Congratulations! It’s time to throw some confetti and celebrate because you’ve just hit a major milestone in your business journey. You are doing so incredibly well that it’s time to take on an employee to help you.
It’s completely understandable that hiring your first ever employee can be a bit overwhelming, but just by following a few simple steps you will find the right person. So, get ready to roll up your sleeves, and dive head-first into the hiring process.
Who do you need?
If your requirement is for an expert in your field, the process of creating a job description and conducting interviews will be easier for you. After all, you’re already well-versed in your industry and have a clear understanding of the qualities and expertise you’re seeking in a candidate. However, when you’re searching to recruit an administrative professional (or any role that has a different skill set you yours), this is much more challenging, and you may feel overwhelmed at the prospect. Don’t worry though, by creating a targeted job advert, you’ll attract the right candidates.
Name the role
Your aim here is to attract the right person with the right skills. Don’t be tempted to go for an obscure job title to stand out in a crowd, as this will have the opposite effect. Using a bad job title will not do you any favours. If you are advertising online then it’s wise to select a job title that gets good searches. It’s worth scanning a few job websites like Indeed and CV Library if you are unsure how to describe a role, you’ll soon get a good feel for the right title to use.
Steer clear of applying a gender to the job title. In fact stay away from any discriminatory language at all. For example a ‘handyman’ could become a ‘general maintenance assistant’ and a ‘foreman’ could be a ‘supervisor’.
List of duties
This doesn’t necessarily appear in every job advert you see and so could be an addition to the main job description, but it’s a good plan to do this first before you write anything, as it will give you a feel for what shape the job will take. You’ll see clearly whether this is a full time or part time job, and exactly how skilled you need your new person to be. Potential candidates will scan through these when viewing job adverts to quickly get a ‘feel’ for a role so it’s worth including a list to give them a clear picture of what’s required from them and whether their own skills and experience are a match.
Salary
Decide what you are willing to pay someone dependent on the skills you require them to have. There are minimum wage guidelines produced by the government, but if you want to appeal to someone good you’ll need to offer an attractive salary that’s at an approximate level with similar jobs. If you are active on Linked-in this is a good resource to gauge what is reasonable, and another scan of the job websites will also help you to see what other employers deem reasonable. This is a good resource as you can make local searches that are relevant to your area. Geography is definitely a factor.
Remember that your employee will reasonably expect to get a pay rise each year. Most employers will award between 3-5% so think ahead and factor this into your accounts going forward.
Describe the role
A brief description is all that’s needed here, just to give an overview of the role. Candidates won’t read huge paragraphs full of detail, and you don’t need it. You can go into a deeper description at the interview stage. All you are looking to achieve here is to help candidates understand whether this job is the right fit for them.
State whether you need them to have a particular skill or trade, you may be in a profession that requires certain qualifications (accountant, plumber, car mechanic, pharmacist), so make sure to include any professional qualifications that are essential for the new role.
It’s also worth considering whether to include any emotional characteristics that you feel are important. For instance; a receptionist will need to be friendly and upbeat. You are not necessarily requesting a personality type, but giving hints about the type of working environment the new candidate can expect. Using the words ‘would suit someone who is friendly and sociable’ or ‘needs to use their own initiative’ would be a good way of steering the right person towards your job.
Hours
This needs to be stated clearly as candidates will be searching for jobs based on this. If a job is part time, make it clear exactly how many hours this really means. Part time could be anything from 5-6 hours right up to 20-25 hours. Also state when these hours will need to be done, do you require them to be present during office hours, or do you work unsociable hours, maybe they will need to be on call. All this information needs to be stated in your advert. You don’t want to make a shortlist of great candidates only to find they are unavailable when you need them most.
Location
The place you need your new employee to work from is very important. They will need to know which town you are in, whether they need a car to get to you and whether there is free parking on site.
With the rise of remote workers it’s well worth considering this as an option. It’s been shown that people work very well in a home office situation and their mental health is usually better as a result. The ‘hybrid’ option has certainly engrained itself as a category on the job boards recently so consider whether they could split their time between home and office.
Maybe it’s a job that takes them on the road, in which case you’ll need to state whether you have a company vehicle for them to use.
What you offer
This can be a list of benefits the new employee can expect from you, and should include how much holiday they’ll be entitled to take, pension, whether they get bank holiday days off and any other perks like healthcare, Christmas bonus or training opportunities.
Some companies offer specific benefits like cycle to work schemes, car share schemes, sales bonuses, company uniforms, free eye tests. The point here is that you are creating a nurturing environment and an attractive offer, so give this some thought. What can you provide that will make your proposition appealing. Also think about motivations once your new employee has started. If you can offer free training or bonuses based on performance you’ll be more likely attract someone with drive and ambition and therefore someone who will work hard for you.
Experience
State whether you need your new employee to have a certain level of education, or a professional qualification. You may just need them to have common sense, or you may need someone with office skills which all needs to be listed in your job advert.
If you need someone with a trade, maybe an apprenticeship scheme is worth looking into. Typically apprentices are paid less, but you’ll get someone who is willing to learn and will spend 4 out of 5 full time working days with you. If this is your very first employee, the transition from apprentice to full employee will be gradual and be easier on you financially. Although you should weigh this against the time you spend training. You will also need to consider your own set of skills. To be a good teacher you will need patience, good communication, and good organisation skills.
So now you’re all set to post your advert and await those incoming applications! At Xpert Technologies, we are committed to supporting small business owners throughout their entrepreneurial journey. We offer specialized technologies designed to assist you, such as our staff admin app. Take a moment to explore it today. Click here… Xpert Leave Management. In fact, why not check out the full range of business apps? They’re tailor-made for small business owners just like you, helping you run your business smoothly and without all the hassle that comes with financial admin. Click here to view the whole range of software…. Xpert Technologies
