I want to reassure you today that hiring a team doesn’t have to feel impossible.
A common thread I see in most new clients I work with is their desire to hire a team. They are feeling overwhelmed. They know they need help. But they need the reassurance that now is the right time to hire. They also want someone to help them with the process because it feels so daunting.
If you can relate, keep reading. I’ve helped my clients determine when it’s the right time to bring someone new to the team. When we’ve made the decision to start looking, I help them develop the process. My clients decide their level of involvement. Some clients want to be very involved in picking the next team member and some want me to handle everything.
Do you need a team?
When you begin to feel the overwhelm of trying to handle all the tasks on your own, that’s a good indication that you need a team.
The first step in this process begins with you making a list of every task you complete each day for a whole week any maybe even two weeks. This activity will take awhile, but it’s a crucial step in determining that you do need help and identifying which tasks can be outsourced.
The next step is to take that list and divide into two lists. One list will be those tasks that only you can do. These will include tasks related to increasing income within the business. The other list will be the tasks that anyone else can do. These will include things like posting social media or responding to customer emails.
Once you see the comparison of these lists, you’ll know if it’s time to hire a team. Even if you only have a few tasks, it might be a good time to bring someone on. Bringing on someone early allows the two of you time to get use to working together. It so much better than hiring someone when you are in a frantic state and don’t have time to onboard or train that person.
How To Decide Who You Need On Your Team
Once you see the task list of things someone else could do, you can start to write the roles and responsibilities for that new position. It’s important to know the expectations you will have for the new team member.
Once you decide on which tasks the new hire will be responsible for, write out a list of the software that person needs to be familiar with. Decide what level of experience they need. Do they need to be at the expert level? Are you willing to train them.
Next, write out the skills they need to complete the tasks. Do they need to know how to write content or create graphics?
I know all of these steps do take some time to complete, but they are very important in this process.
Getting Ready to Post For The Position
Now that you know the skills and experiences the new team member will need, it’s time to post for the position.
There are two key components you need to include in your post: a job description and application.
Job Description
The job description should give the potential applicant a clear picture of what the job would be like. It should attract good candidates and repel those that are unqualified.
- A description of your business that includes your values and mission statement
- Responsibilities that are required for the position
- Skills needed
- Time required
- Pay rate or a starting pay rate
- Date the application will close
- Link to the application
- Any other stipulations (i.e. time zone, from US or Canada, have to be able to attend weekly meetings, etc.)
Job Application
The application should be a form that the applicants can fill out. I prefer to use this method rather than asking them to send me an email. With an application, I can ask specific questions related to the position.
In addition to the basic information like their name, email address, website, and social media links, include questions that are specific to the position. I like to use Google forms because there are many question types. One of my favorites is the scale question because I can ask applicants to rank their skill level with a particular software that is required for the position.
Recently I’ve also started asking each applicant to include a short video with their application introducing themselves and telling why they would be a good fit for the position. I get all kinds of responses. Some people ignore the request, some tell me they can’t film a video because they are in their pajamas, and some tell me they’d rather meet me in an interview. The applicants that do provide a video, however, are the ones I pay attention to. In my eyes, they’ve taken the time to show their level of dedication to complete a task correctly. The rest of the applicants are discarded.
Make sure you change the settings on both the job description and application, so when someone clicks on the link they can open the document and form.
Once you have everything completed, decide where you want to post for the position. I usually post in several Facebook groups where I’ve seen job posts. There are even some groups that are specific to job posts.
Interviewing…It’s Not As Scary As You Think
Interviewing is a critical step in the process of hiring a team. This is when you actually get to meet your potential team member face-to-face.
As the applications start to roll in, begin the process of eliminating the ones that you feel will not make a good addition to the team. I first see if they’ve submitted a video. Then I read through their responses to see if they are well thought out or copied and pasted from another form. I also check out their website and social media. Write down the number of the application or applicants name. Next, begin to rank who you feel may be a good fit. I try to narrow it down to 3-5 people to interview.
During the interview, be sure to give the applicants time to tell you about themselves and why they would like the job. Ask them questions that are related to the job responsibilities and their past experiences. This will give you a good idea of their personality and how they will fit in with everyone on your current team. It will also let you know if they were truthful on their application.
Once you’ve interviewed everyone, it’s time to make a decision. Reach out to the applicant you’ve chosen to offer them the position. Once they accept, let all the other applicants you interviewed know that the position has been filled.
Is It Time For You To Hire?
It’s important to spend as much time on each step of this process as you need. This is why it’s also good to anticipate your future needs so hiring a team member doesn’t happen when you are desperate. It’s better to take your time and bring on a team member when you have had plenty of time to prepare for them and can spend time to onboard and train them properly.
If you need help with hiring a team, I’d be happy to chat with you. Fill out my website contact form to schedule a time for us to chat.
