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12/13/11 | Uncategorized

Five Human Resources Tips For Entrepreneurs

By Natalie MacNeil (Co-Founder, YEC Women)
The following answers are provided by YEC Women. Co-Founded by Natalie MacNeil and Scott Gerber, YEC Women is an initiative of the Young Entrepreneur Council (YEC), an invite-only nonprofit organization comprised of the country’s most promising young entrepreneurs.

The YEC promotes entrepreneurship as a solution to youth unemployment and underemployment and provides its members with access to tools, mentorship, and resources that support each stage of a business’s development and growth.
HR Is a Potential Employee’s First Impression

“Human Resources departments should strive to not just be super efficient and organized with onboarding new hires, but should really think of themselves as the first ones to welcome a new employee and make a positive impression. Taking care of a new employee/intern’s unique needs is an important responsibility that should be done carefully.”
Annie Wang (Co-Founder & CTO, Her Campus)

Put It in Writing and Set Expectations Upfront

“Don’t assume new hires know what your organization expects. What may appear simple to you is foreign to the next person. Develop a straight forward employee handbook or manual to address the basics including job descriptions, attendance expectations, email communication etiquette, payment methods and more. Review standard operating procedures via an on-boarding and set people up for success.”
Erica Nicole (Founder & CEO, YFS Magazine: Young, Fabulous & Self Employed)

Understand Motivation

“You must know what motivates your employees — financial rewards and money is not always the best way to give your employees drive. Every HR department must set-up non-financial rewards programs like mentorship lunches, featuring special employees or better parking. Money is not the only driver of strong employees!”
Vanessa Van Petten (CEO & Author, Science of People)

Create a Talent Community

“Turn your careers page into an interactive social community by utilizing talent community plugins or setting up a separate Facebook page aimed at prospective employees. Provide valuable content through these means and regularly interact with interested individuals.”
Heather Huhman (Founder & President, Come Recommended)

Keep Your Eye Out for Who You Want to Hire

“Relying on applications means that you’re relying on people who self-select (and are driven by the need for a job more than anything else). For some positions, that’s fine, but you need to keep an eye out for people who are fantastic and already have jobs. Hiring employees away from other companies tends to mean you’re selecting the pool of potentials.”
Thursday Braum (Consultant, Hyper Modern Consulting)

Editor’s note: Got a question for our guest blogger? Leave a message in the comments below.
About the guest blogger: Natalie MacNeil is an Emmy Award winning Producer at the digital media company she co-founded, Imaginarius. She passionately works to get more women into business in her role as Co-Founder of YEC Women with Scott Gerber and through her blog, She Takes on the World. Natalie is frequently quoted and interviewed in the media discussing entrepreneurship, personal branding for women, and new media. Follow her on Twitter at @nataliemacneil.

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