NFIB

Learning to Be the Boss -- Hiring Team Members for Your Microbusiness
03/ 28/ 2002


Taking on management responsibilities can be a daunting task for small business owners unfamiliar with the role of "boss." The supervisor's job is likely to be doubly daunting for expanding one-person operations because you must get used to working with and managing employees. Thus the first step in becoming a manager is the most crucial: hiring the right people.

"The smaller the business, the more important it is that the match be right. It's very important that the chemistry be right, not just the skills," suggests Jack Reiners, business counselor with the Small Business Development Center, University of Wisconsin-Madison. Contributor Karen Bankston spoke with Reiners and others recently to get these tips for expanding your microbusiness:

Begin by writing a complete job description that details all the tasks the employee will handle, crucial skills, training the new staff member will need on the specifics of your business, and the career path and opportunities the right candidate can expect with your company, Reiners suggests. Now you can start the search.

Especially if competition for good employees is tough in your field or region, cast your net as widely as possible to increase your odds of finding the best candidates. In addition to newspaper ads, contact local technical schools, college placement offices, professional associations and advertise in trade newsletters.

Be enthusiastic in describing the job. "Stress the benefits of the job, not the fringe benefits but the challenges and the opportunities for progression," Reiners says. "Answer the question, why would someone want to work here?"

Develop a list of questions and make sure you go through them with all the candidates. Some people are better than others at judging rapport, but even people with a sixth sense can go wrong if they rely too much on their intuition.

Let the candidates do most of the talking, and invite them to ask questions about your business and the job opening. Their questions can tell you a lot about what they're looking for in a job.

Take all the time you need. It takes more than a 20-minute interview to find out everything you know about the people who'll be entrusted with your business.

Look for "teachable team workers." Managers must consider more than candidates' skills and knowledge base in making a hiring decision, recommends Kevin Ford, a training consultant with Nice Enterprises, Inc., Golden, Colo. "Differentiating competencies" -- prospects' motives and values, their affinity for teamwork and willingness to learn new skills -- are crucial, especially for technology companies where employees must undergo constant retraining and often work together in teams.

"It's kind of like Chuck Noll's philosophy of drafting the best athletes," Ford notes. "When you hire the wrong people, you get a culture problem. Practices and applications are all going to change, and technologies are going to evolve, so you want people in place who are willing and able to learn and adapt."

Recruiting and retaining those employees requires a compensation policy that rewards people for their initiative and teamwork, not tenure and job title, Ford says.

To build your hiring and managing skills, check out the business shelves of your local library or bookstore and contact the Small Business Development Center in your area for information about personnel workshops and manuals.

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