A colleague was preparing a presentation to give to small business owners and asked me for input. His topic was how to successfully hire people for their companies and he asked me for a short list of items to include. I broke my list up into three areas and I decided I would share them with my readers via my blog.

Before beginning a candidate search, an employer must be sure they are truly ready to bring in someone new. A few simple questions need to be asked. Does money exist in the budget for a new hire? Is there a real need and a substantial body of work for this person to take on when hired? If the person is being recruited to replace an existing employee, is the company really looking to make a change or just testing the waters in search of greener pastures?

Once the employer determines they are ready to hire, they must decide what they aim to accomplish with this process. What skills and past experiences are essential in a potential hire? Are there skills or qualities that would be nice to have but could be learned on the job if needed? How would they describe their ideal candidate and are they able to realistically expect to find such a person within their salary guidelines?

Finally, the employer must understand when it is right to stop interviewing candidates and make a hire. All too often, I watch companies bring in several people, find someone they really think is a fit yet they continue interviewing others.  By the time they realize the person they met earlier on is the best match, they often lose out because another company moved quicker.

To summarize, employers should be very sure they are ready to hire before opening a search and also need to know the type of person they need. Once they find that person, the key is to act swiftly and make the best offer possible!