What projects have interns successfully completed for you?  What have you done to ensure interns are successful?  Share your experiences!

Format your resume in chronological order with your most recent employment first.  We start reading at the top and want to see the most recent experience first.

Retaining top performers can be the key to growth for many companies.  What have you done to keep your key talent on board?

Yourself

After you take an evaluation of your company, it is now time for you, the entrepreneur to think about whether you are really ready to bring someone else into your world.  And as I mentioned, this person is not you!  They will not think like you do, they will not work like you do, and there will be days when you do not like each other.  We’ll talk about some specifics later of things you need to keep in mind as you start to bring people into your world, because it is different than any kind of management you may have done in other jobs.  This is your company, so you will act differently.

It can be difficult to create a compensation plan that provides a comfortable base salary to entice a candidate to take a position and an incentive plan lucrative enough to promote top performance.  Without both pieces it will be difficult to attract and retain the employees you need to grow your business.  What have you done to strike the balance?  What hasn’t worked?  Are there any especially effective and cost effective strategies?

Where do you start?  Typically when people look to make their first hire they start by telling their network that they are looking to hire.  This is an important step, but not the place to start! 

Take an honest evaluation of your company.  This is especially important if you are hiring your first employee.  What do you really need?  I know, you want another you.  We all do, but that is pretty much the one thing that I guarantee you aren’t going to find.  Luckily, it probably isn’t really what you need either.  Go into the evaluation stage with an open mind.  Maybe you don’t need to hire anyone.  Maybe the solution is to hire a few experts as consultants.  Maybe you need an intern, or a part time employee.  The time to figure that out is before you start looking for help.  This is not something that can be done by trial and error.  Ok, it can, but it is not pretty.  Not only are you bringing a huge amount of unnecessary stress into your life, but you are changing someone else’s.  And you are potentially hurting the reputation that you have worked so hard to build. 

Not enough money?  Not enough work?  Not enough stability?  Not enough resources for them to be productive?  These are things that you need to think about before you bring someone else on board.  So that is the first step.  Get your house in order.  You won’t keep anyone, good or bad, if the company isn’t ready for them.

Small business owners are busy and it is often hard to set aside time to prepare for interview.  However, preparation ensures your interview time is productive. Creating a standardized list of questions for each position that addresses the essential success factors for that role will help you use your time wisely.

The following interview categories provide a solid basis of comparison among candidates so you can make the right hiring decision.

Do they know how to do the job? Ask about specific experience and technical skills such as computer programs, industry best practices, management experience, etc.

Can they do the job? Ask about specific requirements for the position such as work schedules, personal transportation, or travel.

How will they do the job? Ask behavioral based questions about past work related experiences that are similar to situations they may encounter in the position.

For more information on structuring interviews, click here to download our free Safari Interview Guide.

 

How much do your employees make? Not enough, so they think! According to a survey by Salary.com, 57% of workers who are planning to look for a new job are leaving because they feel that they are underpaid. However, only 19% of these workers are actually underpaid according to the survey. In fact, 17% of those employees are overpaid.

Generally people don’t understand how their pay is connected to their industry or personal performance. Communication is the key to combating the illusion of being underpaid and the discontent that it creates. In a 2002 Mercer study, 74% of employees were satisfied with their jobs when they understood how pay was determined. Of those who didn’t understand their compensation plan, only 42% were satisfied with their job.

Suggestions:
Create a compensation plan based on measurable goals and industry standards.

Explain the plan to your employees.

Refer to your plan when awarding raises and making offers.

 

When job boards first emerged as a key hiring tool for employers there were only a few industry giants. Now, the market has exploded with new players! With over 4,000 job boards, it is easy for small businesses to be confused on where to spend advertising dollars. Select the right recruiting tool for maximum results!

General Job Boards: Monster and CareerBuilder remain the largest and most cost effective options for mainstream positions like administration, accounting, sales, and general management.

Niche Sites: A great tool for identifying hard to find talent. Requires some trial and error as the volume of applicants may be low, yet the quality of candidate is generally high.

Aggregators: Job boards like Indeed & Simply Hired pull job postings from other sites. Your company’s career site postings can be listed on them for free!

 

Performance reviews can be stressful for both employees and managers, especially when an employee is not performing to expectations. Focusing on past mistakes and failures rarely creates positive results. Diffuse tension by concentrating on future development goals, rather than past behavior.

As a manager, you will have a better chance of creating the behavior you seek by establishing specific goals for "development areas." First, ask the employee to self-assess their performance and outline their own professional goals for the next year. Then, identify ways you and other members of the company can help the individual meet these goals. Constructive criticism can be woven into the discussion and will be accepted more openly if it helps the employee reach their goals.

If you would like a copy of the Safari Solutions' "Employee Self Assessment & Goal Setting Form," just e-mail me at allison@safarisolutions.com.

Treat candidates with respect.  It costs nothing, yet has big returns.  Openly demonstrate that you value their time.  Provide relevant, timely information to candidates about the hiring process and their status.  Even if they are not hired, they will maintain a positive impression of your company which they may share with others.

Be honest.  Accurately describe the opportunity and company.  If a candidate is misled, they will likely be disgruntled if hired.
Be responsive.   Identify a contact person who candidates can call for answers to their questions.  This person needs to be friendly and well informed.
Be informative.  Communicate with candidates frequently about next hiring steps and their status in the process. If a change or delay is required, call them promptly.