Charlette Beasley

Virtual onboarding is introducing new remote hires to your company, their role, and their colleagues. Onboarding remote employees presents unique challenges for small businesses, but it doesn’t have to be a struggle. There are simple strategies you can take to ensure your virtual onboarding puts your new employees first, making them feel connected and part of the team. In addition to the traditional information sharing via meetings and training that takes place during onboarding, there are some more creative ways to make the process smoother, more effective, and more fun. Here are our 15 best virtual onboarding ideas for your small business. 1. Send a New Hire Gift After your new hire accepts the offer, don’t go silent. Set the right tone by sending your new employee a welcome gift to their residence. Have this gift arrive a day or two before their first day. Creating a customized package makes them feel welcome and excited to start. Some ideas of what to put in the welcome package: Snacks Hand sanitizer Company coffee mug Assortment of teas Noise-canceling headphones Coffee Company water bottle Company polo and sweatshirt Personalized note welcoming them to the company 2. Create an Online Resource Database This tip applies to your company’s ongoing operational processes and will help every employee, especially new remote employees. When an employee has a question, they may not know who to turn to for the answer. When they have an online database, they can search for the answer without bothering anyone else. An online database should also include a directory, especially for larger companies. Existing employees only need to learn the new hire’s name, but that new employee has to learn potentially hundreds of names, or at least dozens that they’ll work closely with in their role. Providing a new hire with access to your company’s online directory so they can put faces to names will help them be better prepared for their first day. If you put your directory in an organizational chart structure, that’s even better as it gives your new employee a visual on where they fit into the organization, along with everyone else. Your online database will also give your new hires easy access to important employee forms. They can also view guides and best practices on how to use your different software programs, like time tracking and payroll. 3. Start Later & End Earlier on the First Day Starting a new job is exciting but also intimidating. Have new remote employees log in a bit later in the day than you do. This allows you to get settled and check in on important items before giving all of your attention to the new hire. The benefit of starting a remote employee’s first day at 11 a.m., for example, is that they can spend some time getting to know their supervisor and then go straight to lunch with their teammates. When they return from lunch, you can go over important items with them and make a full introduction to the team before letting them go early. First days are intimidating, so making it short gives the new employee time to process and ease into their work. 4. Assign a Workplace Buddy When you make a new hire, you should give them immediate friends. One way to do that is to hire multiple people at once—more on that below. The other way to do this, whether you’re hiring multiple people at once or just one new employee, is to assign them a buddy. Starting a new job is nerve-wracking for many people. When you’re working remotely, that only exacerbates the potential feelings of loneliness and exhaustion. Assigning your new hire a buddy who’s been at your company for at least a year will give them someone to lean on when they have questions and turn to for help. Adding to this, you should also schedule regular chats with your new employee and their buddy. Start with a few brief chats during their first couple of weeks, then reduce it to once per week for the next couple of months. This gives your new employee dedicated time to ask their buddy questions and learn more about your company and processes. 5. Have a Virtual Welcome Party & Give a Virtual Tour One of the best ways to welcome new employees is to host a virtual welcome party. If you have a small company, invite the entire team to attend. Depending on the size of your organization, you might only invite the team members with whom your new employee will work closely, keeping the attendance limited to about a dozen. A smaller group makes it easier for participants to talk during the virtual call. Make sure you schedule this call as soon as your new hire has accepted the job. This gives your existing team the ability to block time on their schedule during the new hire’s first week. Send out a short bio on the new employee, so your existing employees know a little about their new teammate. If you have a physical office, give a virtual office tour before or during your welcome party. Showing them the office is a great way to help the new worker get a visual map of the office and how people interact. While it’s not the same as being there, taking this approach makes it easy for your new employee to create a mental map of your office, even if they’re going to be a fully remote worker. 6. Conduct an Entry Interview An entry interview asks new hires about their interests, values, preferences, and aspirations. These also give you the chance to ask questions you didn’t ask during the interview process. The new employee knows you’ve already selected them for the job, so they’re likely to provide you with more in-depth and detailed responses. Many companies hold interviews to hire employees and when offboarding employees, but then never have similar conversations again. Conducting an entry interview with a new hire can give your small business crucial information. An entry interview can also make the new employee feel like they’re contributing to your company on their first day. These conversations build strong relationships between employees and their supervisors. 7. Schedule Team & One-on-One Events Once or twice during the employee’s first week, schedule two or three employees to join the new hire for a virtual lunch. Provide each employee with a stipend to order delivery so they can get to know each other over a meal. Providing lunch for a new employee is a small gesture, but it goes a long way in creating loyalty to the organization and giving the employee a chance to get to know their co-workers better. Also, schedule one-on-one chats, maybe over coffee, as employees start their day. This is a great opportunity to break up the new employee’s first few days with less structured and more personal conversations. New employees can get overwhelmed in the first days at a new job, especially when they’re bouncing from virtual meeting to meeting. By scheduling coffee chats with their team members, you build in natural breaks for the employee. It doesn’t have to be long—20 minutes is plenty of time to build rapport between colleagues. Over the first couple of weeks, schedule two or three of these per day with the team members your new employee will work with most closely. Every few days, they’ll reconnect with the same person, giving each of them the chance to continue building their relationship. 8. Host a Q&A Session You can incorporate this into your new hire events or create a separate Q&A session. If you host a separate Q&A session, we recommend doing so after your new hire has been at work for a few weeks. Make sure they have a good footing so they can ask more detailed questions about the company and their role. Who should make up the panel to answer questions? Anyone you see fit. In smaller companies, this may include the owner and other members of leadership. In larger companies, maybe it includes department heads or other people who the new hire won’t regularly interact with, giving them a chance to ask direct questions from some of the people making decisions for the company. If you’ve hired multiple people at once, you can group these sessions to save time for everyone. Make sure you also use an online platform that allows for hand-raising so that people aren’t talking over each other in large groups. 