Help Wanted: 14 Tips on How to Hire and Keep Great Employees

By YFS Staff Contributors |

November 28, 2011

Are you ready to hire your first employee? Or are you looking to expand your current team? Once you’ve developed a concise job description, interviewed suitable candidates and identified the best individuals for the role it’s time to seal the deal.

Long-term business success is fueled by learning how to attract great employees and most importantly, understanding what it takes to keep them. Therefore, we asked fourteen successful entrepreneurs to share their best kept secrets on how to attract and keep the best and brightest new hires. From, creating a unique company culture to who not to hire — you’ll be surprised at what they revealed.

1. Share your goals.

Focus on encouraging a balanced life and the sharing mutual goals. Let's see how much we can help each other. We all need to feel honored as whole, functioning people with families and outside interests, as well as our commitment to achieving the goals and vision of the organizations for which we work. When people feel their work lifestyle fits them, and that you honor them fully as an individual, they will be even more inspired to help with the vision of your company.

Pamela Hawley, Founder and CEO at Universal Giving: @PamelaHawley

2. Create a good environment.

Create a fun and open working environment that employees enjoy and look forward to coming to. Often times, employees hang out after work simply because of our atmosphere. I like to encourage creativity and having a more comfortable setting definitely feeds a creative mindset.

Matt Beckham, CEO at QuiBids: @QuiBids

3. Take care of employees.

We take care of our employees financially with profit sharing and comprehensive insurance packages, respecting them by entrusting them with important work, listening to their ideas, and giving them recognition for a job well done. Each of our employees is an integral part of the puzzle and they are well aware of it.

Tony Ellison, Founder and CEO at Shoplet.com: @Shoplet

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13. Be flexible.

Give employees a flexible schedule or the ability to work remotely. As long as their job is done, you should not be concerned when your employee was working on it and whether they did it from the office, home or coffee shop. Help people to enjoy their life and they’ll reward you with loyalty and great performance.

Vadim Katcherovski, Chief Make-it-Happen Officer at Easy Projects . NET: @easyprojectsnet

14. Build confidence.

Hire self-starters who see the value in building their own personal careers. Providing this solid foundation for your employees will help build the confidence they need to continue growing, learning and progressing, which will in turn benefit both the employee and the company.

Nancy J. Friedman, President at Nancy J. Friedman Public Relations: @NJFPR