In a poll taken by SCORE.org, small business owners stated that hiring new employees was their biggest challenge of 2015 with growing revenues and increasing profits coming in at close second and third place, respectively. And there’s no guessing game as to why. The Department of Labor estimates employee turnover and bad hires could cost a company 30 percent of its yearly earnings (SBA.gov). Adding a new employee means adding a new paycheck amount to payroll, fringe and benefits, loss of time needed to mentor, train, and guide, etc. All of these things hit a small business owner’s wallet harder than that of a larger corporation, so it’s even more important to a small business that a new hire is a good fit, there for the long haul, and profitable. Of course, there is no perfect hiring guide. As a small business owner, there is rarely (if ever) free time to peruse the average 250 resumes a job post will receive, interview the top candidates, perform background checks, call references, and the list goes on. But there are smart practices to help you with the process and provide you with the best candidate for the job. [Read more…]