Hiring Your First Employee: 12 Tips to follow so that you make the best choice for your business.

Once you have established your business and have it up and running, you will be faced with the task of hiring your first employee. This a great sign! It means that your business is off on the right foot. It is also an important step in your business because who you hire is either going to help or hurt it. For this reason, you should choose your first employee very carefully. Use the following 12 tips to help you hire your first employee.

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Job Interview

1. Put an ad in the paper or find another way to advertise for the position.  To hire your first employee, you must get the word out about the job.  Find a way to get a pool of applicants such as putting an ad in the newspaper or advertising via social media.  The more applicants you have, the better off you will be in finding the perfect employee for your business.
2. Select several applicants and hold an interview process.  Make sure an interview process is a part of your plans before you choose who to hire.  This will allow you to make an informed decision on which applicant will best suit your needs.  
3. Does the person have a general interest in your business?  When choosing your first employee, make sure that the person at least as a general interest or knowledge about what it is that you are trying to sell.  If not, you will be required to provide training to inform them on the product.  Having prior knowledge of the product can make things much easier on you.
4. What are their goals in life?  It is always helpful to ask the interviewee about personal and life goals. This will give you an idea of what their next step will be. Chances are that you are looking for someone who will work in your business for a long time.  Some people, however, aren’t looking to stay in businesses for more than a few months.  Avoid this at all cost. Search for an employee who will be willing to stay or you will be holding an interview process again in the near future.
5. What kind of work history do they have?  Get a general idea of work they have done in the past and see how it will work with your business.  If they are familiar with what your business is about this can be a great advantage for you.
6. Do they have references?  References and work history can work together to let you know what kind of person you are dealing with.  You want someone who will be trustworthy, responsible,  and on time. What do others say about them? Don’t just ask for references. Check them out one by one to find the best employee.
7. First impressions mean a lot.   Be looking for signs of a good employee right off. Will this be a good employee?  Do they take pride in the way they look, speak, and act?  Your first impression of the potential employee should be taken into consideration.
8. Is this a person you will get along with?  You are the boss! Don’t hire people that you are going to have a problem working with.  Look for a prospect that you will get along with.  Misery can quickly set in if you hire someone who isn’t the right fit.   
9. Education is always a plus.  Will you require your employee to be educated? If so, include this in the ad for the job.  This will help greatly in the interview process by eliminating potential applicant that will not work for the position.
10. Are they willing to work flexible hours?  Make the hours that you expect them to work clear upfront.  As your business increases, you may need your employee to be willing to work overtime.  Make sure they are willing to work flexible hours.
11. Make sure you are informed on all the information that you need to collect from the employee and turn in for tax and other federal regulation.  As an employer, you will have many obligations that you have to meet on your end before you can actually hire an employee.  Do your research so that you are sure to collect the right information from the person that you do choose to hire.
12. Develop a working relationship with the new employee.  Once you find the perfect prospect begin to develop a working relationship with that employee. After all, this is your very first employee. Treat them with respect and they will treat you well in return.

Hiring your first employee is an accomplishment. It means that you are on the road to success. Use the tips above to help you choose the right person to support your business.

Stacey works for GO-Gulf.com a web design company that offers web designing services in all parts of Middle East.

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