Growing, expanding a successful start-up or small business in Illinois or nationwide has its difficulties.  Almost every successful business owner, entrepreneur will eventually hire employees or independent contractors to perform various task on behalf of the business. They may have a hiring process that has been used since starting their business, or they may have never thought about their hiring process. One thing is clear however, it is a waste of time and money when a bad hire is made. A bad hire can hurt the morale of the business and negatively impact sales or productivity. Use these simple tips to help get it right the first time.

First, look at the people who currently work for you. Take note of the qualities that you believe make the workplace productive and efficient. These qualities may come from a single employee or a group of employees. Either way, identify these star qualities and find an applicant that carries them.

Next, think about where you want your company to go, not just where the company is currently. When you post a job opening, you will be looking at several resumes. If you strictly focus on what is contained on the paper in front of you, then you might be able to hire someone who will fit your needs today, but ask yourself, will they be able to fit the needs of the future? Focus on finding someone for their potential to build your company into the future.

Third, go for a quality hire. Sure you may have to pay more money for a quality hire rather than the individual just looking for a paycheck, but having a workforce filled with quality employees will lead to you needing fewer employees.

Finally, focus on exactly what the new hire will do for your company and what their role or job will be. If you realize that you have too much work to do and you need to hire someone and leave it at that, you will not be hiring a quality employee. Take time to identify and determine exactly what parts of your job or company need assistance. This way, you know exactly what qualities to look for during the hiring process