Hiring a new employee can be exciting, confusing, and overwhelming all at the same time. After all, the need for more help means your business is growing and that is fantastic. However, you know that having someone else assist in your operation adds a lot of responsibility to your plate. You will want to gain a clear understanding of exactly what is entailed in hiring a new employee, the risks involved, and how to effectively vet a prospect so that you can make the best hire for your needs.
Determine Your Approach
Obviously, at some point you will need to interview prospective employees face-to-face. Getting the most qualified pool of applicants into an interview can be a challenge though. Online advertising is a standard approach in this day and age, and there are numerous outlets for you to use should you choose to go that route. Whether you decide to advertise for a position in the yellow pages, or within your network, you will want to factor the time and cost of doing so into your decision.
Make Sure Prospects Are Reliable
Of course, it’s never going to be 100% guaranteed that your new prospect will be as reliable as you’d wish. It’s natural for someone to put their best foot forward in a job and downplay any perceived weaknesses, which can lead to a degree of uncertainty for you as a potential employer. However, there a number of things you can do to mitigate these uncertainties and ensure that you help your business grow.
Run a Background Check
Running a background check on prospective employees is pretty standard these days. A typical background check will include details regarding:
- Confirmation of previous employment
- Reference check, if necessary
- Screening of criminal records
- Prior worker’s compensation claims
- Drug testing
- Identity check
These items are often documented publicly so you should have little trouble accessing them. However, there are certain records that are not made public and will require the applicant’s consent in order to access them. These include:
- Educational records
- Military records
- Medical records
If your applicant is willing to consent, it is recommended that you view these items as part of your screening with a particular emphasis on their educational background.
Run a Credit Check
Running a credit check is another way to determine a prospect’s reliability. The manner in which a person approaches their personal finances can be indicative of the way in which they handle important business matters. If the employee is to be trusted with tasks important to your business, such as finances or building your business website, you will want to know that they are up to the task.
Keep in mind, there are a number of records that can’t be included in a credit check after a certain period of time. For instance, paid tax liens and accounts that have gone to collections will not show up after a period of seven years. In California, records of bankruptcy will disappear after ten years.
Screening for Desired Temperament and Behavior
These types of screening methods are designed to give you more objective insight into a potential employee’s temperament, habits, and general approach to work-related tasks. The format can range anywhere from skill and aptitude testing to psychological evaluation; even lie detector tests. Be aware, there are potential legal ramifications for mishandling screenings of this nature. In order to avoid legal trouble you must demonstrate:
- Statistical validity of the test
- The test is directly related to execution of the job (job-relatedness)
- Non-discrimination
Once you have been able to establish all of the above, then you will be free and clear to administer your examination without fear of repercussion.
Check for Substance Use and Abuse
This step can be viewed from so many different angles, with each one being critically important to the health of your business and thus in consideration of prospective employees. It is not simply about the taboo nature of substance use, but rather about the wellbeing of the business which, of course, relies on the wellbeing of the individuals who comprise it.
Thorough drug screenings will help your business in the following areas:
- Productivity– To be succinct, non-drug users are more productive than drug users. They tend to show up on time, and manage tasks more efficiently.
- Safety- Workplace accidents are a huge concern and non-users are less likely to suffer or cause injury in the workplace
- Liability- As a business owner, you are liable for any mishap that takes place under your watch. Whether you manage equipment operators, manual laborers, educators, or childcare specialists, you will want to mitigate all liability risk due to accidental, criminal or negligent circumstances.
Conclusion
With all of these concerns in mind, you now have the basis from which to make decisions on how you wish to screen prospective clients. Remember that reliability is of the utmost importance, and make sure that every step of your screening process is designed to evaluate just that. If you do it well, you will have the opportunity to make a fantastic hire that will help your business thrive.
