When should your small business start recruiting staff?

It's easy for your start-up to begin hiring people just because you've met someone who'd be great at  a particular job, or even just to look like a bigger, more established company. Both of these, however, are definitely the wrong reasons to do so.

There are various questions that you need to ask yourself before recruiting staff, so that you fully understand the implications and have determined that doing so will help your business to grow.

Picking out that 'tipping point'

The key is to identify the right circumstances and 'tipping point' at which to hire employees. But there's no definite formula for this - it's different for every company. Really, you need to carefully consider what your business does and what difference it will make to employ someone. It helps to think from a long-term perspective, not just in terms of what you need now.

Yes, ups and downs in the economy can make such forward planning tricky, but you'll at least hopefully have an idea of how you want your business to evolve.

The questions you need to ask

·         Why are you recruiting staff? Is it to take some of your current workload off your hands, or with an eye to growing your business?

·         Do you need people, or better processes? You might be able to use technology more efficiently or streamline other processes, rather than take on a new staff member right now.

·         What skills and expertise do you need? Do you know what skills and expertise would complement your own and power your business's growth?

·         Would outsourcing be a better idea? Tasks like marketing or book-keeping might be just as easily taken on by a freelancer rather than a financially prohibitive permanent employee.

·         Could you learn vital skills yourself? Don't just hire because certain skills - like skills or finance - seem to be outside your comfort zone. You might be able to learn them yourself.

·         What are the implications? Where will your new recruit work from, for example? Do you have the space in your present office, if needed, and will you need to buy new furniture or equipment?

·         Is it viable? What are the consequences of not recruiting staff? Can you carry on just as you are?

Recruiting staff is a big deal, so it goes without saying that you will need to be ready. But if you've gone through all of the above questions and feel that it's the right time, good luck! It could make all the difference to the ongoing health of your business.

Editor’s Note: Webrecruit (http://www.webrecruit.co.uk) are represented by the search engine advertising and digital marketing specialists Jumping Spider Media. Email: info@jumpingspidermedia.co.uk or call: +44 (0)20 3070 1959 / +34 952 783 637.