Image by Satheesh Sankaran from Pixabay

By Henry Brown

You can focus on all sorts of areas of your business as you expand and start making a name for your brand. But at the end of the day, one area becomes increasingly important as time goes on. This area is your staff base. Sure, you may be able to keep your business ticking over independently for a while. But as soon as you start to experience actual demand and you have a stream of customers placing orders, trying to contact for support and more, you’ll find that all of your time gets eaten up with basic administration, order fulfilment and customer service, reducing the amount of time that you have to focus on progressive elements of your business, such as product development, marketing and advertising. This is when you’ll find that staff are absolutely essential to keep your business up and running.

You’re going to have to go through a recruitment process to find the right individuals for the job! But how can you make sure that you get things right when choosing new team members? Here are some tips to help.

Know what you’re looking for

First and foremost, you need to make sure that you know what you’re looking for from your staff. All too many people start hiring for roles that aren’t fully detailed or outlined yet. Instead, know exactly what responsibilities this staff member will have, what qualifications or experience they will require to perform to a high standard, what working hours and working style you expect and how you’re going to financially reward this work. This will allow you to give a clear job description, salary bracket and idea of personality or character that will fit well into your company. You will be able to whittle through candidates more easily during the application and interview process.

Let go of internalized prejudice

You need to make sure that you let go of any internalized prejudice will hiring new staff. A lot of people have internalized and unrealized prejudice as a result of societal conditioning. This means that a lot of individuals from minority groups are often rejected or accepted on different terms to others – such as lower pay or lower positions, when they may be qualified or experienced enough for more pay and more senior positions. Use GoodHire’s new workplace diversity survey to help with this.

Find a good business-cultural fit

Different businesses have different workplace cultures. Some are more laid back and relaxed. Some are more high speed and high pressure. Some are casual and chatty. Some are formal and more business-like. It’s important to find an individual who will fit into the workplace culture you are fostering. This will ensure work is completed in a way that is suitable for you and your employee, as well as promoting better communication and relationships with colleagues in the workplace.

These small steps can make all the difference when it comes to selecting the right candidates for the job. Once you find someone suitable, do what you can to get them on board!

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Henry Brown is an online marketing executive. When he isn’t talking shop, he’s roaming the streets of London, uncovering the extra-ordinary in the ordinary.