How to find the right employee

If you’re hiring, then you'll know that finding the right employee can be surprisingly difficult.

From identifying what you need, creating a winning advert, knowing where to look, and attracting candidates, there’s a lot to it. And if you want to hire the best, you need to get it right.

But don’t worry. There are simple and actionable steps that you can take to find and hire great workers.

Be self-aware

The first step is to understand how your business works, what it would benefit from and the values that underpin it.

To do this, you need a crystal-clear understanding of who you are and what your business is like. It’s no good if you think you’re an innovative company, but in reality, your organisation is more caring and customer centric. You’ll attract the wrong people, wasting time and energy, letting potential candidates slip through your fingers.

Personality fit

You’ll also need to consider different variables, so that you can create an accurate advert and pick the right person. It’s important to understand what kind of personality, working preferences and values will work best, both for the role and your team. As they’ll need to able to properly integrate and get along with everyone.

New hires will perform better if their values align with that of the business. Having compatible values will help them to form quality bonds and cooperate with their colleagues. If the business is value-centric, then it can also help give them a sense of purpose.

Traits versus skills

Plus, you’ll need to think about the traits and skills your new hire will need. Having experience doesn’t always mean that someone’s the right fit for the job, so don’t forget to consider other traits like enthusiasm, natural intelligence and creativity when looking for staff.

With the right training and investment, an inexperienced but motivated worker can surpass a more experienced employee. Resulting in a comparable standard of work at a lower wage.

Define what you need

Once you understand who you are and what kind of person you need, it’s time to define it. Some companies want staff who can operate with a lot of autonomy and come up with innovative solutions. Others simply want workers who can complete set tasks to an agreed standard.

You need to know what you want your employee to do. But you can’t be too specific if you need someone sooner rather than later. To get the balance right, focus on what you want your new team member to achieve.

Nail your adverts

Congratulations, you know exactly what you need. So, it’s time to create an amazing advert.

To create great adverts, it helps to focus on what it’s like to work at your company, and include additional information like local amenities and events, and staff testimonials. Make sure your advert includes keywords so people can find it, a salary or salary range, a list of benefits, and is easy to read and free of typos. Giving it some personality, will help you to stand out from the competition.

Know where to look

You should have a careers page on your site and post your advert on every major job board.

It’s also a good idea to research specialist job sites. You wouldn’t look for a whale in a forest, likewise you might have to adapt your search depending on the type of person you want. For example, if you’re looking for a flexible or remote worker then a job site like FlexJobs could be useful.

Be desirable

It’s no good going to the effort of finding a great employee, if you have a bad culture that will have them running out of the door. So, you need to create a positive work environment. Listen to your staff and think about how you treat your team, so that you’re putting your best foot forward.

One easy way to become more desirable, while getting more out of your workers, is by including opportunities for growth, learning and development. Manpower found that 79% of workers who can access free training like their jobs more than those who do not.

Next steps

Finding the right employee isn’t easy, but you will stand a good chance if you’re self-aware, know what you need, get the word out and properly the communicate the benefits of working for you.

Ultimately, hiring the best requires honesty. You need to know who you are and where you’re going, if you're going to attract top talent.

Making sure you’re a great place work is also key. For a novel way to upgrade your working environment, check out our article on how company values can reduce staff turnover.

Removing unnecessary admin and inconveniences is another way to become more desirable, helping you to attract the best of the best.

If you have a mobile workforce, Expensemate is a brilliant option that will make your staff happier while saving you some major cash.

See for yourself and try Expensemate for free with a 30-day trial.