(ThySistas.com) If you’re an entrepreneur, you’ve no doubt thought long and hard about your first hire. It can be a daunting prospect. Neither you nor anybody else, knows whether the new hire will work out. And the stakes are high. If your fledgeling business is going to succeed, you need to be surrounded by the right people.
Many entrepreneurs forever put off taking the plunge. But the truth about employment is that it is not as complicated as many of them think. Yes, there are legal hurdles. And yes, you could end up hiring the wrong kind of guy. But there’s no reason this should directly threaten your business. Mistakes can be reversed. And the ri
ght people can eventually be found.
There’s Plenty Of Advice Out There
One of the biggest problems for entrepreneurs is not knowing the ins-and-outs of employment law. It can be a tricky field, with lots of caveats at the state and local level. That’s why many entrepreneurs seek employment law advice. This advice helps to add structure to your employment decisions. And it lets you know where you stand with regards to the law. For instance, many employers are currently ignorant of state laws preventing discrimination in the workplace.
There Is No Need To Settle
Entrepreneurs are results oriented people. They just want to get the job done: and that includes the job of employing people. But this can often lead many businesses to settle for mediocre candidates who aren’t in love with your business like you are.
So what do other CEOs do? Brandon Kessler is the founder of ChallengePost. He says he doesn’t mind waiting so long as the best person for the job is found.
He also uses little thought experiments to work out whether he has chosen the right candidate. You can use these thought experiments too. First off, interview the candidate. Then ask yourself how you’d feel if you went for lunch with them, one-on-one. If you feel exciting, then great. This is a person who can slot right into your organisation. If you feel depressed at the prospect, then you probably don’t want to hire them.
You Can Hedge Your Bets
Nothing will reveal to you more about what a person is like than throwing them into the job. A trial period is great both for you and the person you want to hire. They need to find out whether they like the work. And you need to find out if they’re worthwhile and can add value.
Successful companies, like Muse, already do this. They take on new candidates and immediately get them working on a task or a product. They then wait a few weeks or months to see what the candidate is like and what they can produce. This is a far better strategy than just agreeing to hire on the day of the interview. This again provides you with a degree of safety. You get to find out how competent your new hire is. And you get to see what they’re like when they’re working in your team.
Staff Writer; Renee Brooks