When starting a company, it may be a daunting and overwhelming step to hire more employees.
Whether it’s getting a partner to take the load off or hiring managers to take on specific projects, there comes a time in every company’s life when one or two people just aren’t enough to keep things running smoothly.
If you think it’s time to take the leap and start hiring, here are some things to look out for before doing so.
In this article you will learn about the different types of employees, and what each of these types can bring to your company. Each of them is an asset that will help your company, but each of them brings something else to the table, and it’s up to you to decide which you want to lean on.
Employees define your workplace. They’re the reflection of your work ethics to the public, and their relationship with each other and with the company can make a huge difference in the productivity and quality of your business.
It’s not only important to choose what positions you want to fill first but to decide what kind of environment you want to create.
Before hiring anyone to work for your company, you need to make sure that you’re qualified to do so by securing the following:
- The employee needs to receive a fixed salary. For this, you need to have the budget to guarantee this amount, and you need to involve your accountant and your lawyer.
- They have to be eligible for perks and/or benefits offered by your company.
- This person needs to be protected by law in terms of their wages and rights.
- You need to provide an Employment Agreement outlining in detail their job description, compensation, and other details.
If you think you are ready to take on these responsibilities and can legally offer these aforementioned components, you are ready to start hiring.
Full-Time Employees
Full-time employees are the most common employees in any company and they usually make up most of the firm’s employees.
Hiring them is legally the most hassle-free because after signing the contract, both parties are secured in a “monotonous” relationship where not much will change in the agreed-upon timeframe.
Full-time employees typically work 40 hours a week and are eligible for benefits (such as health, dental, vacation days, and paid time off).
Because of the fixed working hours secured by the contract, these employees are much more reliable than any others. Also, because of the range of benefits offered by you, they will most likely be more thankful, motivated, and careful about the quality of their job.
However, these employees are usually placed next to one project, so they’re less flexible.
They won’t be able to jump around from project to project, and frankly, that wouldn’t be a smart move anyway.
So hiring a more expensive, less flexible, fixed workforce is a tricky decision, but if you choose wisely, it will be a great investment.
Full-time employees make your company profile, as these will be the people sitting in your office on a daily basis, and communicating with clients or building new contacts.
Furthermore, they’re more costly than any other type of employee. Taking all this into consideration, you need to think twice about who to hire.
And apart from the first few months known as the “trial period”, the termination of their contract is much trickier than that of a part-time employee.
Most people start the hiring process by getting the most important roles out of the way and going from there. The eight most important roles to fill are:
Product Manager
The product manager will be your go-to person when it comes to anything related to the company’s products.
From the product strategy to the vision and development, this person will be responsible for them all. This is the hardest hire because the founder is most likely in love with the product they’re selling, so choose wisely.
This person will be more of a partner than an employee. They also typically work closely with engineering and marketing to keep up with everything related to the product’s development and even launching to the public.
Chief Technology Officer (CTO)
Although you can always hire freelance front-end and back-end engineers, in the long run, it’s better to have a full-time trustworthy employee on the task, especially if your company deals with technology on a daily basis.
They usually work tightly together with marketing, as they’re the people handling your online presence and any online product you may have from e-commerce websites to apps.
Chief Marketing Officer (CMO)
Marketing is possibly the most important part of your company, as all profit depends on your public profile and marketing campaigns. Therefore hiring a CMO is the best investment for startups.
Hiring a marketing specialist is like holding Jack of all trades in your hands.
They work closely with almost all other “officers” in the company, and more importantly, they put together your marketing strategy and handle all campaigns, taking a huge load off your shoulders.
Sales Manager
Startups who master sales before anything else last longer and turn a profit faster. A sales manager focuses on generating new leads and bringing in more money for the company.
The smartest strategy is spending a lot of your budget for hiring the best sales rep or manager money can buy.
This person will bring in more money, faster, with which you can hire more people. This is the hardest position to hire for but is the best investment on your part.