9. Align Multiple New Hire Start Dates If your company plans to hire two or more people around the same time, even for different roles, try to align their start dates. Doing so makes it easier for your internal team to process multiple new hires at once. Having several new employees start on the same day also gives those new employees a shared experience. Starting a new job can feel lonely, particularly for remote employees, but if a new hire is onboarding with a cohort, they experience the process together, feeling less alone, while having a built-in support network. 10. Play a Game Later in the onboarding process, maybe during the second or third week, get the new hire’s department together to play a game. Playing games with colleagues really takes you out of a work mindset, giving everyone a chance to get to know people on a more personal level. Find a game that fits with your company culture. For some companies, that could be doing a virtual escape room where colleagues have to work together to solve puzzles. Another idea is to do a scavenger hunt where people have to find items around their house. Take the time to choose a game that fits your culture and your team. The last thing you want is to force fun on people. Consider fun questions such as “cake or pie?”—you ask people to vote for their favorite and then provide a reason why. You’d be surprised how many people can be passionate about their choice. You can do this with anything: coffee or tea; morning or night; salsa or guacamole; city or country. Remote work bingo is another great idea that’s fun, engaging, and can poke fun at some of the challenges of working remotely, as in the image below. 11. Include Remote Workers in Team Meetings Employees want to feel like they’re contributing to the organization, even on their first day. Include your new hire in regular team meetings, even though they may not have a full understanding or grasp of what’s going on. This gives them the chance to see how colleagues interact in meetings and what topics they may need to be prepared to discuss. You can even invite the new hire to engage if they feel comfortable. Ask them their input on an issue, especially if it’s one that doesn’t require any background knowledge. Getting them to engage in meetings on their first day or first week will give them the confidence to regularly join in with ideas. And if you’re holding the meeting in a physical office, you can set up a video camera in the room so your remote employees can really feel involved. Do your best to ensure they can see everyone in the room, or at least the majority. Ensure the mic and volume are up and working properly as well. If you give physically present employees an opportunity to speak, don’t forget to give your remote employees the option as well. 12. Encourage Mindful Mondays Encouraging your employees to practice mindfulness in a structured and meaningful way can have positive effects on both their personal and professional lives. Being mindful allows a person to be present in the moment and not worry about the things we cannot control. Giving your team structured time each week to practice mindfulness encourages them to actively engage in their mental health. In doing so, it creates an open space at work, one where workers are more willing to ask for help if they need it. 13. Conduct Regular Check-ins From the first day and on through the first few months, supervisors need to check in regularly with new remote employees. The goal here is not to come across as micromanaging, but rather to be present just enough to answer questions and make sure the new employee is on the right track. Because onboarding a virtual employee is different from onboarding in person, you’ll need to have more frequent check-ins. These don’t all have to be video calls, although you should schedule at least one per week to establish good rapport and communication. The employee can ask questions and seek guidance during these check-ins, and the supervisor can see the employee’s progress over the first few months. 14. Let the New Hire Set the Pace You need to be certain to cover certain topics early on, like company policies and practices. However, letting your new employee set the pace of the onboarding is a great way to welcome them to the company and let them feel comfortable with the process. Although you need to make sure that pertinent information is covered on a schedule, you can relieve some pressure and anxiety by allowing an employee to complete onboarding and training at their own pace. Relieving pressure may help new hires better absorb all the information you’re throwing at them, ultimately making them better prepared to help your company grow. 15. Take a Team Photo A quick way to show off each person’s individuality while also fostering camaraderie during a new hire’s onboarding is by taking a team photo. This can be either funny or professional. You can ask people to wave and smile or to make a funny face. You can have them hold up their favorite coffee mug or a stuffed animal. Whatever you choose, align it with your company culture. If the image is good enough, you could even add it to your website, showing how you get along even in a virtual world. Bottom Line Virtual onboarding is crucial to setting the tone for your new remote employees. You don’t want them to feel isolated or like they aren’t part of the team, especially if some of your workers go to a physical office. With the right tools and approach, you can give your remote employees an engaging and productive virtual onboarding experience, increasing the likelihood of their engagement and success at your company.

Usually used for companies with international payroll, an effective employer of record (EOR) service can take a lot of stress and busywork off your plate so you can concentrate on expanding your business. We looked for the best EOR companies, compared them according to their pricing and offerings, and selected those that operate in multiple countries, offer special plans for contractors, and can handle payroll and hiring. The seven best EOR services for small businesses are: : Best overall employer of record : Best EOR for tech-heavy industries needing software/IT onboarding : Best EOR for protecting your intellectual property : Best for hiring and paying international and domestic freelancers : Best employer of record for when you have employees who are moving out of country : Best EOR for hiring internationally : Best for nonprofits or budget-minded businesses hiring contractors Best Employer of Record Companies Compared *Pricing obtained via a quote from the provider **Remote offers a discount of $100 if you pay annual expenses in one payment, upfront ($599 per employee). Papaya Global: Best Overall Employer of Record extensive partner network provides EOR services in over 160 countries, with hiring, onboarding, management, and multicurrency payments and benefits management tools. With separate plans for pure global payroll and international contractor payroll, you can let it handle your payroll and basic HR duties for your entire company. Papaya is one of the most expensive on our list, yet it topped the charts for nearly every HR and payroll feature we looked for. The biggest hit it took was for working through partner services rather than having its own entities. If this concerns you, look at the others on our list—except Rippling, which also has a partner network. Papaya earned 4.68 out of 5 on our rubric. Meanwhile, real-world users over multiple review sites rated it 4.79 on average, which is the highest score on our list, tied with Velocity Global and Rippling. Papaya Global Pricing Unlike most PEO companies, which require you to call the provider for a quote, Papaya Global’s pricing is fully transparent. It offers three plans: Payroll, Global EOR, and Contractor Management and Independent Contractor (IC) Compliance. You get payroll processing, local tax filing assistance, full benefits management and administration, and HR support in all plans. You can use the payroll program for domestic employees while taking advantage