Owning a business means wearing many hats, and while that may be true in the early stages of growth, you don’t have to keep them all on.
It can be scary to think about giving up control of parts of your business- entrepreneurs like to believe we can do it all ourselves- but the truth is that our business will not grow without help.
That’s where your team comes in.
Creating a team of A-Players can help fill gaps in your processes, offer unique knowledge or skills, strengthen your leadership skills, and help your business grow into the six-figure (multi-six figure, or seven-figure) company you’ve always dreamed of.
But how can you find these A-Players in an oversaturated job market?
You follow the process.
How to Find (and Hire) A-Players for Your Team
The process for hiring your ideal team members consists of seven tasks you (and your potential hire) must complete. They are:
- Determine your business core values
- Create a comprehensive job description
- Administer a thorough interview
- Check or ask for references and referrals
- Let them do a PAID test project
- Grab a second opinion
- Offer the proper training
It looks like a lot, especially for hiring a single person, but your A-player will be worth the time and effort- especially when they start working their magic.
Determine Your Core Values
You are the first A-Player in your business, so your core values are- ideally- the same. However, when you want to bring new team members into the fold, you’ll need a written account of the business’ values, what it stands for, how it treats its customers and team members, and your ideal work culture.
Once you have those values lined out, add them to your job description. That way, potential hires will know what kind of environment they’re walking into.
Plus, if you know your values inside and out, you’ll have a better chance of sensing when someone isn’t meshing with the rest of the team and resolving the issue before it gets out of hand.
Create a Comprehensive Job Description
A job description is often a hire’s first contact with your business, so you want it to be as detailed as possible.
I’d include things like:
- Type of job (full-time, part-time, 1099 contractor, etc.)
- Preferred experience level/ certifications
- Responsibilities
- Pay per hour and payment schedule
- How many hours they’ll work per week
- Expectations of the role
- Core values/Culture
That should give them plenty of information to determine if they want to apply for the role.
On a side note, you also want to make it a realistic job description.
For example, if you’re advertising for a social media position, don’t expect them to handle project management and copywriting as well. It’s not realistic.
Another example is paying less than a living wage. A-Players know their worth and will only look at a job that pays adequate wages, so don’t expect interest if you pay otherwise.
Administer a Thorough Interview
Interviews are more than Yes or No questions. They’re a chance for you to test your applicant and see their problem-solving in real time, so have some questions ready.
Ask a mixture of yes and no questions, situational questions, and questions that let them flex their chops and impress you with their knowledge.
You want to know this person before you invite them onto your team and give them control, so take your time with the interviews. Listen to their words and tone, check their body language, and see what your instincts say about them.
Then, you can move on.
Check/Ask for References and Referrals
References and Referrals are a vital part of the hiring process. They speak to a person’s experience and work ethic and can give insight into their character and past working relationships.
Remember, you want to bring the right person into your team. The reference step will help weed out liars and over-exaggerators from legitimate options and give you peace of mind, so do NOT skip this step.
You can ask for testimonials or reviews about the applicant and their work, call previous employers, check LinkedIn and other social media profiles, and email previous managers or co-workers.
If they get good reviews from everyone, send them to the next step.
Let them try a PAID Test Project.
The best way to test your applicants is to give them a sample project and see how they complete it.
For example, if you want to hire a copywriter, let the applicant write a blog post, email, or advertisement as part of the process. Keep the instructions vague to test their creativity and problem-solving skills, but also watch for their ability to follow instructions, attention to detail, and flexibility.
And, as professionals who believe that time is money, we are paying them for these test projects. Paying will help increase your bond with the applicant and set you apart from others who may demand the same for free.
Plus, if you play your cards right, you could have them work on an existing project and get a feel for the company before deciding if they want the job. As a note, do NOT use anyone’s work that you do not hire if it is for an existing project.
Grab a Second Opinion
Hiring someone is no easy decision, and it can be handy to get a second opinion if you have more than one applicant that meets your requirements.
Find someone you trust who knows your business and lay out everything you have about your candidates. Let them watch or listen to the interviews, check the test projects, and get a feel for the people behind the paper. Ask them what they think about the applicant and if they’d be a good fit for the business. Then, make your choice.
Again- and I cannot stress this enough- it needs to be someone who knows you and your business well. Otherwise, it won’t help.
Offer Proper Training
Once you’ve found your A-Players and invited them to the team, you want to train them.
Take time to introduce them to the business and answer questions. Review the processes with them, and give them everything they need to make their part of your business shine.
Remember: they don’t know the business like you. Train them and work together to help them become the essential cog you didn’t know you needed.
Special Offer
It sounds like a lot, but these seven tasks will help you find your A-Players and create your dream team.
However, I know how overwhelming it can be to handle the hiring process yourself. That’s why I’ve created some amazing hiring resources to help you with any part of the hiring process that you find tricky.
- If you are wondering where to hire candidates try the Best Places to hire.
- If you are looking to keep all of your candidates in one place try the Candidate Tracker
- If you are stuck on Job Descriptions you can get 17+ of the most popular positions with my Job Descriptions Template
- If you have no idea what questions to ask during an interview my Interview Questions template has you covered.
- If you want to ensure you have hired the right candidate I have some Test Project Templates to weed out the good and the bad.
- Lastly, to set your team members up for success you have the Team Member Success template that covers a complete plan once they are onboard.
All of these templates are between $7-$14 to ensure that this is affordable for you, saves you time, gets you the right person for the role, and reduces your stress while on the hunt for those A-Players!
