How to Hire

Apply for an employer identification number (EIN)., Set up tax and employee record keeping., Ask all new employees to fill out a Form W-4., Verify that the employee is eligible to work., Report new hires to the state within 20 days of their hiring...

26 Steps 5 min read Advanced

Step-by-Step Guide

  1. Step 1: Apply for an employer identification number (EIN).

    This ID number is necessary to report tax withholdings and salary numbers to the IRS.

    Call the IRS at 1-800-829-4933 and request Form SS-4.You can also find a downloadable version at http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/fss4.pdf This only applies to small businesses that are hiring their first employees.
  2. Step 2: Set up tax and employee record keeping.

    If you are just starting to hire new employees, consider hiring a bookkeeper first.

    They can do your employee accounting and ensure that you follow state and federal laws. , This will allow you to withhold tax from the employee and submit it to the government.

    Each year, you will need to file a Form W-2 for each employee in order to report their earnings.

    Bookkeeping and human resources departments can help you complete these forms. , Request that any new employees submit a Form I-9 so that you ensure they are working within immigration and customs laws. , You will need to submit them to your state’s new hire reporting directory. , This is necessary for all employers to obtain before they hire employees.

    Some states have worker’s compensation insurance programs that you can join. , Good people are drawn toward good websites, excellent past work and motivation.

    Make sure you are extremely professional with the face you show to prospective hires. , Rank them in terms of importance and post new positions only when you are sure that more essential positions are going to be filled. , If you need the work to be done while you find a permanent employee, you can hire freelancers in the meantime.

    Hiring contractors is similar to searching for employees; however, you don’t need to provide benefits or worry about firing them if the contract is already stipulated.

    You can post positions for interim contractors on websites like freelanced.com and craigslist.com. , This short paragraph should directly state all the responsibilities and requirements; however, it should also express the company mission and culture.

    Review the job description carefully before it is used for an advertisement. , Most people looking for new work are trying to improve their long-term prospects.

    Give them an example of the career path that they can follow., Networking is usually how businesses attract exceptional talent.

    If the person you know is willing to vouch for them, they are most likely a candidate you should consider.Some large companies give referral bonuses to employees who find new talent. , CEOs, vice presidents and research and development talent are usually already employed.

    Paying a headhunter a fee for finding someone may result in a more experienced and ideal candidate. , If you want to hire someone who does their research and stays on top of current trends, then a trade newsletter, magazine or website is the best place to go. , Pay a small fee and post your job to a site like journalismjobs.com or ihireaccounting.com to ensure you are targeting people who already work in your industry. , Keep your application submission window to one week or less so that you don’t get overwhelmed. , Unless you don’t have anyone who can review applications, narrowing down 100 applicants to 10 candidates is a good rule of thumb.

    You should have the ability to narrow that down to three good matches before you hire someone., Ask them to think about an issue or phantom project in advance so that they can bring their creativity and project management skills to the interview. , Then, ask plenty of follow up questions about this specific incident to learn how the employee conducts business.

    For example, the following questions are preferable to general questions:
    Explain a time when you handled a personnel issue at work.

    Tell me about times when you disagreed with co-workers or bosses about a project.

    Review the most difficult problem you solved at work. , Choose three to five essential skills that the person must have and ask questions about these core values.

    Remember that relevant experience is in the eye of the beholder, so consider people who have the skills but experience in different industries. , If you are stuck between two candidates and you have completed a pro and con list, you may just need to go with your instinct.

    Your subconscious may be feeding your important information about their trustworthiness and poise., Alternatively, you should keep in mind that some people do great work but give bad interviews.

    Dig deeper into their work, their personal references and professional references if they didn’t perform well in the interview, but your gut tells you they are a good candidate., Call them in for another interview if you don’t have an adequate view of how they work and whether they could do the job. , Professional references tell you about past work, while personal references tell you about lifelong behaviors. , Both the employer and employee should have a chance to feel out whether it is a good fit.

    Schedule a review after the employee has been hired for three months.
  3. Step 3: Ask all new employees to fill out a Form W-4.

  4. Step 4: Verify that the employee is eligible to work.

  5. Step 5: Report new hires to the state within 20 days of their hiring.

  6. Step 6: Apply for worker’s compensation insurance.

  7. Step 7: Ensure you are well-branded before you start looking for talent.

  8. Step 8: Prioritize the positions you need to fill.

  9. Step 9: Consider contracting with freelancers in the meantime.

  10. Step 10: Ask a talented marketing writer or human resources department to write a job description.

  11. Step 11: Include opportunities for advancement in your job description.

  12. Step 12: Ask your current employees or contractors to recommend their friends for positions.

  13. Step 13: Consider hiring a headhunter or employment agency if you are trying to fill a very specialized and important position.

