10 May What to Look For in Potential Employees

After raising investment capital for your new business, having an effective workforce is the next big challenge. Due to the current state of the job market, you are likely to have more than a dozen candidates apply within the first day of your job listing. Remember, an effective workforce is what makes or breaks a new business, and not all of these candidates may be best suited for your business’s needs. Here, we will talk about some potential guidelines you should follow while selecting potential employees.

Their Credentials versus Your Aim

A common mistake that a business owner can make is to get impressed by candidates who may have attained their education from a prestigious college or excelled in a particular field of study. Let me clear, for instance A law graduate from an Ivy league school doesn’t necessarily mean that candidate would be better at programming than, say, a computer science graduate from your local community college. If you need a web designer or a computer technician, then the latter is undoubtedly a better choice than the former, no matter how unremarkable his CV may look. Also, you should also focus on the other aspects of the CV which states what they have majored in, skills, personal achievement and hobbies. It is important to shortlist candidates whose combination of academic record, skill set and work-life balance can help you carry out your long term aims for your organization.

Look For Brains, Not Years

This is, unfortunately, something that most employers list before even allowing candidates to be evaluated, essentially disqualifying highly qualified candidates that can be a potentially valuable asset to your business. Even though experience is an important factor when selecting candidates, it shouldn’t be the sole determinant.

Often times, a fresh college graduate may be able to project better ideas than even ‘experienced’ candidates, not to mention that the salary demand may also be lower. Remember, just like your business is relatively new, so is their work experience – both deserve a chance.

Long Term Commitment

A long term commitment to the company offers many advantages as compared to a short term commitment. For starters, you wouldn’t need to go through the hectic employment process again and again. Secondly, you would also be saving up on costs, since hiring is a costly process due to numerous listings being placed on newspapers, not to mention a lot of time spent on interviewing potential candidates.

Long term commitment also ensures that a feeling of mutual respect is formed between an employer and employee. Furthermore it engrains company loyalty which can prove to be very beneficial in the long term for your new business.

The Track Record

Lastly, you should also go through some of the candidate’s previous employers to see how their experience was with the particular candidate.