One of the biggest challenges of running a business is finding employees who can not only perform their jobs well, but also bring new ideas and insights to the table that will help make your company more successful. A company’s success depends on the quality of its employees. Hiring just any person off the street usually will not give your business the edge it needs to grow and succeed, which means that you should take your time when looking for new hires to build your team. Hiring talented employees sets your business up for long term success and growth and it is vital for you to invest time and money in order to get the best of the best.
1) The Importance Of Hiring Highly Talented Employees
To say that business owners should focus on hiring talented employees is an understatement. There are numerous reasons that you should focus on bringing in the best talent into your company. The most important reason is that you are wisely investing into the future of your business. The better and more talented the employee, the higher your return on investment will be with them. Here are a few specific reasons on why you should not just hire anyone and focus on getting the best talent you possibly can.
A) Highly talented employees can help turn your company into a highly successful company because they increase the expectations you have as a business owner from all your employees because they tend to be more focused and results driven.
B) Highly talented employees typically attract other highly talented employees. This gives you an edge in hiring in the future because usually other talented employees will notice and want to be a part of your business as well if the opportunity arises.
C) Highly talented employees tend to be more productive and efficient workers. Highly talented employees are typically not afraid of hard work because they understand that in order to get ahead you have to be willing and prepared for success.
D) Hiring talented employees will help you save time and money. It is expensive both in the amount of time it takes to find and hire the right person, let alone train them. Talented employees will make your job as a business owner easier, lower employee turnover and increase your profits.
E) Highly talented employees can bring in high revenue streams for your company. Because they typically possess a high level of drive and motivation they tend to be more focused on doing what is necessary in order to achieve desired goals.
There are numerous other reasons you want to focus on hiring the best but this gives you a few general ideas on why it is important. Now let’s explore the best way to find the best employees!
2) Five Proven Techniques in Finding the Best Employees
It is important to note that depending on the position you are trying to fill these suggestions will vary. For example, if you are looking to fill an executive level position, likely a job recruiter would be the best option to find the perfect fit for your business. Here are five ways to pursue the best employees possible.
1) Ask Current Employees – If you already have a superstar employee we recommend they are the first you approach to find out if they have any friends looking for work. Word of mouth is still one of, if not, the best way to get amazing employees in today’s marketplace. Typically, hard workers don’t have friends that are opposite and the same goes for intelligence. This is the easiest, cheapest and most effective way to find a great addition to your team.
2) Other Non-Competing Business Owners – If you have other friends that own businesses that you are comfortable with it is worth mentioning that you are looking for someone to fill a position. They may have recently interviewed someone that would be a good fit or know of a friend of an employee that may be looking. I constantly had employees asking me if I was hiring. I usually was always hiring but if I wasn’t and had a friend that I knew was in need, I would happily refer that person over.
3) Career Websites – There are thousands of websites out there that you can search to find potential employees. These websites are effective but require you to be much more diligent in your search, review of the employee and the interview process. However, there are thousands of top talent on those sites looking for a great business to work for and it is your job to do everything you can to find them. This also means offering a higher salary, better benefits and more perks. All very good investments in the future of your business. Indeed is one of the most popular.
4) Networking – Networking both online and offline is important for the growth of your business because you develop key relationships that will help you succeed long term. It also allows you to meet top talent in your area because they are typically other entrepreneurs or people that already have a proven track record of success but also potential employees smart enough to use these events to be in front of business owners. Those are the type of people you would always love to hire.
5) Hire A Job Recruiter – Finally, if you have a large enough budget you should look into hiring a job recruiter. They charge a fee but it is typically worth it. As mentioned above, they can help with executive searches and specialty positions that may be hard to fill without their expertise. Again, this is more of an investment in your business but also an investment in your future and success as a business owner.
3) The Importance of the Interview Process and Not Being Prepared (as the interviewer)
The interview process is so important for you as the business owner and also for the potential employee. It is important to think of the job interview as a conversation with someone who has different interests than yours; be interested in their lives instead of putting on your interviewer mask. Really learn about why they are applying for your job, what they are hoping to gain from it, and how their personality will fit into your company culture. This will typically make them less nervous and allow them to open up more – which in turn gives you a better picture of exactly who they are and if they would be a good fit for your company culture.
Even though they may be a very talented employee, if they do not fit into your company culture you should not hire them because the chance of them staying on for a long period of time is rare if they do not fit in. You have to use the interview process to learn about all of their strengths and weaknesses but also about who they are as a person.
As the interviewer, a common mistake many business owners make is not being prepared for the interview. This is especially true with top talent because they will feel they are due that respect and if they do not get it during the interview they will not be an employee either. This means that you need to know and understand their job history before the interview. You also need to spend some time on Google learning about any hobbies or things they like outside of work. The more you can relate to them as people outside of work, you start building more trust and they will be able to see that you truly want to have them as a part of your team.
An important question you have to be able to answer, and be prepared for is about growth within the company. You want to be able to create a clear vision of where their career will be 2 years from now, 5 years from now and make sure they understand there are internal growth possibilities for them – of course assuming they work out as the excellent employee you hope they will be.
4) Ideas on Keeping Employee Retention High
The key to keeping employees around is to ensure they enjoy their work. You can do so by offering them opportunities for growth and development, flexible hours, interesting work and good pay. An employee who feels fulfilled at work will be more likely to stay with your company—that’s why it’s important to build a fulfilling workplace culture that caters specifically to your employees’ needs. The easier you make their working lives, the happier they’ll be. After all, happy employees are productive employees! Here are a few good, but random ideas you can offer employees as perks – you want to do everything you can to keep them with your company and sometimes the smallest of gestures mean the most to them
1. Buy them lunch weekly or monthly – This small gesture shows that you value their time, and improves morale among your employees, which in turn makes them work harder, stay later and come into work more often than any other reward out there.
2 .Offer Employee Training/Development – Employees love to better themselves and become more valuable to you, their employer. This makes them want to stay with you longer and investing in them shows that you want to keep them as a long term employee.
3. Monthly Company Updates – Involving your employees with the successes and difficulties of your business is vital to engaging them and keeping them motivated. They want to hear how what they have done has helped the company and also what they need to do better to ensure growth.
4. Financial Bonuses – This is always a good idea to do right before the holidays. Obviously you can write it off but this gives them extra spending money to buy gifts for their family or use for whatever they wish. They appreciate it and value it.
5. Fun Events Outside of Work – Taking your employees out from time to time is a great way to create a stronger bond between you and them. I have seen some companies do monthly BBQs at their place, which is a good way not only to bring in new hires but also showcase what type of culture they have going on at work. This helps even more when it’s fun events that everyone can get into or enjoy doing. These small gestures can go a long way towards keeping excellent employees around for a long time.
5) Long Term Business Implications From Talented Employees
The value of a well-trained talented employee for your business is immeasurable. It can be difficult to find talent, but with dedication you can find employees that are not only great at their jobs, but are also great team players and long term assets to your company. Recruiting will take time and patience, but don’t settle for less than top talent for your business. It is one of the best long term investments you can make in your company because it helps better your business, grow your business and make running your business that much easier.
Written by David Phillips, CEO and Founder of SayWhat Consulting. With over 20 years of experience, Mr. Phillips has consulted with small, medium and large businesses in marketing, SEO, PPC, business management, staff training and day-to-day operations. SayWhat assists clients in numerous industries including cosmetic surgeons, plastic surgeons, med spas and attorneys in family law and criminal law. We also assist other industries as well and our primary clients are small and medium sized businesses.