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Every business has the opportunity at some stage to take on staff and while this entire process might seem daunting to even the seasoned business owner, it should actually be approached with excitement and a further opportunity to invest in your business.  When some business owners are asked about their staff, they more often than not give mixed feedback about their employees and usually end their point by pointing out that one of the greatest headaches in running their business is their staff. This actually says more about the business owner than about his or her staff and also about the process with which they went about acquiring their people.

There are some statistics which indicate that a great percentage of small to medium sized business owners take on staff they already know either through direct personal contact or through a third party. As they say, better the devil you know than the one you don’t.

Investment or Cost?

One of the most significant investments you will make in your business will be your people, however remember that one bad apple can cause significant damage in your business including the possible impact on your clients, not to mention to the rest of your team. The impact on your operation can be felt for months, if not years so imagine when you’re a small business owner attempting to grow your business and you choose the wrong people to join you in your journey.

After all, your business is your livelihood and how many more sleepless nights can you take just because you have hired the wrong person? There are many steps you can take to avoid making some very common mistakes in the recruitment process and more importantly, to prevent them ever happening again. One of the first steps you should take is to evaluate your business plan and how the addition of staff to your business will impact on your evolving growth strategy. But remember, taking on new staff is an investment and one of the key reasons you are deciding to do so is because you cannot do everything yourself. So take on a specialist and make your time count elsewhere in your business….

The choices are simple – either do it yourself or outsource the recruitment process to an expert. There is a huge amount of information available on the best approach to hiring staff and if you decide to handle this process yourself, the industry specific networks available today are endless. Begin by assessing why you believe you need someone in a specific role and will they have the resources to get the job done?

In addition some of the other questions you need to ask are:

• What type of person or profile of person does your business need?
• Is the role going to be full time or otherwise?
• Is the financial expense of taking on this new person outweighed by the financial gain to be made by having him/her there?
• How will you source for new staff, qualify them, interview them and on what basis will you make that final selection?

Don’t make it about the fees only….

On the other hand, you could seek the help of an experienced recruitment specialist and partner with them to secure the best possible candidate. If you decide to engage a recruiter, I would suggest you firstly qualify their suitability to help you and if they have the reputation for success with other SME’s. There is no greater sense of comfort knowing that you have had a recruiter recommended to you by someone you can trust and who has actually used their services.

Once you commit to a recruiter, drive them to get you the results you want and ensure they understand totally what you are trying to achieve with your new team member. As you go through this process of selecting a recruiter, don’t just focus on their terms of business, fees and guarantees. Assess their experience in recruiting for candidates in your industry, test their knowledge of industry specific terminology, technology and applications. Once you have partnered with one, request regular updates from them on their progress, seek an insight into their methods of sourcing including how they qualify candidates and make sure they only submit candidates who have already been interviewed & qualified. But most importantly, make sure they handle the entire process for you. I would even include them in your first round of interviews and test their knowledge of your business & your personnel needs. Identify they have passion for the recruitment process and remember, a dedicated recruiter will do their homework on your business even before they meet with you.

After all, what are you paying for?