.)

2. Phone Interview

   To be most efficient in employee hiring, you need to pre-screen interesting candidates over the phone.

   Tell the candidate up front that this is a quick informational interview just so that you can have a more personal understanding of each resume. This statement is true but also, you will not feel bad if you realize a candidate is not a good fit and you cut the call short. Say, "Thank you for your time. I wanted to get a more personal understanding of each candidate and I will call you if you are the right fit for this job." Of course, if the person is clearly a good candidate you would schedule the in-person interview with them immediately.

   I have found, for small business employee hiring, that a tightly scheduled battery of back-to-back phone interviews significantly speeds the process of identifying the best candidates. Allocate 10-15 minute blocks of time with each candidate, back-to-back and you will be sure to stick to your schedule and figure out what you have to know quickly.

   You can ask the candidates any critical questions that came up looking at their resumes, gauge their communication skills, and get a sense of their energy levels.

3. Office Interview

   The office interview should be the opportunity to really review the prospect's credentials and to also gauge whether they would be someone reasonable to work around. Also, it’s an opportunity to sell the candidate on the job if the person turns out to be a good candidate. Be sure to have a decent agenda ready for interviewing.

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