of the other programs for international workers. Global EOR ($770 per employee monthly): Includes worker classification checks, full EOR legal responsibilities for compliances Contractor Management and IC Compliance ($25 per pay cycle): Less expensive because there are no tax responsibilities, it still includes worker classification and compliance checks Payroll ($20 per employee monthly): Lacks worker classification or compliance checks Payroll Intelligence Suite (add-on; $250 per location if billed annually, $320 per location if billed quarterly): Real-time insights into your employer and employee costs across business locations and time periods; integrates with third-party payroll systems and data converts for uploading to any financial and ERP software Papaya Global Features Family immigration help: While others on our list mention providing visa and work permit assistance for your expatriates and employees on international short-term assignments, Papaya takes it a step further with help for their spouses and family. This can definitely smooth the road for your employee or be used to attract better talent. Integrations: While Rippling is the best for integrations, Papaya is no slouch, integrating with HRIS, expense management, time and attendance, ERP, and financial software. Others on our list only work with other HRIS systems, while Multiplier and Velocity Global don’t mention integrations at all. Plus, if you already have a payroll processor, Papaya will integrate it for you. Payroll: Like all on our list, Papaya provides full payroll services, including tax benefits. It does this through its partner network, while others on our list have direct control. However, Papaya stands out in that it can pay employees through cryptocurrency, an increasingly popular choice in some nations. Payroll payments are, of course, in the local currency and language and through local bank transfers or direct deposits. With its acquisition of Azimo, a digital money transfer service, it can pay in hours instead of days to more than 150 countries. Benefits: Like all the employers of record on our list, Papaya Global analyzes your benefits plans by country to help you come up with attractive packages. However, it can also help you create incentives for executives or equity rewards for workers. We only saw this in a few of the EORs we considered. Dedicated representative: Papaya provides you with a dedicated customer success representative who is your first point of contact for questions or concerns. It was the only one on our list with a dedicated representative. Most offer access to their local experts, while Remote provides a team in its Enterprise plan. Read our Papaya Global Review Rippling: Best for Companies Needing Software/IT Onboarding We inevitably recommend for companies whose employees need IT onboarding because of how easily it makes the process of assigning software licenses. It can even take over the process for you by formatting and sending company computers to your employee anywhere they are. Rippling often ranks as one of our top-recommended HR payroll software for small businesses. Users even praised its ease of use and robust integration options. Rippling earned 4.61 out of 5 on our matrix. Its modular makes for an intuitive interface, and it blows the others away for integrations. Tasks like approving payroll take as little as 90 seconds. Like Papaya, it does work through partners (the others on our list don’t). Real-world users of Rippling services give it 4.79 out of 5 stars, the highest score on our list (Velocity Global and Papaya also have 4.79 out of 5 stars). Rippling Pricing Rippling, like Velocity Global and Globalization Partners, does not list its pricing online, so you need to call a sales representative. We were given a quote for EOR services at $599 per employee monthly (to get this price with Remote, you have to pay annual costs upfront), plus $20 per employee monthly for payroll. Contractors are $20 per employee monthly—the cheapest on our list—although Oyster has a free plan for your first two contractors and deductions for volume. Its plans run monthly, and it can do independent global payroll for contractors at a reduced price. Rippling is a modular program, so you may be able to mix and match the features you need to get the most for your budget. Rippling Features IT support: If your employees need special software to do their job, Rippling is the best for onboarding. In addition to the usual new hire tasks, it can assign computers and software licenses to employees, including providing computers with preloaded software, and helps with the return of hardware at termination (this service costs extra, but includes monitoring and offboarding). Integrations: Rippling blows away the competition when it comes to integrations with over 500 apps, including accounting, expense management, HR, sales, communication, and productivity tools. Most on our list integrate into HRIS software. Payroll: Like all EORs on our list, Rippling pays in local currency, handles local taxes wherever your employee lives and works, and bills you when the work is done. Just like with its regular services, it takes only 90 seconds to pay your international employees as well. Everything populates to your general ledger, and Rippling offers pre-built reports or lets you create custom ones. It even has a job costing tool that lets you apply employee time to a client, task, and job location for billing or analysis. Easy onboarding: From offers to IP agreements, Rippling makes it easy to onboard your employees. It can handle everything from background checks to assigning and shipping a company credit card. As noted above, Rippling is the only EOR on our list that can also handle sending your new employee a company computer or getting their own computer set up with access to the software they need to do the job. Read our Rippling review Remote: Best Employer of Record for IP Protection is one of the top employers of record companies because of its excellent toolset and emphasis on protecting intellectual property and educating its clients on the challenges of managing employees internationally. As a bonus, it offers free services for any refugees you hire! We chose it as best for IP protection, but it's a great choice even if you aren’t dealing with intellectual property. We gave Remote a 4.54 out of 5 on our rubric. Like Papaya, it earned excellent scores throughout, with perfect scores for HR tools and reporting. It lost only a few points in support because its dedicated support requires an enterprise plan; otherwise, support is via email. However, real-world users gave it an average score of 4.56 out of 5—not as high as most on our list, but still outstanding. Remote Pricing Like Papaya, Remote is upfront about its pricing, with its EOR program at $699 per month ($599 if you sign up for an annual plan). In addition, it has a contractor management plan for only $29 per month. Remote’s plans work for both foreign and domestic employees. If you want something simpler, like global payroll for those areas where you already have a local presence, you can call Remote for a custom quote. Remote Global Payroll consolidates payroll, ensures compliance, and provides country-specific reports. Finally, it offers a tailored Enterprise plan that includes a dedicated support team. Call for a quote as well. Remote offers discounts for charities, nonprofits, and startups. It also provides its services free for refugees. Remote Features Free EOR services for refugees: While Papaya, Globalization Partners, and Oyster have special pricing for refugees, Remote will act as their EOR for free. Payroll: Pay your employees in local currency and even crypto (something only Papaya, Rippling, and Multiplier do). Remote supports over 100 currencies in 179 nations—and it does not charge interchange fees, which can save you money. It can handle bonus and incentive payments for international staff and even supports the Dutch 30% ruling, wherein qualified highly skilled migrants who moved to the Netherlands for specific jobs get tax-free allowances equal to a maximum of 