How to Hire and Onboard a New Employee

• An effective and efficient hiring process can ensure you get the best possible candidate for your open position, but it’s more than just jotting down some job tasks and deciding whether you need an entry-level, intermediate or senior candidate.
• A good employee can quickly become a great employee if the onboarding process does its job correctly.
• Learn the details of how to hire and onboard a new employee, including a linked guide to create the perfect job posting.

One of the most stressful parts of running a business is hiring and onboarding new employees. How do you know if they will be able to fulfill their role? How are you going to integrate them into your work environment? How can you trust that they will deliver their work efficiently and on time?

While you can’t predict the future, being thorough in both your hiring and onboarding processes can increase the likelihood that your final candidate will be a great fit for the role and company. Follow this how-to article to make the process seamless.

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The Hiring Process

Know What You’re Looking For

What position are you looking to fill? That is the first and most obvious question to ask yourself. Not everyone is going to be qualified for the position you need to fill. Determining the exact job you need done and the associated responsibilities will help guide you to the type of person you should hire.

You may also have an idea of what type of person tends to thrive at your company or in a particular role. Including traits like “outgoing”, “self-starter” or “entrepreneurial spirit” may help you get talent that will fit in well at the company – if those are things that are actually true.

It’s best to make a concise list during this first step. You will be able to refer to it when writing the job description.

Organize Your Paperwork

Before you even begin placing online ads for the position, you need to ensure all your paperwork is in order. Some forms and documents you may need for hiring on a new person include a W-4, I-9, and acknowledgment form.

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Choose a Recruitment Strategy

Knowing what job posting platforms you want to use to find your new employee is essential. Many job posting platforms allow all kinds of jobs to be posted, but some specialize in specific industries.

Many websites also charge a fee to post a job, so consider what budget you’re working with as you’re trying to decide where to post the opening.

You should also plan to post it on your company website, and promote it on any company social media such as LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram.

Be Detail Oriented

The job description should list all  detail of the position and the qualifications the applicant must have. Be sure to specify what qualifications are absolutely necessary and which ones are “nice to have”. That will save you time from having to overly explain the role during the interview phase. This also helps potential applicants determine if it could be a good fit for them.

For some help creating an effective job posting, see our complete guide.

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Look for the Right Qualifications

A well written and structured resume will always list the applicant’s skills and qualifications. Review every applicant’s resume thoroughly before contacting them for an interview. That will save you and the potential employee’s time. If you interview them, then you can ask them to elaborate on any experience or skills, have them tell you about their goals, and how they can benefit your company.

It’s beneficial to come up with a list of questions for the interviewee before they arrive. Each company is unique, and yours is not an exception. Figure out which questions best fit the answers you’ll need to determine if the applicant is a good fit for your company.

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Conduct a Proper Interview

After you sort through applicants’ resumes, you can contact your favorites for interviews. Many companies do an initial short phone interview before deciding whether a candidate will be invited in for an in-person interview.

An in-person interview tends to last 45 minutes to an hour. During the interview, you can ask potential employees questions to gauge if they are suitable for the job. You should also plan to discuss salary at this point, if you did not list it with the job posting.

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Give An Offer

Now that you have found the perfect candidate, contact them with an offer for the position. You may have to negotiate wages at this point before they’ll accept your offer.

You should also wait until your top candidate has accepted and signed the contract before you inform other good candidates that the role has been filled. That way, if they ultimately turn down the position, you can offer it to someone else without needing to start the hiring process from scratch.

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The Onboarding Process

Give an Overview

Giving an overview will save your new employee from having to ask too many questions. Tell them what the culture is like at your workplace and how your systems operate. If you do that, it will help the new employee feel confident and ready to take on the task at hand.

Introduce Them to Your Staff

Stepping into unknown territory is stressful for anybody. Introduce your new employee to other staff on their first day to help reduce any stress and start to make connections with coworkers. Arranging a team lunch can also be beneficial for everyone, as they can get to know each other in a less formal setting. Helping employees feel safe and comfortable in their work environment is a critical part of the onboarding process.

Assigning a seasoned team member to help out your new hire is beneficial as well. They can help oversee the new employee and answer any questions they may have in the first few days if you’re tied up with other work or in meetings.

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Plan Tasks and Set Realistic Goals

There’s nothing worse as a new employee than starting a new job and not knowing what to work on the first week. Give your new staff member some easy tasks to start on and an achievable goal for their first week. It can be as simple as getting set up and comfortable using all of the software and tools used within the company.

Regardless of what tasks you choose for them to work on in their first few days, make sure they’re set up for success and have a low pressure goal to work towards.

Make Yourself Available to Them

Whether it be for a weekly meeting or having an open door policy that allows them to pop into your office to ask questions, making yourself available is crucial. It’s easy for new employees to get lost in the chaos of the day-to-day, but making sure they feel supported is a critical part of good onboarding and will ultimately build loyalty and quality of work. Offer guidance, make sure they have team members they can ask questions to, and check in with them regularly.

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