The Most Important Questions To Ask Before Hiring Your First Full-Time Employee

Have you heard the cliche, “Be slow to hire and quick to fire?” When it comes to your business, that means to do your due diligence to select the right candidate and once you realize someone isn’t a good fit, part ways, quickly and professionally.” In reality, the cliche neglects to acknowledge the fact that there are important questions to ask before hiring your first full-time employee.

For some, the transition from solo-prenuer to full-time boss might be a big adjustment and can feel overwhelming. Let’s explore a few tips and tricks to navigate the do’s and don’ts when it comes to hiring your first full-time employee.

The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) reported that the cost of replacing an employee can range from 50% to 200% of their annual salary, depending on their level. For a small business, those numbers can be crippling. Selecting the right candidate the first time is detrimental to the profit margin of a small business. So where should one start?

An important question to ask yourself before hiring your first full-time employee is, “What tasks do I plan to offload to the new employee?” Writing down an in-depth list of duties and responsibilities can help you determine exactly what will be expected of your new hire. This will help in elevating any misconceptions regarding the role while managing expectations centered around the role for both you and the new employee.

On the flip side of the coin, writing a detailed job description can help with the candidate search as well. A well-written job description ensures that the candidate is aware of what will be required of them while ensuring that you are being transparent with the role, salary, skills, and expectations needed of the new candidate. Research published by ThriveMap showed that  55% of employees have quit a job due to a disconnect between the job’s portrayal in the recruitment process and the actual experience.

The interview process is not only a meet and greet, but it is also often the only opportunity to uncover deeper insights into a candidate’s experience, values, skills, and most importantly, potential. Forbes shares a few tips on how to conduct a successful interview and ask the important questions:

• Encourage storytelling
• Define what success in the role looks like
• Dig deep
• Use real scenarios
• Look beyond the resume
• Ask future-focused, role-specific questions
• Look for coachability
• Confirm availability
• Explore goals

Robert A. Coleman, Ph.D., a director of research and thought leadership wrote, “identifying role fit from both the organizational side as well as from that of the candidate can help lead you to the “best” candidate and contribute to short- and long-term success. A few “must” haves for the right candidate include alignment of the needs and goals of the business and the capabilities of the new hire. A few areas to focus on in the interview include:

• Confirm credentials
• Work history
• Education
• Certificates
• Avaialibitly
• Transportation
• Software skills
• Soft skills
• Coachability
• Train-ability
• Career goals

In the same article, Mr. Coleman, Ph.D., cited the findings of his global Teamwork study, revealing that 85% of high performance was due to individuals being in roles that encouraged the use of individual skills and talents.

Realistically, taking on your first full-time new hire can come with a few unexpected expenses. Be sure to seek help from a professional and inquire about the expenses related to bringing on an employee. Below you will find a few expensesthat a new solo-preneur turned boss should be aware of when it comes to locating, acquiring, and maintaining an employee:

• Job postings
• Background checks
• Recruiter fees
• Salary
• Payroll taxes
• Healthcare
• Vacation time
• Sick time
• Fringe benefits
• Training
• Enrichment
• Sign-on bonuses
• Raises
• Incentives

Bringing on a full-time employee involves expenses outside of solely the salary. Asking yourself if your business can handle the load is a good question to ask!

If you are a small business owner preparing to hire your first full-time employee, this is a huge accomplishment. This milestone is marked by experiencing growth and scaling your business. The most important questions to ask before hiring your first full-time employee should be centered around being prepared and making sure your business is ready.