30% of their gross salary. One caution with Remote: You need to get your payroll done by the 11th of each month for it to reflect, even if you are on a semimonthly payroll schedule. Benefits: As with any good EOR, Remote has a full spread of enterprise-level medical and health benefits. However, it can also help with stipends, allowances, stock options, and even one-time benefits like a moving bonus. Not every EOR on our list works beyond the required minimum for compliance. Remote offers a  to learn more. IP protection: While some employers of record, like Rippling, include IP agreements in their contracts, Remote goes out of its way to emphasize the protection of any patents your foreign employees may come up with. It offers a three-stage approach to ownership protection and employs experienced counsel in top-tier law firms to ensure that your rights are protected each step of the way. Information-rich website: Remote impressed us with the amount of information it provides companies on the topic of hiring and managing international employees. While many, like Papaya and Globalization Partners, offer country guides and a blog, Remote has these, plus customizable templates for things like contracts, a misclassification risk tool, webinars, and speakers. It also has a community where you can share experiences, learn from experts in the field, and more. Read our Remote review Multiplier: Best for Hiring & Paying International & Domestic Freelancers freelancer plans are somewhat pricier than others on our list, but we believe it is best for hiring contractors internationally because of all the features of its plan. For example, you can include benefits (something most contractor plans don’t include) and process expenses. It works in 150 countries and pays in 120 currencies. Multiplier is also the only EOR aside from Rippling that can supply company laptops to your employees. Multiplier earned 4.51 out of 5 on our rubric. It got perfect scores for pricing (and is the cheapest EOR for employees), and perfect scores for HR tools and payment features. We didn’t see a lot in terms of report customizations, which brought down the score some, as did the lack of integration capability. However, real-world users rate it 4.72 out of 5 stars, the second-highest user score on this list. Multiplier Pricing Like most of the employers of record on our list, Multiplier has two plans. The Employee plan starts at $300 per employee monthly and covers hiring, management, and payroll. The freelancer plan starts at $40 per month. In addition, if you have a local presence somewhere and just want payroll and benefits, these plans start at $20 per employee monthly, each. This is reasonable, even for domestic payroll services, and keeps everyone on the same software, making your job easier. Multiplier Features Freelance administration tools: Multiplier has the best freelance hiring tools. It starts with an assessment tool to ensure you are properly classifying them as a contractor. Then you can generate locally compliant contracts (something Velocity Global lacks). Of course, Multiplier onboards your freelancer. Invoicing is easy for your contractor, and you can pay immediately or pay all your freelancers at once. Freelancers can also claim expenses via Multiplier’s platform. Where Multiplier stands out, however, is that its plan includes benefits administration, which can be a big plus if you have full-time, dedicated contract workers. Laptop and software assignment: Like Rippling, Multiplier can also handle IT onboarding by providing your international employee with a company laptop loaded with the software they need. This is a relatively new service for Multiplier, while Rippling has been doing this for years. Payment in cryptocurrency: According to a study by SoFi, 36% of employees would like to be paid in cryptocurrency. You can make direct crypto payments or let Multiplier handle the conversion into the desired cryptocurrency. Remote and Papaya have this capability as well. Benefits: Multiplier offers locally compliant insurance and benefits, which you can customize to ensure your workforce is getting similar compensation wherever they are. In addition, it offers Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) administration so your employees can be invested in your company’s success. 24/7 support: Multiplier boasts 24/7 local support for questions of compliance. However, it does not mention a dedicated support specialist, like you get with Oyster and Papaya. Velocity Global: Best for Employees Moving Out-of-Country is an excellent EOR for working with international employees. However, where it really stands out from the others on our list is how it helps employees who are moving from your home country to somewhere you don’t have a legal entity. It goes beyond visas and payroll to provide transition support not only for expats but also for your business travelers. This service is pricier than most but offers a more personalized approach that real-world users praise. Velocity Global earned 4.29 out of 5 in our evaluation. Pricing took a hit because it requires a custom quote. We also did not like that its freelancer plan does not include compliance checking in the contract. The representative we spoke with said it checks that they qualify as a contractor under the law and handles payroll only. It does not actually recruit for you like others on our list. Nonetheless, it got excellent scores across the board and received 4.79 out of 5 stars from real-world users. That was the top user score, which Papaya and Rippling also received. Velocity Global Pricing Velocity Global does not list prices online, nor were we able to secure a quote or find any third-party sources that list prices. However, some sources mentioned setup fees, and even real-world users agreed that it was pricey compared to similar services. Velocity Global Features Global onboarding: Like Papaya, Velocity Global can handle work visas and other paperwork that your new hire may need to work in their country. This is great if you have an established employee that’s moving out of your country. Papaya goes further with family visas as well; however, Velocity global can also give your employee on-the-ground support to help them transition to their new country of residence. International document handling: While others on our list assist you with creating compliant contracts and onboarding documents, Velocity Global can go a step further by handling all vital documents—not just collecting them, but also translating them if needed. Naturally, it checks for legalities. The exception to this is if you use its freelance program. It does not check contracts for compliance issues. We suggest Multiplier for handling freelancers. Payroll: Velocity Global can pay employees in over 185 countries in local currencies, although it does not have cryptocurrency payment capabilities. For that, consider Multiplier, Remote, or Papaya. It provides a consolidated payment for employees and contractors, so you don’t have to pay separately by country or pay date. Benefits: Velocity Global can provide more than the minimum benefits required. In addition to health, it can provide pensions, life insurance, and more. It works with you to determine the best rewards for your employees as well as to get you competitive rates. Personal support: A common theme in the reviews we read, both from our competitors and from real-world users, was that Velocity Global provides personalized support. The people take time to educate you in your particular situation. You do get a dedicated account representative in case you have issues. Globalization Partners: Best for Hiring Internationally is an international EOR that can handle your foreign employees in over 187 countries. It can recruit and hire for you, or if you have an employee, provide contracts that adhere to local laws, onboard, manage, and pay your employee for you. It will not handle your domestic workforce, but it does partner with ADP TotalSource, a top-rated PEO service. We recommend it for its international hiring capabilities. G-P earned a solid 4.27 out of 5 on our