Hiring and induction of employees for your small business: what is possible and what is impossible when attracting valuable specialists (part 1)

Remember those times when you were sure that you would never get enough profit to call your idea - your passion - a real business? And now it has come today, and you are loaded with tasks, instructions and customer requests. You have to refuse solvent customers because of the busy schedule, and perhaps you even started to receive complaints.

You must have reached the point where you need someone to help you control all the little things. Or maybe it's time to face the fact that your ability to experiment with WordPress is not enough if you want to take your business to the next level.

Regardless of your situation, every entrepreneur hopes to get to the point in business when the time comes to ask himself the question “Is it time to hire someone?”.

At first it’s normal to constantly reject this idea, convincing ourselves that only we can do everything “right” in our business. To let go means to give up control and take on a huge risk of entrusting someone with part of their work.

In simple words - it makes sense to hire consciously, since this is an important matter.

All of these factors turned out to be true when the guys at Fizzle ™ decided to hire someone who could lead Member Success. Corbett, Chase and Barrett were a three-person team with a specific brand and company culture, and to be honest, it worked.

Taking a fourth member of the team meant putting the dynamics at risk, but it also meant being able to transfer some tasks and free up time for more strategic projects. Among other things, this made it possible to find a new facet and raise Fizzle to a new level.

Hiring a person should not be a matter of chance. The right hiring is to bring in the most valuable specialist and put together a well-organized induction plan with honest conversations throughout the journey.

Therefore, without unnecessary ceremonies, we tell you what can and cannot be done when attracting and hiring a valuable specialist from the point of view of the newly appointed member who went through this process personally.

What can be done:

Decide what will remain in your responsibilities and what should be abandoned.

Ask yourself what tasks and projects you should lead yourself, in any case, and delegate the rest. Then repeat this process at least once more to determine exactly what you can let go.

Is it really you who should answer this email? Maybe someone else is better suited to mess with plugins and create your dream site? Remember that your main job in your business is to stand at the helm, which means that you need to devote more time to strategic tasks of a higher level and to manage the process (without sacrificing your psyche).

Turn everything you do into a repeating process and write it down

Once you have identified tasks that you can let go, it's time to start systematizing everything. Creating an understandable process reduces anxiety from letting it go because your workflow turns from “the things that I do, because I know how” to “a step-by-step instruction that everyone can follow.”

In my first week at Fizzle, I got a library of instructional videos that Barrett put together with Screenflow. After he decided what tasks he could transfer to me, he simply wrote down how he himself carries out each stage in various projects. In particular, as a remote member of the team, it was very valuable for me, since I could go through training at my own pace, view and restart as many times as I needed, while not wasting time with Barrett.

Gather sources of your inspiration and compile a list of your ideas if you are hiring a person for a design job, such as design.

It's never too early to focus on how you imagine the end product. In fact, the more accurately and earlier you describe your project, the better you can convey your requirements to your employees or contractors.

You can also create a “People's Bank”, keeping a list of possible candidates for future projects, so as not to start from scratch when you are ready to hire employees.

Treat your job offers as branded content that reflects your company’s spirit

Imagine opening a high-class restaurant on the most crowded street in the city. Buyers in your city have tons of options, so what do you do to stand out somehow? If you hang the banner “Here they feed” - it will attract the attention of a very hungry passerby, but it is unlikely that the capricious gourmet will at least think to stop and give you a chance.

If you want to attract the best people, you must prove yourself in the best way. Take the time to create a job advertisement that will make an experienced candidate with high potential want to quit and go to your job. That's how I felt when I saw this announcement from Fizzle, full of feelings and emotions.

Treat your job offer as branded content. It will help attract the right candidates.

Highlight the four mandatory qualities that a candidate should possess.

Four may seem to be too capricious, but if there are fewer of them, you will not be able to judge objectively enough; add one more, and you risk making concessions if the candidate meets most of the criteria.

At the time when I was a personnel manager, such qualities as energy, enthusiasm, compliance with corporate culture and competency passed through selection. We developed questions that allowed us to evaluate each candidate in each area. Only those candidates who received four “yes” went further. No “maybe”, no exceptions.

Focusing on features that are not negotiable will increase your chances of being objective. Interviewing candidates and representing someone on your team is often a personal, if not sentimental, process, so use this strategy to get rid of emotions.

Look for productive answers (and be adamant about it)

Sometimes the difference between the average candidate and the next superstar of your team is hidden in the nuances of answers to seemingly simple questions, such as “What achievement are you most proud of?”.

So listen carefully and you can understand the difference between those who simply list their responsibilities and those who connect their victories with their results.

A candidate with a bias in the results will show an increased ability to see how his efforts influenced the process, and this will be the person who you want to hire even when you still have a lot to do inside your business.

Demonstrate leadership and present your values

Talented players want to know what they will be tested, listened to, encouraged and what they will believe in. Note that you are not an ideal organization, and that there is still much to be optimized in your business.

A valuable specialist will not want to board a perfectly tuned ship; in fact, the most ambitious workers in the world are more likely to feel inspired by the ability to steer.

This is one of the most vivid memories that I have left after an interview with the Fizzle team. Every contact with Corbett, Chase and Barrett was sincere. They were not shy about the opportunities for growth and development of the company, and I felt that what they gave me to look behind the scenes was a bit of an announcement of trust, which I will experience as a member of the team.

Show your culture and approve of ordinary human qualities, instead of the mandatory rigidity that accompanies traditional corporate processes.

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