  14. Step 14: Post a job advertisement in a trade publication.

  15. Step 15: Try niche job search sites before you try Monster or CareerBuilder.

  16. Step 16: Use sites like Craigslist

  17. Step 17: Monster and Indeed only if you haven’t received an adequate number of qualified applicants.

  18. Step 18: Aim to get 100 applicants.

  19. Step 19: Consider assigning homework to your 10 qualified candidates.

  20. Step 20: Ask questions based on specific events.

  21. Step 21: Address competence in the interview.

  22. Step 22: Go with your gut.

  23. Step 23: Argue with your gut.

  24. Step 24: Review primarily based on their core competencies.

  25. Step 25: Call personal and professional references.

  26. Step 26: Hire with a trial period.

Detailed Guide

This ID number is necessary to report tax withholdings and salary numbers to the IRS.

Call the IRS at 1-800-829-4933 and request Form SS-4.You can also find a downloadable version at http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/fss4.pdf This only applies to small businesses that are hiring their first employees.

If you are just starting to hire new employees, consider hiring a bookkeeper first.

They can do your employee accounting and ensure that you follow state and federal laws. , This will allow you to withhold tax from the employee and submit it to the government.

Each year, you will need to file a Form W-2 for each employee in order to report their earnings.

Bookkeeping and human resources departments can help you complete these forms. , Request that any new employees submit a Form I-9 so that you ensure they are working within immigration and customs laws. , You will need to submit them to your state’s new hire reporting directory. , This is necessary for all employers to obtain before they hire employees.

Some states have worker’s compensation insurance programs that you can join. , Good people are drawn toward good websites, excellent past work and motivation.

Make sure you are extremely professional with the face you show to prospective hires. , Rank them in terms of importance and post new positions only when you are sure that more essential positions are going to be filled. , If you need the work to be done while you find a permanent employee, you can hire freelancers in the meantime.

Hiring contractors is similar to searching for employees; however, you don’t need to provide benefits or worry about firing them if the contract is already stipulated.

You can post positions for interim contractors on websites like freelanced.com and craigslist.com. , This short paragraph should directly state all the responsibilities and requirements; however, it should also express the company mission and culture.

Review the job description carefully before it is used for an advertisement. , Most people looking for new work are trying to improve their long-term prospects.

Give them an example of the career path that they can follow., Networking is usually how businesses attract exceptional talent.

If the person you know is willing to vouch for them, they are most likely a candidate you should consider.Some large companies give referral bonuses to employees who find new talent. , CEOs, vice presidents and research and development talent are usually already employed.

Paying a headhunter a fee for finding someone may result in a more experienced and ideal candidate. , If you want to hire someone who does their research and stays on top of current trends, then a trade newsletter, magazine or website is the best place to go. , Pay a small fee and post your job to a site like journalismjobs.com or ihireaccounting.com to ensure you are targeting people who already work in your industry. , Keep your application submission window to one week or less so that you don’t get overwhelmed. , Unless you don’t have anyone who can review applications, narrowing down 100 applicants to 10 candidates is a good rule of thumb.

You should have the ability to narrow that down to three good matches before you hire someone., Ask them to think about an issue or phantom project in advance so that they can bring their creativity and project management skills to the interview. , Then, ask plenty of follow up questions about this specific incident to learn how the employee conducts business.

For example, the following questions are preferable to general questions:
Explain a time when you handled a personnel issue at work.

Tell me about times when you disagreed with co-workers or bosses about a project.

Review the most difficult problem you solved at work. , Choose three to five essential skills that the person must have and ask questions about these core values.

Remember that relevant experience is in the eye of the beholder, so consider people who have the skills but experience in different industries. , If you are stuck between two candidates and you have completed a pro and con list, you may just need to go with your instinct.

Your subconscious may be feeding your important information about their trustworthiness and poise., Alternatively, you should keep in mind that some people do great work but give bad interviews.

Dig deeper into their work, their personal references and professional references if they didn’t perform well in the interview, but your gut tells you they are a good candidate., Call them in for another interview if you don’t have an adequate view of how they work and whether they could do the job. , Professional references tell you about past work, while personal references tell you about lifelong behaviors. , Both the employer and employee should have a chance to feel out whether it is a good fit.

Schedule a review after the employee has been hired for three months.

About the Author

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Thomas Howard

Writer and educator with a focus on practical DIY projects knowledge.

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