How to Hire Staff for Your Business

Having a clear and thorough hiring process is crucial to helping you get the employees you want and need. When hiring staff for your business, it’s crucial to have an organized and well thought out process to follow as the journey can be long and tiring.

However, if you set it up right, you’ll be sure to find and hire quality candidates who will help your business succeed. Before you begin even looking for candidates, be sure to have a few things figured out. Here's our checklist of the nine things you must start with.

DECIDE WHO WILL BE RECRUITING
Before diving right into recruiting, figure out how much time it will take to recruit each new employee and all the tasks involved. Consider who will write the job description, post the job online, communicate with potential candidates, review resumes, coordinate and schedule the interviews, conduct the interviews, etc.

There are a lot of steps involved in hiring staff and it requires a significant amount of time. Therefore, consider outsourcing this to someone in your team or hiring a recruiter.

GET YOUR EIN
Before actually hiring someone, you need to set up a few legal things, the first one being obtaining your Employer Identification Number (EIN), also known as an Employer Tax ID or Form SS-4. This sounds a lot more intimidating than it really is. The EIN is just a number that the IRS gives you to identify your business. This number will be used on all documents related to paying your employees.

There are a few ways to apply for your EIN. You can apply online through the IRS website, where you will answer questions about your business and provide them with a taxpayer identification number (i.e., social security number). Another way to apply is by downloading the IRS Form SS-4 and mail or fax it in with all the info. Lastly, you can apply over the phone through the IRS Business and Specialty Tax Line at 800.829.4933, provide your information and get your EIN on the spot.

MAINTAIN & KEEP TRACK OF YOUR TAXES
Tax requirements are different in every state, so seek professional advice to understand your requirements. In addition, you need to be aware of federal taxes, state taxes and withholding rules. It’s important to keep tax records that are secure yet easily accessible internally, this can usually be done with an accounting software.

Be sure you comply with your legal requirements, such as collecting new employee tax forms, reporting new hires, getting worker’s compensation insurance, and obtaining and displaying posters about employee rights.

SET UP PAYROLL
Payroll isn’t as simple as it sounds. You must ensure that you provide your employees with their pay on time and comply with all the laws. When setting up payroll consider outsourcing this to your accountant or a bookkeeper. Another helpful option is to make sure your accounting software can handle all your payroll needs. This will make it simple and efficient. Now that you’ve done all the prep work, it’s time to find and recruit employees.

CREATE A GREAT JOB DESCRIPTION
Oftentimes, this is where businesses fail. It sounds so simple, but there's a formula behind writing a great job description. The job description is an opportunity for you to attract qualified candidates that you will want to hire. It’s critical to strategically pick the job title and thoroughly describe what the position is. This is your chance to display your company values and culture. You’ll be surprised that just by choosing the right language, you will attract the right people.

PUT YOUR JOB ADS ONLINE
This seems straightforward, however, there’s more to it than just posting on the typical job sites. While you should post your job ads on all the mainstream platforms like LinkedIn, Monster.com and Indeed, a big part of this success is how you present your company’s image. Just like you have internal values for your business, you should also showcase your employee values to job seekers so they can better understand the company and decide if they would be a good fit or not.

UTILIZE REFERRALS
Employee referrals are the top source of quality hires. Ask your employees if they know of anyone who would be a good fit for the position. Employee referrals are a great way to screen candidates before even interviewing them. Getting a referral from a trusted employee will provide you with a level of security and reassurance knowing that the candidate will succeed and help the business.  

LEVERAGE YOUR NETWORK
Take recruiting into your own hands and search for candidates yourself. Social media is a great way to research people who might be a good fit and have mutual connections already. Take advantage of LinkedIn and type in keywords you’re looking for. If you find a potential candidate, don’t be afraid to reach out to them. Another great way to use LinkedIn is to post about the position, the type of employee you are looking for, and ask for suggestions and for people to share it.

DON’T JUST HIRE FOR SKILL
Lastly, it’s important to note that you should not hire someone just because they are qualified and have the skillet you’re looking for. Make sure that your candidates fit in with your company culture and embody your values. A Leadership IQ Study showed that of employees who were fired within their first 18 months, only 11% failed due to lack of skills. Rather than a skilled employee who doesn’t get along with anyone, you would rather hire an employee who is easy to train and learns quickly.