6 Tips for Hiring Your First Employee

Becoming an entrepreneur is an exciting and stressful experience. During the early days, it’s common for the business owner to wear all the hats, acting as both CEO and frontline worker. However, there are only so many hours in a day. Eventually, even the most industrious entrepreneurs will run out of steam.

If you cannot continue scaling or drop the ball in various aspects of your business, it’s time to hire a remote engineer. Here are six tips to make the first hire (and all the subsequent hires) a success.

Understand Your Needs

First, start by understanding what you need from an employee to start shaping the role. There are several ways to approach this thought process. 

Create three columns on a piece of paper, titled:

1. Things I Lack Time For
2. Things I Don’t Like Doing
3. Things I’m Not Good At

Take some time to reflect and jot some notes in these columns. These tasks are ideal starting points for delegating to an employee. Additionally, you can also create a column for tasks that are non-revenue-generating (NRG) but necessary. For example, preparing paperwork for tax season, maintaining a consistent social media presence, etc.

Consider the Legalities and Regulations

Next, it’s essential to understand the legalities and regulations that go hand-in-hand with having employees. You’ll have to research workers’ compensation rules and determine how your business insurance needs will change.

Integrating payroll and taxation is a significant undertaking. For example, you’ll have to withhold and submit taxes for federal and state income taxes, as well as federal Medicare, ERA, and FICA (source:https://www.thepaystubs.com/). Of course, this all depends on your employment structure and whether you’re hiring a full-time employee or a contractor.

Consider the System Changes

After you’ve formulated a basic job description, you’ll need to consider how hiring an employee will change the systems you have in place— or create a need for systems. For example, you’ll need to create a payroll process. Additionally, you’ll have to find ways to communicate and share information while maintaining security and privacy.

Outline what tools you’ll need to make your hiring experience a success. Having a company to-do list scribbled on a napkin and memorizing passwords for files is no longer an option.

Use Your Network and Connections

Once you have the basic framework in place, you’ll need to source an employee. Start by reaching out to your network and connections for recommendations from trusted colleagues. If you can get a reliable recommendation, you may be able to minimize the hiring timeline and uncertainty of hiring a complete stranger. 

Create a Hiring and Onboarding Process

Next, outline a hiring and onboarding process to create consistency as you screen candidates and bring them into your business. Consider the following steps:

1. Creating and posting a job 
2. Screening applications
3. Extra screening (personality tests, competence tests, etc.)
4. Conducting interviews
5. Selecting a candidate
6. Making an offer
7. Onboarding your employee

Putting these steps in place and making clear records of your process will help you as your team expands in the future. You can also work with a recruiter or HR consultant to assist you in this process.

Don’t Hire Yourself

Entrepreneurs have a few fatal flaws, but perhaps the most deadly is the desire to hire oneself. Business owners tend to be drawn to people they see themselves in— agreeability certainly has its appeal.

The problem with hiring someone just like you is that it narrows your worldview and limits your growth potential. Instead, hire someone who thinks differently from you and can offer a diverse perspective and unique viewpoints. For example, if you’re an analytical, logical type, hire someone more creative and free-thinking. Then, help each other grow while growing your business.

With these six tips, you can set your first employee and your business up for success. Learn from the process and adjust it for future hiring experiences

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