list. The pricing was where it took a big hit; others on our list are more transparent and have more options for service add-ons. However, it earned excellent scores on all the features and ease of use. In addition, real-world users rated it 4.68 out of 5 stars, averaged over four review sites. Globalization Partners Pricing Globalization Partners has two plans for full-time employees: G-P Recruit, which is for hiring global employees, and G-P Employee, which hires, onboards, pays, and manages your international employees—both require custom quotes after a 45-minute meeting and demo. G-P contractor, its third plan, is devoted solely to contractors but includes hiring, managing, and paying them. It’s $49 per contractor monthly. This is more expensive than most on our list, but others only cover contractor payroll (G-P says there may also be “additional fees,” so ask when you sign up). Globalization Partners Features Partners with ADP: ADP is one of our top-rated payroll, HR, and PEO services. If you already work with the company and want to expand your services beyond the domestic market, working with Globalization Partners makes the process easy. Recruit and hire international employees: G-P can recruit and hire someone for you in any of its 187 countries (the most of any on our list). It can sponsor visas itself in 31 of those countries, taking a lot of paperwork off your hands. Plus, it automatically generates global employment contracts that comply with local labor laws and will recommend a country-specific compensation package. If you choose to recruit yourself, it can give you country-specific offer templates to start you out. Easy global payroll services: G-P’s payroll is similar to those on our list, paying employees in local currencies and taking care of your taxes according to each country’s schedule. Once Globalization Partners issues the payroll, it sends you the bill with all employee expenses included (others send a monthly bill, and some bill by country). Globalization Partners lets you fund your payroll either through bank transfer, Venmo, and cryptocurrency, but only pays employees by traditional direct deposits or manual checks. Multiplier, by contrast, can also pay employees in cryptocurrency. International benefits: Like other EORs, Globalization Partners provides enterprise-level benefits packages for employees at competitive prices that meet the country’s requirements. It then manages the programs, both in payroll and execution. While it does not list the services online, since they vary by country, it does provide an online “Globalpedia” that explains the required and voluntary benefits expected in a country—from maternity leave to stock options—as well as how much you should add to salaries to cover these benefits. When you call for a quote, your rep will help you determine what’s commonly offered so that you remain competitive. Read our Globalization Partners Review Oyster: Best EOR for Nonprofits or Budget-minded Businesses Hiring Contractors is a global payroll and EOR that works in over 120 countries, plus another 60 for contractors. Its services are pretty much what you’d expect from an employer of record. However, it impressed us with its many discounts, plus its excellent customer support. It has a free DIY plan and an inexpensive plan for contractors—and like Remote, offers hefty discounts for nonprofits. Thus, we consider it a good choice for budget-minded businesses. Oyster earned a 4.06 out of 5 on our rubric. It did very well for pricing and HR tools, as well as payment functions. However, Oyster was the only one to lose major points under reporting. It only offers four reports: payroll, team member, invoice, and expense. It also has the lowest user-review score of those on our list—4.06 out of 5, which is still pretty good. Oyster Pricing Oyster’s pricing is simple but can vary slightly depending on the country (many on our list are like this). Its Business Plan runs $399 per employee monthly, which is the cheapest on our list after Multiplier. Further, it offers a contractor plan at only $29 per contractor monthly, which is the same as Remote. Nonprofits get their first employee free for 12 months and get 30% off the Oyster platform for up to 10 full-time hires. However, Oyster also offers discounts once you get over five team members. Plus, there are discounts for hiring refugees and even a free plan for your first two contractors. If you meet the criteria, you could get a quality EOR and a greatly reduced price as compared to the others on our list. Oyster Features Free DIY tools for international contractors: If you are just starting out internationally, and are only looking to hire a contractor, Oyster provides free tools. You can onboard and pay two contractors at no charge. The plan provides tools to draft compliant contracts, some IP protection, and payroll based on the currency you choose; also, in the US, it issues 1099 forms. It includes access to Oyster Academy and HR tools such as cost calculator, legal starter pack, and more. It’s the only plan on our list that makes it free to give international hiring a try. Discounts for nonprofits: Like Remote, Oyster has special discounts for certified nonprofits or B-Corporations. This includes your first employee free for 12 months, 30% off for up to 10 full-time hires, free enrollment in Oyster Academy, and free tickets to their annual conference, plus exclusive meetups with other Oyster users and experts. Free hiring of refugees: Oyster does not charge you for using its services to hire up to 10 refugees. However, in cases where Oyster does not have a direct local entity, you can hire through its Niya platform—but it charges you 18% of the employee’s gross salary. Remote offers free EOR for refugee talent. If you find a refugee without a permit or banking, Oyster may be able to help. Excellent customer support: Despite the user score being lower than others on our list (4.06 is still a strong score!), Oyster users generally had great praise for customer support’s responsiveness and helpfulness. Oyster is one of the few on our list that gives you a dedicated team. It also has a guided hiring process in-app, hiring guides, reports on global employment and employee expectations, a podcast, and the Oyster Academy with courses for HR professionals. Payroll & benefits: Oyster does fully compliant payroll that can pay out to 120 countries (180 for contractors). The platform can handle bonuses and expense reimbursements as well as salaries. Oyster integrates with ERP systems for your payroll data. You’ll pay a lump sum each month, and Oyster distributes it accordingly. One place Oyster falls short, however, is that its health benefits must be purchased as an add-on. This could hike up the price. Read our Oyster review How We Evaluated We looked at over two dozen EOR services, narrowing them down to those that served small and midsize businesses and were priced reasonably (where we could get quotes). Then we dove deep to evaluate them for features and ease of use. Finally, we added feedback from real-world users to come up with the top seven. scored nearly perfectly in all categories. Its price point and the fact that it works with partners rather than direct local entities were the only big things keeping it from a higher score. Click through to see the scoring criteria: Employer of Record Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) Bottom Line An employer of record can take a lot of stress off a business, especially when hiring international employees. It takes the liability and administrative responsibility for hiring, paying, and terminating your employees so you can concentrate on training and tasking. As the official on-paper employer, it assumes liabilities for tax and workplace compliances. Overall, Papaya took the clear lead as the best EOR service. It works in over 160 countries for payroll and HR services; has a separate, cheaper plan for international contractors; and helps with work permits and visas not only for your employees but also their families. Check out Papaya and get started on broadening your international reach.

