How To Hire a Good Employee

One decision all businesses face, whether sooner or later, is the determination to hire.  Hiring full-time or part-time help depends on the needs of the business and the stage of it’s existence. We’re going to discuss the advantages of part-time employees and address how to hire a good employee.

Definition of a part-time employee: One who works 1000 hours or fewer in any twelve month period.  Most often this is defined as working fewer than 20 hours per week.

You may be considering hiring your first employee to improve efficiency in the business you’ve built from scratch. Or you may be considering hiring to fill a gap left by a full-time employee who has no choice but to reduce hours.  Maybe your organization has dozens of employees but there are quarterly tasks or a particular department that could use a part-timer to increase productivity.

Lets talk about the advantages of part-time employees.  Part-time employees contribute greatly to organizations at a much lower employment cost.  The employer is not burdened by taxes. Workers often site the need for flexibility as the being the draw for them to part-time work.  The employer also benefits with flexibility to vary the work schedule and have employees work only when needed.  The cost savings continue with the absence of employee benefits like health insurance and paid vacations. 

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Now, how to hire a good employee. Whether full-time or part-time, the key to success is hiring the best employees.  That is a challenge for most employers and more so for those doing it for the first time. 

First you have to determine who would be the best employee for your type of business and the role in which you plan to place them.  Develop a prototype, so to speak, on paper. This is your job description.  You want to lay out exactly what the duties are and the type of person who will best fulfill them. 

• Skills sets- Are there particular computer skills they should have, math abilities,  customer service skills, etc.

• Background/Experience- Would you prefer someone who has held the same position previously, military background, medical office experienc, customer interaction, worked with kids or elderly, etc.

• Character traits-  Of course you want a dependable, hard working,  conscientious worker. Who doesn’t? But you can find out through your reference checks the degree to which each trait is represented.   Previous employers will provide information that can often help you determine if a candidate is honest, organized, works well as a team or independently. 

• Working style-  You should first know your own working style.  Are you on top of everything, a micro-manager?  You’ll need someone who can function with a manager over the shoulder.  Are you disorganized and need someone who can keep you organized? You’ll need someone who is organized but does not mind reigning in your mess. Do you like to assign tasks and prefer not to be bothered with details? If you like someone who runs with the assignment and just presents results you need an independent thinker. 

So, your job description should contain all the criteria you deem valuable.  Then you’ll have to set out to attract your employees. And when you get them you should impress them while you’re drilling to find out if you want them.

• Make your business attractive. Emphasize the best things about working there. Is it a flexible work environment? Do you offer any benefits? Is the facility state-of –the art?

• Good interviewing. Find out what attracted them to your part-time job.  What need does this job fill? You want to know if they are committed to part-time work and not just taking it until a full-time job comes along. Evaluate how they present themselves.  Do they make eye contact? Do they communicate well? Are they friendly upon approach? 

• Prepare a Training or Procedure Manual. Just like your job description lays out the duties and expectations, your training/procedure manual should lay out how everything is done.  What process to follow or where to find resources.  You want to set your new hire up for success.  Most new employees fail because communication failed.

There will always be a need for part-time employees.  Business and the economy thrive on the work part-timers perform. When it comes to remaining competitive, more and more employers are discovering the advantages of part-time employees.  Hiring is not the easiest task when running a business and finding the best employee is often a challenge.  Our tips on how to hire a good employee should help you prepare for the process and walk through successfully.