When we begin our journey as local business owners, we often go it alone for a bit and find that we wear a lot of the department hats ourselves. We’re the CEO, the accountant, the marketing team, the human resources team, and then some.

But at some point, we’re ready to hire a team of consultants, contractors, and/or employees to support our goals and vision. At this exciting and pivotal point in time, our business’ success largely hinges on whether or not we hire the right people to support us and our business.

It can be helpful to keep the following in mind when you’re recruiting a team to support your company:

Interviews Matter. No matter what, even with personal recommendations, you want to take the time to interview anyone and everyone you’re considering as a contractor, consultant or employee for your local business. It’s important you get a sense from your own perspective as to how well you will work with someone, in addition to how capable they are when it comes to the work you’re hiring them to do.

Check out Referrals. Ask people for referrals and check them out. Thought most are going to give you resources who will give them positive reviews, you can still get some interesting insight from referrals if you ask specific questions.

Search Engines are Handy. It’s amazing what you can learn about an individual by simply doing a Google search these days. Almost everyone has some sort of social media account in today’s world, and their activity can give you a lot of insight into their personality and behavior.

We’re not implying that you should make a decision based on an online search alone, but it’s just another source for possible insight into anyone you’re considering working with.

Consider Alignment with the Company Vision and Mission. When you’re about to hire someone, be it an internal employee or outside consultant, it’s important they understand and support your overall mission and vision. If you start hiring individuals who are out of sync with your business’s overall mission and vision, you’re going to end up with a lot of disconnect and find it more challenging for your business to meet its goals without resistance.

Don’t Hire Yourself All the Time! Many of us have a tendency to hire ourselves. In other words, we easily connect with those who have similar personalities and approaches like ours. But this isn’t always smart.

You want some people on your team who can bring a different perspective and point of view to your company. You do want to hire individuals who are a cultural fit for your business, but that doesn’t mean everyone should have the same personality or opinions.

Again, hiring the right team to support your business is critical for you to meet your company’s goals, vision and mission. If you don’t, it could mean more challenges and stressful situations that could’ve been avoided by using the tips provided here. Good luck, and happy recruiting!

About The Guest Author:   Chris Marentis, founder and CEO of the Surefire Social Marketing System, is a recognized expert in the field of local business marketing leveraging website development, local search engine optimization and social media marketing to generate leads and brand local businesses throughout the digital web.

Group of Business People Photo via Shutterstock