An employment probation period, referred to as a probationary period, is a time frame used to determine if the new hire is the right fit for the position and the company is right for the employee. A typical time frame for a probation period is around 30/60/90 days. Once you’ve determined your time frame and what benefits will be available during that time, you should document your policy and share it with your team via the employee handbook and other documentation. Click below to download our Employment Training Period policy template, which you can customize to meet your needs. How to Implement an Employment Probation Period To implement a probation period, you’ll need to select the time frame, create your policy, and provide documentation to your staff and new hires. You also need to determine what benefits the employee will receive upon hire versus what benefits will wait until after the employment probation period. Some benefits should be held until after this period ends, as courts will look for some reason a probation period exists—like the employee receiving some benefit upon completion. Step 1: Determine Time Frame The most common time frame for a new hire probation period is 60 to 90 days. However, you as the employer, can set any time frame you want to fully evaluate whether an employee fits your culture and can do the job—a process that can be sped up when you use a structured interview and better evaluate candidates during the hiring process. Below are examples of when each of the following 30/60/90-day time frames makes sense. 30 Days: Thirty days is a good time frame for an employment probation period in an entry-level job, such as food service or retail, where you’ll know fairly quickly if the employee is going to work out. For example, if an employee is able to show up on time, display a positive demeanor, get along with co-workers, and master your POS system, they’ll probably demonstrate those traits within the first few weeks. 60 Days: Sixty days is a good time frame to use as a probationary period in jobs with productivity metrics. For example, if you hire workers who must master skills, like assembling furniture, entering data, stocking shelves, or inspecting manufactured goods, you’ll need time for those employees to learn the job. After they master the skills, you’ll need additional time to evaluate whether they can meet your hourly or daily productivity goals. 90 Days: Ninety days is a good time frame to use for new hires in professional roles like managers or sales executives. The reason for the longer time frame is that you may want to see how they function in the job, as well as whether they’re able to build relationships, earn business, or motivate their team. Step 2: Decide What to Include & Not Include Perhaps the hardest part of implementing a probation period is deciding what you will and will not include during the employment probation period. The following benefits generally should be provided upon hire and not wait until after a probation period: Sick Leave: What happens if a worker calls in sick during their probationary time period? Some states, like California and New York, have mandatory sick leave laws that require you to allow time off for illness. California requires employers to pay employees for up to three days of sick leave per year. New York and other states have similar laws. In either case, you can’t wait and only offer sick leave after the probation is over. It may need to start accruing upon hire or be provided as a lump sum. Health Insurance: If you have over 50 full-time employees, you must provide health insurance to your employees. Some health insurance companies require this to be offered within the first 30 days. So even if your company has a 90-day probation period, if your insurance carrier requires you to offer new hires access to healthcare in their first 30 days, you must follow the insurance company’s requirements. Check with your carrier to ensure you’re following their policy. A business should consider withholding some benefits and perks until after the probation period is over and it knows the employee can perform the job to its standards. For instance: Paid Time Off: Paid time off (PTO) in the form of vacation can be withheld until after the probation period. Typically, this is done by accrual, wherein the employee will not be eligible to take PTO until after they have accrued their time. Be sure you do not include sick leave as part of this policy, as it may violate the laws listed above. Retirement Benefits: Wait to offer 401(k), stock options, or other retirement benefits until after the probationary period has ended. You should, however, provide new hires with the details of these plans so that they can begin participating in the plans immediately upon eligibility. Other Medical Insurance: While you may be required by your state laws to offer healthcare before the end of your chosen employment probation period, you may wait to offer dental or vision insurance. Life insurance: Life insurance is usually elected and paid for by the employee. Even in the case where the employer partially or fully pays for it, you are able to withhold this benefit until after completion of the probation period. Company Perks: Some companies offer unique perks, such as flexible work schedules, half-day Fridays, and incentive bonuses, as part of their employment. It is advised to wait until after the probationary period is over to offer these types of benefits, except benefits that every employee receives, like half-day Fridays. It would be odd to require new employees to work when the business may be effectively closed. Step 3: Create Your Policy After you decide the time frame and benefits that you want to include, it is time to create and document your policy in writing. Use the provided template as a starting point. This document should include the above-mentioned, as well as any rules that apply during the probation period at work, such as performance metrics, goals, and job expectations. Follow these steps to create your employment probation period policy: Start with a paragraph that describes the policy time frame terms and lists employment as “at-will.” This ensures both the employee and the employer understand the duration of the trial employment and that either party may end employment for any legal reason. Be aware that if your company’s actions effectively negate the at-will terms, a court will view those actions as overruling the at-will language in your policy. List all the benefits that are included during the probationary period. List some or all of the benefits that will be received following the successful completion of the probationary period. Reiterate your “at-will” employment status. You can also include what is expected of the employee during the probation period, any documentation the employee will receive, such as the company handbook, and any performance reviews that will be performed. Step 4: Seek Legal Advice If set up incorrectly, a probationary period may violate local labor laws and employer rights. For instance, as mentioned above, some states make it illegal to postpone sick leave until after the probation period. There is also a potential risk of the employment probation period undermining an employee’s “at-will” employment status (employees may feel their employment is guaranteed following a probation period). Please seek legal advice before implementing an employee probation program. Legal services can help small businesses with legal documentation, creation of policies, and other legal matters required to stay compliant with federal and state laws. Additionally, be sure that you do not include any language in your policy that could be considered discriminatory. Federal labor laws, like the Americans with Disabilities Act and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, protect employees from day one. (This, of course, would also apply during a probationary period termination, so be sure your reason for terminating an employee during this time is legally sound.) We cover legal considerations in more detail below. Step 5: Update Employee Handbook Once your employment probation period policy is created, add it to your existing employee handbook and new hire documentation. This will ensure that your policy is read and signed before your new employee’s first day. This also creates a legal document that clearly outlines the details of the probation period. Step 6: Share Policy With Staff Once you have finalized your policy, you need to share it in writing with your staff. Discuss expectations and provide training, resources, and feedback. Be sure to also include your employee probation period policy in your job ads, interviews, and job offer letter. This clarifies upfront that the new hire will be subject to a probationary period. Additionally, you can provide new hires with a probation period letter that explains the policy. In the letter, reiterate your probation policy, and have the employee read, sign, date, and return a copy of the letter on their first day of employment. A letter signed by the employee may prove that the employee was fully aware of the probation policy in case of a wrongful termination lawsuit. Once an employee is hired under the new program, make sure you’re giving them good employee performance feedback so that they understand your expectations and can proactively address issues within the probationary period. Pros & Cons of Implementing an Employment Probation Period Some employers feel that using an employment probation period at work reduces their hiring risk. There are also some downsides to a formal employment probation period, however. For example, courts may interpret your probation period to imply that employees can only be terminated for cause after it’s over. Legal Considerations Here’s the legal takeaway: Courts will look at both your policy language and your company’s actions. That means you can state a hundred times in your policy that employees are at will during and after their probationary period. But if your company takes certain actions that contradict those statements, courts may give your actions more weight and effectively negate your at-will language, meaning you can only terminate employees for cause. Bottom Line An employment probation period can give both the new hire and the employer a chance to decide if they are the right fit for the job. While some employers like having a new hire employment probation period, it may not be necessary if your state allows the employment at-will doctrine as it would create redundancy and increased legal risks. If you choose to institute a probationary period, consider using our template and have your attorney review your probation period policy before implementation.

