Newsletter
May 2022 Newsletter
How to Qualify an Employee for your Small Business
Finding the right employee comes down to several factors. These include how to attract the right employee, where to recruit and where to advertise your roles. Once you have qualified a pool of potential employees, what happens next? How do you narrow down your potential employees to know you have made the best decision for your business?
Here are some helpful tips when it comes to qualifying an employee for your business.
1. Qualifications
Naturally, qualifications are vital for any role that requires them. If you are looking to employ a specialist in their field, they must have the adequate education, trade, and experience to fulfil the role. Be sure to thoroughly compare candidates to find the right level of experience for your role. Ask yourself if a candidate is too junior, or even too senior for a role. Often candidates will apply for roles that they may not yet have the qualifications for. If you do not have the time or resources to train them, you can safely count these candidates out of the equation.
2. Experience in your Field
If you are a small business requiring broad roles such as administrative, customer service or accounting support you can set your net wide seeking someone with experience in this role. When reviewing resumes pay close attention to the industries and specific companies they have worked for. A bit of research into the business name can tell you a lot about the environment and industry they have familiarity working in – and if this can be carried across effectively to your own business.
3. Passion & Commitment
Once you have narrowed down your candidates to interview stage, you can gauge their passion and commitment to the role. In-person meetings allow for you to learn about their experience and qualifications further, as well as giving you an insight into their approach to working. Do they love what they do? Are they excited to reach the interview stage for this role? A candidate who is well-prepared, can answer questions easily and naturally, and presents themselves well, will often leave a good impression. This will help you to narrow this group down to either a final or final few candidates.
4. Cultural Fit
When we talk about workplace culture, this refers to the environment that you work in and the character and personality of the business. To have a successful team within a small business, employees must work well together – often closely. Positive workplace culture attracts likeminded employees, encourages job satisfaction, and increases productivity. Consider how a potential candidate will fit within your team and your workplace culture in terms of shared values and their overall attitude towards work.
A Note for Small Business Owners
A lot of success in small business comes from business owners following their instincts. When you don’t have a large pool of employees to bounce ideas from, there will be times when going with what feels “right” feels like your only option. Consider being flexible with your employment decisions. If a candidate fits your workplace culture, is passionate and committed to learning, but doesn’t have the same level of expertise as another, ask yourself what is most important. Can the forementioned candidate be trained quickly to get them up to speed? Or do you need someone to hit the ground running for your business to meet its targets? Be sure to consider the business’s success before you make any critical decisions and take your time in deciding.
As an employer there are many tools and resources regarding best practice for employment which can be found here: https://www.fairwork.gov.au/tools-and-resources/best-practice-guides Be sure to refer to this when you need guidance and tips regarding a range of employment and workplace subjects.