10 Hiring Tips for Small Business Owners

As a successful small business owner,you're accustomed to long hours; non-existent holidays and weekends spent working.

When was the last time you went to your dentist? When was thelast time you had an uninterrupted night out with your partner?

Whether your goal for 2005 is to find more time for family orpersonal enrichment --like attending classes and conferences --you'll want to consider bringing on some help.

The following tips can help you get started whether you want tobring on a team of 10 or an occasional backup!

Don't expect to hire a replica of you! Each person you meet andinterview will be a living, breathing human, with their ownhabits, mannerisms and even ideas! This is fine - -as long astheir ideas and habits are not philosophically opposed to yours.My first hire, Jen, was pursuing a graduate degree, had justmoved to the area and is nearly 20 years younger than I am!She's detail-oriented and relies on schedules to get thingsdone. I'm a bit more 'seat of my pants' type of operator. She'sa perfect fit because she complements my way of working! Overtime she's grown into managing portions of my business that Ineglected - like maintaining scheduling and billing.

Know exactly what you expect from your new hire. Before youadvertise for help, sit down and write a job description. Listyour goals for the new hire - do you want someone who can fillin on short notice when you need to take a day off, or do youwant someone who can work a regular schedule? Do you wantsomeone who can meet with clients, set their own schedules andattend meetings and events on your behalf or do you simply needsomeone who can pick up your overflow? By spending time workingthrough your thoughts on hired help you are setting yourself upfor a great working relationship. If you can clearly articulatethe job to all applicants, they will have the opportunity todetermine if this is a mutually agreeable fit. Be sure toconcentrate on specific job-related descriptions, and notsubjective information.

Determine what type of manager you are! It's imperative thatyou're honest about your workstyle. After all, if you say youwant an independent thinker, but really do a lot of'checking-in' you may end up with an unhappy helper. On theother hand, if you hire someone who needs lots of feedback, youneed to be sure that you are cut-out for the 'people part' ofthe management process.

Set aside time. If you expect to hire someone by the 15th ofnext month you may be setting yourself up for failure. Just asyou can't expect to find a perfect replica of you - you can'talways put a deadline on your hiring process. In other words,plan to advertise, interview and train until you find the RIGHTperson. (SECRET TIP: If you find the right person - Hire themright away and then find work for them! Never pass up a greathire!)

Ask your insurance carrier about your responsibility forinsuring your team members. Whether you hire IndependentConsultant's or Employees is a topic for another article,however, you need to make certain that your company is covered.

Determine your time-off policy. Just like you, your team memberswill need time off - whether to recover from the flu or just tore- charge. How will you handle these absences?

Create a disciplinary and review process. Whether you need totackle issues of poor performance, or chronic absenteeism --have a policy in place before you bring on your first teammember. Questions to address in this process include: How manyemergency absences are acceptable in a given time period? Howwill you deal with customer complaints and concerns? How willyou reward outstanding performance? What format will you use tocommunicate with your team?

Find a reputable company for conducting background checks. Ifyour company's product or service requires your employees toaccess clients' homes, children or possessions do not overlookthe importance of conducting a background check. You can searchon the web, ask your insurance provider, or talk to your localpolice authorities for recommendations on companies to conductthis check for you. In each instance, you will need theapplicant's signature and understanding that you will have athird party conduct a background check as a condition ofemployment.

Create a Fact Sheet for Applicants that you can provide alongwith an application to interested candidates. This sheet shouldcover your basic job description, expectations and hiringprocess.

Create your training program. Whether a detailed manual orone-on-one training for a specified period of time - make sureyou have a written outline. Your training program should includeall aspects of the job you expect your new hire to complete.Many misunderstandings and frustrations occur simply because anew hire didn't understand the expectations of the boss.

By following these tips, you are well on your way to a happy andproductive working relationship with all your new help!

Small Business Success Coach, Peggie Arvidson-Dailey, is the author of "How to be a Client Attraction Guru" and the creator of thePet-Care Business Success System?. To learn more about thisstep-by-step program for making your pet-care business stand outfrom the crowd, and to sign up for FREE how-to articles and FREEteleclasses, visit http://www.peggiespets.com