Every business relies on good written communication, from the marketing copy that attracts a customer to the instructions for putting together a product. For many small businesses, hiring a freelance writer makes the most sense. It can save you time and money while ensuring a higher-quality product. This article will discuss not only how to hire a freelance writer—finding and selecting the right one for your business—but also what freelance writers do, how much to pay them, and the benefits of hiring freelance writers. Finding Freelance Writer Candidates Finding a freelance writer is not that different from finding any freelance worker. Here are the most common ways. Selecting the Right Freelance Writer When you have your candidates, you’re ready for the contracting process. It’s not unlike hiring a regular employee, but remember that the emphasis is on their skill and ability to meet a deadline as well as professionalism when contacting others in the process of completing the work. Take the following actions to help you select the best freelance writer for your needs. Contact References Unless you are hiring for regular work, references may come in the form of published articles rather than contacts. However, with contacts, give priority to editors or those who hired the candidate for similar work. What a Freelance Writer Can Do Freelance writers are usually excellent communicators with strong interests in specific fields or styles of writing. Some have practical experience in a technical field. Others are generalists who are good at research and adapting to the style needed by the format and the company. Here are a few of the most common types of content freelancers write, but if it involves words, you can find a writer to do it. How Much to Pay a Freelance Writer Many factors go into determining rates for freelance writers, with a variety of sources pegging the average hourly pay at about $25–$35. For example, skilled freelancers, which would include freelance writers, earn an average of $28 an hour, according to the career site Zippa, while Indeed puts the average at around $21 per hour. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the 2021 median pay is $33.42 for full-time writers at a company. If you need a writer with specialized experience, unique knowledge, or many years of freelance writing experience, expect to pay well above these averages. Freelance writers, however, do not always work by the hour. More often, you may pay by the project, article, or word. There is no set price per word, although a fair rate is generally considered to be 20 cents per word. The more technical or involved the project, the higher the per-word price. A dollar a word is considered fair wages for very experienced writers. New writers are often willing to work for as little as 3 cents a word, but these are amateur wages, and will often result in content that needs extensive editing. Other items that go into consideration when negotiating price include: Experience Research Regular work vs one-time assignment Rights (covered below) Topic Types of Rights Rights are important to writers, particularly to freelancers, who may want to use the same material more than once. You can use rights as a negotiation tool. Regardless, your contracts should clearly state the rights the author grants in return for their pay. There are other rights, like the rights to purchase reprints, publish in anthologies, and more. But these two are the most important. Why Hire Freelance Writers Freelance writers can work by project, for the long term, or be held in reserve for specific needs. They offer many advantages over a full-time writing employee or handing writing assignments to existing employees. Infrequent needs: Hiring a freelance writer for occasional projects can be cheaper than hiring a part-time employee and may result in a higher-quality product than simply assigning it to someone in the office. You may pay more per hour or piece, but you’re only paying them when you need content created, not all the time like with a regular employee. Don’t worry about having to provide full-time work for a writer—freelance writers generally work with multiple clients, and many believe having a diverse portfolio of clients results in better job security (and more interesting work). Save on taxes: Freelancers are contract workers, meaning you don’t need to worry about taxes, benefits, or Social Security. Not enough work for an employee; too much time to DIY: When you hire a freelancer, you set the assignment, standards, and deadlines, and let them do the work. However, you should provide time for questions and provide in-house materials if needed. You don’t have the skills to do it yourself: Freelance writers have skills and experience with the written word as well as a natural disposition for grammar and storytelling. Easy to hire remote workers: Freelance writing is a no-brainer for remote work. Usually, all they need is a computer and the internet. Bottom Line Partnering with a freelance writer, whether by project or for regular assignments, is a cost-effective way to make sure you get high-quality content. Freelance writers are a different kind of worker, and your contracting process should take that into consideration. Think about experience over education, look at samples over references, and be sure you have a contract that specifies rights and deadlines as well as projects and pay rates. There are many ways to seek out freelance writers. For job boards, we recommend . It’s suited for gig-based recruiting, but is also a good place to find a great freelancer to be a regular part of your team. Go to Upwork and load your request today. You May Also Like… How To Hire Employees Types of Employees: A Guide to Worker Classification

Monster is one of the biggest and oldest online job boards, attracting millions of job seekers every month in a wide variety of industries and across multiple countries. Before posting a job on Monster, you’ll need to create an account, fill out your company profile, and select a paid job ad. Monster doesn’t restrict the number of applicants you can get, and it automatically includes your job posting in emails to candidates whose skills match your job requirements. It also offers a four-day free trial. Follow these simple steps for posting a job on Monster: Step 1: Sign Up for an Account & Select Your Plan Navigate to Monster’s sign-up page and click “Get Started for Free.” You’ll be redirected to a pricing page where you can select your plan option. Monster is transparent with its pricing—see the table below for features included in its Starter, Standard, and Premium plans. For small businesses that are not hiring for multiple roles at once, the Starter plan will more than suffice. You have the option to rotate between jobs if you are hiring more than one, but you can only have one active job at a time. Each of their three options also comes with a four-day free trial for new subscribers. During your trial, you can post a live job and get applicants. Once you’ve selected a plan, fill in your account details. Be aware that