A Great Team Always Win.
Hiring employees can be a crapshoot. Sometimes you get lucky. Sometimes it just doesn’t work out. Sometimes the best candidate isn’t the one actively looking for a job, and you need to learn some clever techniques to hire that passive employee. Building a small business team is never as easy as it sounds. When you first got started, you probably thought a lot about your customers and their needs and how you could help them. You may have just assumed that you could easily find others who care as much as you do. That couldn’t be further from the case.
You learn the key things to look for in people that will tell you they’ll be a solid, long-term employee. The only way to get better is to learn through experience. If you’re just starting out and haven’t racked up a few years under your belt, here are some tips to help you build a winning team to grow your business.
Seek Leadership Qualities
Leadership is very important when a small group is working to complete a big task. There needs to be some element of initiative or else every team member is just working independently with no cohesive direction. When too many people take control, it can quickly turn into a messed-up situation. Seek out candidates who have situational leadership abilities, such as running morning meetings or organizing team members when someone on a project is missing. If at least half of your team has some leadership experience, no one’s opinion will be lost in the discussion, and progress will continue unabated.
Social Media Intelligence
Checking to see how many connections a prospective candidate has on their social media account gives you an idea about the individual’s online presence. The number of connections can be indicative of a developed sense of self-promotion, an attuned social media awareness, technical knowledge and communication skills. Staying on top of the latest trends in technology and social media makes people aware of what’s on the horizon for your small business and could help you plan accordingly. They can also help promote your business on the latest platforms, and create and cultivate an online presence for your brand.
The trick is to find someone who cares about promoting your business during the workday, not about broadcasting themselves on company time. So, be careful to distinguish between potential candidates who utilize social media well and those who are absorbed by it.
Another important thing is to avoid people who are always checking their mobile devices while speaking to you. When searching for potential employees, know your social media goals, and hire someone who can work the ins and outs of multiple platforms and has ideas about how to disperse your message most effectively. These skills are great if your small business doesn’t require a specific social-media marketing person, or if you want to make sure all your team members can add a social aspect to the business.
Cultural Fit
Whether your office’s style is carefree and relaxed or business-ready and prompt, choosing a candidate who epitomizes and fits into the environment is key. So, it becomes one of the most crucial things in team building to find candidates who fit into your business’s corporate culture. Look for people who match the attitude of the office, and also embody attributes that can benefit your team. Those traits could be leadership experience, a keen eye for presentation or an excellent speaking ability, for example.
Giving your candidate a series of preference questions related to your office environment is a good way to find a person who will fit well. For example, if your staff largely works cooperatively on projects, ask your candidate if they prefer to work alone or in a group. You can also ask what their process is like when working with others. These questions can help you assess how this candidate may adapt to your office. Bringing on those people, and by proxy their attributes, can help strengthen your team and your business’s sense of community.
Complimenting Team
When building an innovative team, it’s important to pair individuals who have complementary talents. For example, if one person is a confident speaker but can’t write an adequate speech, team them up with someone who writes proficiently but doesn’t like to give presentations. These interactions allow team members to learn from each other, play to their strengths and learn how they can better improve themselves. This co-op also fosters trust among co-workers and can bring about great ideas through experience.
There are many other easy ways to get success for your small business. HyperEffects has a team of experts to can help you with your specific requirements for a customised feature such as an internal social networking tool for your employees. Connect with us for a free consultation on how it works and how you can benefit from it. We are always here to help and advice. We may not always share the same point of view with everyone, but we can always share values.
