Make sure your employees are who they say they are

Generally, hiring a new employee is a good thing, because it means your business is growing. Employers should never rush into hiring employees though, and there are two pitfalls to watch out for.

The first is hiring a full-time employee every time you find that you need help. Just because you need help doesn’t mean you need to hire someone full time. Other options include part-time, independent contractor (not to be confused with an employee), seasonal or temporary employees, consultants, outsourcing, or expanding the duties of the employees you already have. Of all these options, hiring a full-time employee is the most expensive, so make sure to consider your other options thoroughly before making that hire.

The other pitfall to watch out for is failing to do your due diligence on an employee. Make sure to conduct sufficient interviews, check references, and run background checks and credit reports (more details on those later) if necessary.