Search
Search
Close this search box.

How to Hire the Perfect Employee

When business picks up or you need to replace an employee, you have to hire. But you can’t just grab the first person that says, “I’ll take it”. Hiring great people occasionally is better than hiring mediocre people often.

There are several good reasons for holding on to a good workforce, rather than having a high turnover rate:

  • Employees who have friends at work are more engaged employees
  • Employees who know the business can sell it better
  • Employees who have a stake in the company perform better

The better the workforce, the better the work that gets done. This is important no matter what kind of work your employees are doing. Whether it’s customer service or product design, the quality of work at every stage ultimately matters to the customer.

Hiring that great employee can be a challenge. Here are some tips to help you get it right the first time:

Where to Look

There are a few ways you can hunt for a potential employee:

  • Post an ad – You can post an ad on Craigslist, LinkedIn, Monster.com, or any of the many local job listing sites.
  • Review posted resumes – Job hunters post their own resumes on all the same websites.
  • Post a job on LinkedIn – In LinkedIn groups you can add a job to the job section of the group. Just pick a group relevant to your industry.
  • Ask around – Most of us know someone who is looking for work. It never hurts to put the word out.

What to Look For

In a sluggish economy, where job applicants practically beat down your door, probably the trickiest part of hiring is deciding on who to hire.

  • State the job description accurately – Customize a standard job description so that it reflects exactly what you are looking for in a candidate. You will have fewer applicants in general and more qualified candidates if you state exactly what it is you’re looking for.
  • Check references – Get at least one personal reference in addition to professional references and call them. You want to make sure that the candidate has actually done work of this kind in the past and that they have good report with at least someone. Be sure to call the personal references too. You’d be surprised what kind of information a friend or relative will divulge!
  • Hire active learners – It’s a quickly changing world we live in – especially in the tech industry. You don’t want an employee who will fall behind. Find out what books and how many the candidate has read lately and whether they’ve done any recent course work.
  • Trust your gut – Sometimes we downplay our gut feelings because they don’t seem rational, but the sixth sense more often right than not. Trust it.

Once You’ve Hired the Employee…

Once your new-hire is on board, you’ll need a way to keep track of the work your employee does. The Timesheets.com software service easily tracks time clock hours, project hours, expenses, mileage, and time-off. Sign up for a free trial or give us a call for a demonstration.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

News & Tips for Small Business Owners, Employees, and Accounting Professionals

Introducing Timesheets.com

We Help Thousands of Employers Manage Time, Time Off, and Expenses

Timesheets.com is trusted by small businesses everywhere as a recognized industry leader