Natural Entrepreneur: New Rules for the New Year

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Staff Up for Success

Clear expectations lead to clear results

-- Ask SCORE c/o Dick Kuhl, Bedford, NH

Every business, it seems, cites people as being its most important resource. Why? Because any business, regardless of size, is only as good as the people who work there, from the owner and managers to the newest entry-level staffer.

As an employer, you want to hire and retain employees most qualified for the positions within your company. To do this, you need to define who you are looking for, and what’s expected of them once they are on board.

Policy standards are a must. Begin with a personnel manual that explains your policy for hours, overtime, fringe benefits, sick leave, annual leave, training, dress code, personnel reviews, grievances, termination and retirement. Every employee should have his or her own copy of this manual. In addition, consider giving every job applicant a copy for review.

Each position within the company, including your own, should have a job description that outlines responsibilities and duties and includes a list of the position’s objectives with specific and measurable goals. Each description should include reporting relationships. The job description provides you and the employee a clear road map for the expectations of the position, from the standpoint of both workload and expertise required to accomplish the job.

Job application forms for your company should be simple and focus on relevant employment history, including names of supervisors and references you can contact. Provide space for the applicant to summarize career accomplishments.

At the interview stage, you want to learn as much as possible about the person’s job skills, work ethic and personality. Ask specific questions that require more than a yes or no answer. The more dialogue, the more you learn about the applicant. More information will help you make an informed decision.

Always check references. Competent and friendly employees make a positive statement about your business to customers. An applicant who interviews well and has a sterling resume may be the ideal fit for the job. References will validate your impressions, and expand on areas not covered in the interview. This is also a way to learn more about potential weaknesses as well. What a reference says or does not say gives you clues as to the character and skill of your candidates. Take all this information into account before you form your final opinion of a given candidate.

Dick Kuhl is a NH SCORE counselor for Chapter 199, Manchester / Nashua area. Local SCORE offices are available for walk-in or telephone questions but the more common methods of securing help from SCORE are E-mail counseling (via www.score.org) and traditional counseling. Six SCORE chapters provide the state of New Hampshire with traditional counseling: Manchester/Nashua, Concord, Lebanon, Keene, Portsmouth/ Seacoast and Lakes Area. Dick can be reached at (603) 666-7561.

Upcoming Events

Feb 21 (8-9:30a): NH Forum on the Future, NHHTC, CR Sparks, Bedford, NH

March 1 (6:30-8:30p): Women's Business Center and MicroCredit-NH Networking Event, Bank of America, Portsmouth, NH

March 6 (10a-noon): Growth Capital Resources in New Hampshire, City of Nashua, Office of Economic Development, Daniel Webster College, Nashua, NH

March 8: (12pm -1pm) Break the Rules and Close More Sales, Amoskeag Business Incubator, Manchester, NH

March 16: Peak Pitch (pitch your plan to invstors on the chairlift), Mt. Sunapee, NH ($)

March 22: Breaking Trends in Web Develoment, UVCIA, Hanover, NH ($)

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