Hiring among most-critical of all new-business decisions

An important decision you˜ have to make as you start your new business is whether to work alone or hire some help. If you choose to become an employer, there are several ways to go about it and many tactics you can use to find the right people for your company.The number of employment agencies in the region has proliferated in recent years because the services they offer to employers are in such demand.
A temp agency can screen, interview and evaluate prospective job candidates and send over a handful of qualified candidates for you to interview. And the service is available at no charge until a candidate is hired.
"It˜s a smart way to go for a startup company if they˜re just figuring out what their employee will do," said Katy Piotrowski, owner of JobWorks, a Fort Collins-based outplacement and career-development service. "Because the candidate is employed by the agency, the employer has the opportunity to try them out on a temporary basis before committing to a permanent hire."
Large and small companies use employment agencies as a relatively risk-free means of hiring, Piotrowski said, though those who work closely with the agencies to develop succinct job descriptions are likely to have more success finding good people.
University career centers also are a source of employees.
Piotrowski said that while a fresh Colorado State University graduate may be lacking experience, he or she generally costs less to hire and can be viewed as a blank slate on which to imprint your work habits and philosophy. If you need manpower more than expertise, career centers may be the way to go.
Piotrowski also recommends the Larimer County Employment & Training Service. The organization, which has a counterpart in Weld County, provides essentially the same service as employment agencies, but employers are expected to hire on a permanent rather than temporary basis.
"Temp agencies aren˜t our competition; they˜re our customers," said Tom Looft, Employment Center manager. "They come to us because we have the largest database of job candidates in the region, with a dramatic range of skills. More than 7,800 job seekers have been into our office since July 1.
A new business owner has a lot going on already, Looft said, and placing an ad in the paper will only generate more activity.
"We can screen applications in terms of skills and experience to give the employer a smaller pool to draw from, saving them time and money," he said.
Looft added that in addition to providing a pool of candidates, the center will work with the employer to determine exactly what his or her needs are and tell them what they can expect to find in the market.
"We can help with basic questions like what are you going to pay? What will your compensation/benefit package need to look like?" Looft said. "We have all kinds of information on the job market, and chances are we˜ve worked with other businesses similar to yours.
"We can tell you if you˜re in the ballpark, and if you are, what numbers of qualified applicants you can expect to see. We can also help people sort out which employee benefits are mandatory and which are optional."
The Larimer County Employment & Training Center also draws job candidates off the welfare rolls. The center˜s Welfare-to-Work program is well under way, and Looft said participants receive hard and soft skills training — lessons on how to do the job and how to behave on the job — that might give them an edge over other entry-level candidates.
"It˜s probably as good a place to start as any," Looft said of the center. "We can give people a general feel for the labor market and provide referrals at no charge."
If, however, you choose to hire an employee on your own, Piotrowski has several pointers to keep in mind.
n Develop a job description by first asking, why does this job exist? List and prioritize the skills needed to do the job. Draft a job description that encompasses the responsibilities and requirements of the job — what will they do, what do they need to do it. The more specific you are, the more likely you˜ be to get qualified applicants.
Think about places to advertise besides the daily paper. Perhaps a trade publication would suit you better.
n Screen applicants against the prioritized checklist of skills you created and score each one. Conduct an initial phone interview with the most promising candidates. Ask them to describe their most recent or most pertinent job, and ask any questions you may have noted on their resume. Select those you want to interview in-person and schedule appointments. Inform by letter those who are no longer in the running.
n For the interview, prepare a list of questions keeping in mind that past behavior is the best predictor of future performance. Combine a lead statement such as, "Tell me about a time you …" with one of the responsibilities of the job. Ask for specific examples and take notes. After the interview, score candidates based on how recent and relevant their experience is and how much detail they provided. At this point, the right candidate should emerge from the crowd.