April 15, 2019 | By Mason Roberts
You are a small business owner with an increasingly growing business. It is becoming too much of a hardship to handle all of the work on your own. You are being to grow tired and are in desperate need of help. If this is the case, it is time to start building your dream team of staff. This can be more difficult than you may think, as many interviewees know how to disguise their true intentions. It is very common to hire a team member who seems like they are perfect for the job, only to find out they have an overflowing amount of ego and simply think they are better, or more important than what their job is demanding of them. Hire a team player who will help your business grow.
Building staff is not something to be taken lightly. If you have been working on developing your small business for what may have been years, you owe it to yourself to be extremely picky when choosing a dream team. Every step that is taken in this process should be completely intentional. Unlike how some may think, choosing your employees is not a trick of chance. You have to detect your potential employee's true intentions when coming into your business. A lot of work will be delegated to these new hires, so it is imperative that they are capable of completing the work in the way you need it to be done, as the owner. The employees must choose to be hardworking and dedicated, as you need them to be.
Chances are that you will come into contact with interviewees who it is hard to figure out if they will be a dedicated member of the team. This doesn’t make it a hopeless situation, though. There are key aspects to look for in during the initial interview process to help you determine if they are really a team player. Follow these tips to hire the best team players for your small business.
Determine Important Traits
A great way to get your ideal dream team player on board is to determine what they really entail. What makes this person ideal? What traits can be compromised? There are countless types of businesses and industries all over the world, meaning countless types of personalities and characteristics to be needed. Determine who this person looks like to you. Chances are that you are looking for a dedicated, hardworking, loyal employee who works well with others, as most other businesses are. Now, figure out what the special, unique things are that you are looking for. This can be just about anything, like a special talent or ability, such as being strong at public speaking.
Include Those Your Trust In The Process
The interview process can be a bit stressful. Everything can begin to get a bit fuzzy in the chaos, your judgment being more clouded than it should be, especially when you are the head of the business. At this point in the hiring process, it is smart to bring in those you trust for another voice of reason. This can be anyone, as long as it is someone who wishes nothing but many successes for you. May it be someone who helped you grow your business from the ground up, or a trusted employee already on staff, ask them for their assistance and judgment. Let them sit in on the interview and have another opinion on the interviewee in question.
Let Them Know What Is Expected
If the interview is going well and you can see this person potentially joining your dream team, fill them in on their responsibilities. You cannot hold an employee accountable for their lack of preparation or interest in their job if you do not let them know what is expected of them from the start. So, once you have decided that this is a strong potential employee of yours, share with them what they will need to complete in their normal day today, as well as big picture stuff that may fall under their umbrella of responsibilities. This will clear up any misconceptions from the start of this professional relationship, ensuring a sturdy, trustworthy team player.
Ask Them About Their Past Work Experiences
This is a very common interview question, so it is likely this was already on your list. Though, that does not mean you are aware of how important this actually is. Asking a potential employee about their past experiences, good or bad, will let you in a little more on what type of person they are. From the story itself to the attitude it is delivered in, you can tell a lot about how this answer is relayed to you. Also, you can learn about if they understand the previous mistakes they have made and have learned from them. For example, if the interviewee seems to be blaming every difficult work situation they have been in on the people around them, chances are that they do not and will not take responsibility for their actions.
Do Not Settle For Less
It is very easy to get caught up in the stress of the hiring process. This is where many business owners fold, creating undeniable problems for them in the near future. If you have a certain type of person you would like on your team, and you think the interviewees are not cutting it, do not hire them. While, yes, there can be some room for compromise on the little things, do not change your big picture needs. If you are hiring for an employee who needs to be on call most days, do not compromise on this, as it will just cause issues for you in the long run. Going into the interview, make sure you figure out if you are willing to compromise or not, and if so, how much? On what? These are important questions that can truly change the success rate of your business. Your employees are who communicate with your customers first hand, so make sure they are reliable team players.
