When the time comes for you to expand your business, one of the most important parts of the journey is the hiring process. As you take on new team members, it’s essential to select the ones that share your values and will be the best fit for your brand. With more clients on your plate or additional services offered, you’ll need to ensure that you have a reliable support team to keep everything going smoothly.
Now, building the perfect team isn’t as simple as posting a job description on social media and waiting for the applications to flow in. The first step on your path to a solid crew is to take a step back and analyze your company as a whole. What will your new hires be responsible for? What are your core values and philosophies? How do you prefer the office environment? We especially value self-motivation, a willingness to fail, and an outgoing personality, so those are three things that we look for in our applicants.
You must also keep in mind that you’ll be working very closely alongside your new hires, so it’s important to find candidates that mesh well with your own personality in addition to your brand. This is why it’s imperative to pick the right people – you wouldn’t want to put your own blood, sweat, and tears into the wrong person’s hands! While you may be wary about letting anyone into your brand, remember that taking on new employees will only grow your business in the right direction.
After you know what qualities the ideal applicant(s) will have, it’s time to take on the outreach part of the hiring process. In addition to sharing on your blog and social media, consider reaching out to local colleges who often have job boards for new graduates. Look for communications or hospitality departments in particular, as they will most likely have experience with events.
Instead of hiring candidates from the get-go, consider instituting an internship-style trial period. Not only do you get to gauge how well they fit into your plans, but they’ll also have a good idea of whether the position suits them. This saves you the potentially stressful situation of losing a new hire that didn’t know what they were getting into. As you observe their work ethic, ask yourself the following before making the plunge:
• Can you see yourself growing your business with this individual?
• Are they the type to get invested in the company or is their mind elsewhere?
• Are they a self-starter, while still possessing a team mentality?
• Do they understand the in’s and out’s of your industry?
• Are they experienced enough to offset some of the training period?
If you have other team members already, it can be helpful to include them in on the thought process as it may open up a new perspective to you. That being said, the final decision falls on you so it’s important to think it through – this is not something to be taken lightly!
If you find a potential employee that checks all of the right boxes and fits in well at your company, feel comfortable taking them on and introducing them to all the different facets of your business. With that said, don’t rush into it if you just haven’t found the right person – filling a position can take some time but it’s much more prudent to wait for ‘the one’ than to jump on someone that may not be right for you and your brand.
Jennifer Taylor is the owner of Taylor’d Events Group, a planning firm that specializes in celebrations of all kinds in the Pacific Northwest and Maui.
