Who Should I Hire First?
The question I’m asked most often when it comes to hiring for the first time is, “Who should I hire first?” This is a good question, but not a very helpful one to ask when starting to think about hiring.
That’s because when business owners ask this question, it usually leads to a discussion around job titles, for example, “Do I need an executive assistant or an operations manager?”
My response to this is often, “Well, it depends...”
The better question you should be asking is, “What do I need help with the most?” Answering this question will help you determine who to hire first, without getting bogged down in unhelpful conversations over job titles.
Your main focus should be on the actual tasks the person you hire will be handling. Which means, you need to get clear on what kind of help you truly need.
Getting Clear on What You Need
I often see business owners reaching out for recommendations on who to hire, which I highly encourage and recommend. Your network is a great place to find top notch team members!
These social posts usually look like this: “I’m hiring an operations manager! Who do you recommend that’s amazing?”
While reaching out for referrals is a great idea, this particular approach will almost always leave you feeling frustrated and discouraged. Here’s why:
All operations managers don’t offer the same services, handle the same tasks, or use the same software. And this goes for just about any job title you can think of.
Let’s take a closer look. You might need an operations manager who will help you set up systems and streamline processes in your business while someone else needs help managing their team and projects.
Although operations managers do offer both of these services, not all offer both. Being able to articulate and communicate exactly what kind of help you need will lead to better referrals and recommendations that are the right fit for you and your business.
When you ask for recommendations without any context around what you need this person to do, it usually leads to glowing referrals for individuals who are a poor match for what you need. This can lead to making a poor hiring decision, leaving you feeling “burned” in the hiring process and wary of asking for future recommendations.
When You Make a “Bad Hire”
First, let me reassure you that we all make bad hires. I’ve absolutely made my fair share of poor hiring decisions over the past 14 years – and you will, too. Please know that it’s not the end of the world and everything will be okay. I promise.
Although there are a variety of reasons why we make poor hiring decisions, I’ve found that when hiring for the first time, a bad hire usually comes down to one thing – lack of clarity.
There are very rarely employees who are truly “bad.” Most people want to come to work and do a good job. Often, when an employee is not a good fit, it’s due to a poor hiring decision that was made without clarity around what kind of help is needed.
Hiring employees is a big commitment and one that should include a thorough review of your business vision and goals, as well as an honest look at your own personal strengths and limitations.
Who you hire first (or second, third, 25th!) has everything to do with what kind of help you specifically need. Not a certain job title, what’s trendy at the moment, or even who your best friend hired. Every business is different and every business owner has unique needs.
When you don’t take the time to get clear on what kind of help you need, you might find yourself:
Hiring for the same position 2, 3, or even 4 times;
Employing someone who can’t do the job;
Losing the momentum you’ve created;
Experiencing customer service issues;
And more.
But, when you take the time to get crystal clear on what you need, you’ll save thousands of dollars, months of wasted time, and massive headaches down the road by hiring the right person for the job the first time around.
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Getting Clear on Who to Hire
When dreaming about hiring help, it’s easy to get carried away with all the things we’d like to get off our plates, such as:
Marketing
Social media
Content writing/planning
Bookkeeping
Customer relations
Sales
Emails
And the list goes on
When you first start hiring for your business, chances are low that you’re going to be able to afford all of these new team members. And, since it’s impossible to hire one person to handle all these tasks, you should focus first on hiring for your needs first versus your wants.
How do you figure out who to hire first? Our smart and simple hiring exercise below will get you started on the right path to hiring the right person for your business right now!
Step 1: Braindump
What tasks do you need to get off your plate? Braindump a list of all the tasks you:
Struggle completing;
Dislike or dread doing; or
Spend too much time on.*
Don’t worry about trying to do this “right.” There is no right or wrong way to make this list. The goal is simply to get everything out of your head and onto paper.
NOTE: We can spend too much time on tasks we enjoy doing, but don’t make sense for us to do as CEOs. For example, maybe you love unleashing your creativity in Canva and designing graphics for your website and social media, but you know you should be focusing on bringing in more sales. Graphic design should go on your list! 😉
Step 2: Group
Next, take a look at the tasks you’ve written down and group similar tasks together (ex: admin, marketing, finances).
The majority of tasks will likely fall into one or two main categories. The category with either: a) the most tasks; or b) the tasks you dislike most or which take up the most time are what you should consider outsourcing first.
Step 3: Decide
Review each category and decide which set of tasks will give you the biggest bang for your buck. These tasks should either save OR increase your:
Time
Money
Resources
Getting certain tasks off your plate might also save you major headaches and frustration. Don’t underestimate how powerful getting these tasks off your plate can be when it comes to creativity and being able to do your very best work!
Step 4: Identify
It’s finally time to start thinking about the right job title for the role you’ve defined!
Take a look at the tasks you’ve decided to outsource to help you identify who to hire (ex: virtual assistant, social media manager, bookkeeper). If you get stuck, look at industry-specific jobs posted on sites like Indeed and LinkedIn.
Final Thoughts
Now that you know the exact support you need and the benefits it will bring to you and your business, you can start looking for your first employee!
When asking for recommendations or referrals from your network, remember: don’t rely solely on a job title to communicate a clear picture of what you need. Try asking like this:
“I’m looking for recommendations for an operations manager who can help me review and streamline the processes in my business and set up better, more efficient systems. Do you know of anyone who would be a great match?”
THAT kind of communication and request for a recommendation will help you find the best fit for you and your business – saving you loads of time, money, resources, and headaches!
Authored by Ashley Cox, PHR, SHRM-CP
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