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How To Hire Your First Employee
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Article 5: Making The Decision
With your screening and interviewing complete, it’s now time to make the all-important hiring decision.
“The failure to hire the right people is one of the biggest factors in the failure of small businesses during their first five years,” says Piece Howard, director of research for the Center for Applied Cognitive Studies.
By far, the biggest mistake most self-employed people make with their first hire is hiring a clone of themselves, says Howard. “That’s the last thing you should do. In some aspects, you should try to hire the significant opposite of yourself — someone who can help compensate for the things you don’t bring to the table.”
For example, many entrepreneurs are creative, big-picture thinkers, but they are also somewhat undisciplined and may lack a task orientation. “This type of owner needs a no-nonsense, detail-oriented employee who gets things done to complement the owner’s personality and work style,” says Howard.
Lisa Aldisert (www.pharosalliance.com), a management consultant who has advised small business owners on hiring and hired several of her own employees, agrees: “We tend to like people who are most like ourselves, but that’s not usually a good hire. I’ve seen small business people make this mistake over and over again. At the same time, though, you should like the person you hire, because you’ll be spending a lot of time working closely together.”
Another common mistake is “falling in love” with a candidate, says Aldisert. You should never hire the first candidate you interview — even if you believe he or she is perfect for the job, you need to interview a minimum of two other people.
Howard urges self-employed individuals to try to involve at least one other person in the interviewing and decision-making process in order to get a different perspective. Also, don’t neglect to call at least two references, preferably former employers. This is sometimes dismissed as a formality, but it can reveal potential red flags that might not have surfaced during your interview.
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How To Hire Your First Employee
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