Chief Financial Officer (CFO)
Startups either hire more people for financial and accounting roles, but experts say that if you have the capability to hire a CFO, it can be extremely helpful for the company.
It is very important to have at least one team member who has in-depth knowledge of and is responsible for every financial happening behind the company.
Customer Service Representative
Being responsible for customer service is a very critical task. Every business should prioritize mastering customer service, as it’s the gateway to a bigger audience, to returning clients and customers, and therefore to more profit.
It doesn’t matter how great the product is if your business isn’t communicating constantly and effectively with all customers and clients.
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) & Chief Operations Officer (COO)
These are two of the most essential players in your business. The CEO is the big-picture person controlling the company’s direction, vision, and culture. The COO is focused on the day-to-day operations and keeps the business running.
The reason this is at the bottom of the list is that usually, the founder fills the position of CEO, and sometimes even the COO.
But a lot of firms pass these tasks to external people along the way. Most businessmen recommend that you always start as the CEO of your business before passing on the torch, but most people see this task through until their retirement.
Part-Time Employees
Hiring part-time workers can be really handy, especially for startups. These folks work less than 40 hours a week and get paid by the hour, which can save you a lot of money. They’re super flexible and might not get the same benefits as full-time workers, but they’re still a big part of the team.
Part-time workers are perfect when you need some extra hands but can’t afford or find someone with special skills for a full-time job. Even if you have full-timers, adding part-timers can help get more work done without spending too much.
Jobs like assistants, receptionists, and project managers can often be part-time. They help handle big tasks without needing to stick around for a full 40-hour week. It’s smart to let these part-time workers help out in different areas, not just stick to one job. This keeps things flexible and efficient.
A lot of part-timers are students or people just starting their careers. They’re eager to work on various projects to beef up their resumes. So, don’t hold back in giving them plenty of responsibilities, but also make sure not to overload them.
There are two main kinds of part-time workers. The first kind handles smaller but crucial tasks. Think of positions like receptionists or data entry folks. They’re often students or interns who are looking to gain experience.
The second type is the experts. These are pros in their field whom you might not be able to afford full-time or who prefer working part-time. They can take on big projects that need special expertise, like consultants or HR specialists.
In short, part-time workers can offer a lot of flexibility and expertise to help your business grow without breaking the bank. Just remember to balance the work you give them so they’re helping without getting overwhelmed.
Seasonal Employees
Under the umbrella of part-time employees are the seasonal employees. This is another part-time position, but these employees work for a limited amount of time. Generally, they help with increased workloads or seasonal tasks at specific times of the year.
For example, a lot of restaurants hire students in the summer, because students have the summers off, and restaurants need extra people when opening their terraces for the summer. It’s a win-win for everyone.
Hiring seasonal workers saves you time and money, as they help with the extra workload, and you only need to pay them a part-time salary for a short amount of time. Just as with part-time employees, you can hire students and interns to take care of small tasks, or you can hire experts to help with the process of a larger process.
For example, if you have seasonal promotions, you can hire seasonal employees to help with the packaging, posting, or communicating.
But you can also hire a marketing specialist to take your marketing campaign to the next level.
This is something even they can look forward to every year, just as the summer restaurant crisis mentioned above.
An important part of hiring seasonal employees that a lot of people overlook is starting recruitment early enough for people to contact you. If you are hiring for specific projects, you should also have time set aside for training them before their tasks start.
Temporary Employees
Temporary workers are hired for a short time, like six months, to work on special projects and leave when the job’s done. Seasonal workers are similar but come back for jobs that pop up at certain times of the year, like holidays. Remember, all seasonal workers are temporary, but not all temporary workers are seasonal.
Experts believe starting to hire early is best. This gives you more time and help, allowing your business to almost run by itself sooner. Some jobs are super important to fill, and others are nice to have but not essential. It’s up to you to figure out which jobs matter most for your business type.
But remember, hiring anyone costs money, so think carefully about who you hire, especially in the early years of your business.
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