2 Things You Absolutely Must Do Before Hiring Your Next Team Member

It’s hiring season, and for many of us that means that it’s time to look for a few new employees. You have the budget ready, and the job descriptions have been carefully crafted and you are ready to start making offers. But before you do that, I want you to take a pause and look at your human resources department as a whole. Are there places that you need to make improvements? Things that you do really well? And things that you might not be doing at all?

I always recommend to my business coaching clients that they spend a little time each year reviewing their human resources pillar and their team as a whole before starting the hiring season. Not only will this give you a good plan for the year ahead, but will help prevent any possible issues down the road with your new hires.

So here are the areas that I think you should pay attention to before your next hire.

1. Your Current Team Members

This seems like a given, but I can’t tell you how many business owners I have worked with that will go on a hiring spree without looking at their current team’s strengths and weaknesses. Ask yourself: Do you have dead weight or low performers who really should be cut? And is everyone in their correct position to utilize their skills and talents? Maybe you have a team member who has recently graduated college or is working toward a degree in another department. Would they be better suited in that department instead of hiring someone new? Is there someone on your team who really enjoys working on projects outside of their department? It might be time to investigate and move individuals that would be better suited elsewhere.

After looking at your team, you want to also dedicate some time to talking with everyone to make sure that they are clear on what their roles are within your organization. Not only will this help you identify any gaps that need to be filled, but may also help you get a clearer picture of where you can have your current team members shift their focus to reach your larger company goals. Ask the following: Do each of your employees understand what his or her job is and how that job fits into the bigger picture of the company? Do they know the key results they are responsible for and how the company will measure them on those responsibilities? Do they have a clear understanding of the resources and authority they have in pursuit of these key results?

2. Your Ability to Handle Payroll, Benefits and Legal Compliance

Another area that you want to pay attention to before you bring more team members on is in the area of payroll, benefits, and legal issues. How well does your company do at complying with all local, state, and federal labor regulations? How well have you trained your staff on issue like sexual harassment and HR best practices to stay out of legal trouble? And are you able to handle payroll and other issues with ease? If you struggle in any of these areas, it’s imperative that you find the right team members (or third party) to help get your team back on track before hiring additional staff.

Hiring the right team members can really help accelerate your growth and allow you to scale your business quickly. With a little bit of planning you can make sure that you are making the right choices and are set up to retain your staff for years to come. Good luck!