Small businesses do not have the luxury to digest hiring mistakes easily. They do not have a full grown HR department to manage disasters. So it is important for small businesses to get it right from the beginning. Here are some deadly pitfalls to avoid:

Not having a strong base

Do you have your company’s people policy in place? Have you outlined your organizational structure? Do you have a clear idea about how you company’s culture is going to be? Does your job description explain your expectations precisely? Before you start recruiting, ensure your answer is ‘Yes’ to all the above questions.

Ignoring the cover letters

Cover letters can sometimes provide great proof of an applicant’s ability. It demonstrates whether they pay attention to details or if they have followed your instructions carefully. Look for typo errors in the subject line, which shows negligence. Cover letter can also show you if they are committed to join you or not.

Not going through the resumes properly

When you receive hundreds of resumes for a position, you tend to overlook them in a hurry to shortlist candidates. Look for long gaps between jobs or non-existing companies. Watch out for information that seems trivial or unreal. Read Resume Screening Tips from Experts

Not knowing what to ask during interview

Have you ran out of questions while interviewing? That shows you haven’t planned your interview properly. Instead of asking questions that end with ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ answers, shoot open ended questions. Present situations and ask how they would react to them. Ask them how would their colleagues describe them, and probe ‘Why’? Let the candidates do the story telling and you pay attention to the details.

Not verifying

Sometimes, when you shortlist a candidate, you throw caution to the wind and forget to verify the background. A quick verification call may save you from a lot of problems in future. A reference check will help you understand how genuine the candidate is, job history, direct feedback from previous employer, etc.

Not mentioning your terms

Do you expect your employee to work on weekends? Does the given role require travelling? How many leaves is he/she entitled to take in a year? Your offer letter to the chosen employee must include all these terms to avoid any confusion in future. It is also important you explain the work culture and behaviour expected by the employee. Include all these in your ‘Employee’s Handbook’.

Refraining from these goof-ups can help small business owners to make the right start.