Hiring a Full Time Employee - Part 2
Episode 296: Show Notes
Welcome back to the show, everyone! As promised we are doing the second part of our segment on hiring a full-time employee. So if you haven’t listened to part one yet, we recommend you go catch up on that, ASAP! In that episode, we covered the application process, defining the role, finding and vetting candidates. Today we are diving straight on into the interview and onboarding process. We will be doing a follow up part three in a few months to report back on the outcomes of this whole process, so stay alert for that in the not too distant future!
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Now, we have to be clear, we were looking for a unicorn. We needed someone who was creative and motivated but did not feel compelled to do these things in a business of their own. We have found that this configuration is quite rare and quickly found out that we would be lucky to nab someone who fits the bill. Having part time or freelancers work for you can be great and you may love these people but there is a limit to how much they can actually do for you if they are running their own thing as well and you are only part of that bigger picture. This was one of the main reasons we were looking to fill this particular role, so we could get a little more out of a full-time employee and have someone who is as dedicated to our biz as we are!
Why Hire Local?
As most of you know, our business is spread all over the country, so in some ways it would seem immaterial to hire someone local. However, and we have Abagail to thank for hammering this home, having a full time employee in the same city would mean so much more connection, communication and control. The person could still work remotely but being able to meet up when necessary is actually really vital to the type of position we were imagining. The negative side of this criterion was obviously that we would be considerably narrowing the stream from where we were fishing! But after one Skype meeting we were convinced, you cannot read body language and really assess someone’s personality and vibe over long distance.
The Interviewing Process
The first serious, local interview we held yielded results that were not perfect but were definitely coachable. As a test we texted her an appointment time instead of an email and her response to this informality was just perfect, it felt like we were almost already friends. The in-person interview was a little awkward at first but once we hit our groove it was fantastic! To be honest we had actually learned quite a bit about this person before the interview, we knew about her education, job history and had stalked her online! During the interview we made it very clear the type of person we were looking for, the culture of the company and gauging her responses to this was of huge import to us. Her excited body language and enthusiasm showed us so much! And then she said the magic words! “I could see myself doing this for years.” Emylee admits getting goosebumps at this point and really saw the possibilities for the future. We were just feeling so excited at the prospect of having someone feel at home in this with us! We also acknowledged the elephant in the room and would advise anyone else to do the same. We stipulated that for this position we needed someone who would not be working on any other side hustles or businesses, just so there was no competition for their time.
Finding Someone Who Was the Right Fit
We definitely feel like we have been some people’s stepping stones on to other things and that is okay with us but here we wanted to find someone who was a bit committed to building with us for the long term. Our new employee really seemed to be excited that this was the right fit for her too. The balance we work with in terms of freedom and structure seemed the same for her and this match is so vital! During the interview process we went over the hypothetical situations we had used in the application and walked through any differences or ideas we thought were important. This simple coaching session went a long way to get us all on the same page. We all felt really comfortable and excited going forward, what a great feeling!
Sealing the Deal, Finalizing a Contract and Onboarding
We actually asked our friends over at Dubsado for some advice on the contractual side of things and after that conversation we decided to move forward on a contract to hire basis. This would mean that we work together for 60 days before going into a official full time contract. This makes perfect sense for us and saves times in the event of any unforeseen circumstances. When we sent through the offer the next day, she accepted! Luckily we have lots of training and systems ready to go and the onboarding process has become quite organized. As we record this, our new employee is in her first week of work with us and is currently devouring videos and familiarizing herself with everything we do. Systems are so helpful in this orientation and as we have said so many times, automation and workflow can save you a ton of time! We plan to have 30 and 60 day assessments after which we can move forward into an official position. Having a clear and open relationship from the get-go has been a serious objective of ours and will serve any new hire greatly. We are so happy to have found someone who seems perfect for the job and we look forward to all the good things that will come of this!
Quote This
There wasn’t a next step, this was where she was going!
Highlights
Why Hire Local? [0:06:29.4]
The Interviewing Process [0:11:04.3]
Finding Someone Who Was the Right Fit. [0:17:21.2]
Sealing the Deal, Finalizing a Contract and Onboarding. [0:20:19.8]
ON TODAY’S SHOW
Abagail & Emylee
The Strategy Hour Podcast
We help overwhelmed and creative entrepreneurs break down their Oprah-sized dreams to create a functioning command center to tame the chaos of their business. Basically, we think you’re totally bomb diggity, we’re about to uplevel the shiz out of your business.