after your free trial ends, your card will be charged the monthly fee. After you’ve signed up, you’ll get an email with a link to create your password. This is a one-time link, so make sure you find this message (you may need to look in spam). Step 2: Create Your Password & Security Questions When you click the link in your email, you’ll be prompted to create a strong password. You’re likely creating a company Monster account where you’ll store at least one credit card, so make sure the password you choose is strong. You’ll also need to create security questions. If you’re the owner, pick anything that works for you. However, if you’re an employee, you may want to check with HR to see if they prefer using standard security question answers (or they may get locked out if you leave and don’t let them know what your security question answers were). Step 3: Complete Your Company Profile To access your company profile from your dashboard, click on the gear icon in the top right corner and then select “My Company Profile” so you can add your details. When you’re done, you’ll be able to review your company profile. Make sure you read it carefully to avoid any errors. Taking all of these steps is important to let candidates know you’re serious about hiring. It also gives you a chance to add some creativity to your company profile, giving candidates clues about your culture. Step 4: Choose the Type of Job Ad & Pay Go back to your main dashboard after completing your company profile. In the top navigation bar, click on “Post A Job” so you can review the pricing options if you didn’t select one during signup. Once you’ve selected and paid for your plan, you’ll see your dashboard change: Step 5: Create Your Job Ad To post a new job, click on “Post A Job” at the top of your dashboard. This takes you to the job ad creation page. Fill out all the details required: job title, location, job and employee type, salary information, and job description. For job location, you can select “No Fixed Location” if your job is remote or you’re open to candidates in any location. Monster offers hundreds of job description templates—use them, they’re your friend. If you haven’t been in the habit of writing a job description for each of your new positions, Monster’s template library can be a significant source of aid. You can see, based on the job title we entered, Monster even suggested a job description template for us. Writing the job description is crucial. Every job ad should have a few sentences selling your company and answering this key question every candidate will have: Why would someone want to work for your company? Your job ad will also need to provide clear details about what you expect the worker to do. Give a list of skills necessary for the job and some nice-to-haves. Depending on the position, you may want to avoid requiring certain education levels, unless it’s required for a job like a doctor or a lawyer. Skills-based hiring often gives you better employees in the long run. Step 6: Post Your Job & Manage Applicants When your job ad looks ready to go, it’s time to post it. Monster also allows you to save this job to your library to use later, should you need to hire another employee in a similar position. As you post jobs, your dashboard will display details about the applications you’ve received. You’ll also have the ability to quickly review new candidates who’ve applied since the last time you logged in. Alternatives to Monster Bottom Line Finding employees you love doesn’t have to be hard. Using Monster to post your job ad, you immediately gain access to millions of potential candidates. Get your job ad up today and start receiving applications immediately.

An employment offer letter formally documents any verbal job offers and clarifies details discussed during the interview process. It typically includes basic information like the job description and compensation, but the true goal is to ensure both parties are on the same page about the offered job’s expectations and responsibilities. Offer letters should also clearly state the benefits of the role, making it easy for the recipient to accept. We’ve created a standard offer letter template and several alternative templates for different hiring scenarios, which you can access by expanding the sections below. You can personalize and use these templates to simplify the process of offering a job to your chosen candidate. If you want help crafting a legally binding employment contract after your candidate accepts the job offer, consider . It has ready-made employment contract templates for each state. You can create a contract for your new hire in as little as three steps. What to Include in an Offer Letter An employment offer letter should be specific to the company, industry, and type of role. However, there are a few elements that are usually included in a formal offer letter, including: Candidate’s name Company name and logo Job title and description Compensation Benefits summary At-will statement Offer contingencies Start date Offer period Method of acceptance Disclaimer When & How to Send an Offer Letter An offer letter signals the beginning of the onboarding process. It’s best to speak with the candidate before having your HR team draft one from an offer letter template. Many companies opt to do a verbal offer, which isn’t as official as a written letter but allows the hiring manager to gauge the candidate’s interest. Is the salary you have in mind too low? Will the candidate try to negotiate? How much notice do they need to give their current employer? Knowing these things beforehand will prevent you from having to adjust the letter later. Once you talk to your potential employee about the offer, send an email with the full offer details as a PDF attachment. In addition to the offer itself, attach any relevant documents that might help them make a decision—such as benefit plan documentation and company policies. This is also a good opportunity to streamline the onboarding process by providing documents the employee needs to complete before their first day. Where possible, an offer letter should be sent by the hiring manager for the role. This demonstrates to the recipient that the offer is official and represents the company’s willingness to enter into an employment agreement. However, if the candidate has been interviewing with another team member—or if the company’s owner prefers to send offer letters—this is acceptable too. The most important thing is to make the offer clear, concise, and professional. What to Do After You Send the Offer Letter With luck, your candidate will accept the job offer immediately. But in many cases, the initial offer may not be the end of the road. For that reason, hiring managers should expect to field questions from the candidate about benefits and other details of the offer. A hiring manager should also prepare to negotiate the terms of the offer—whether it be compensation, vacation time, or other benefits. To learn more about the other steps you should follow when hiring an employee, check out our guide on how to hire employees. Employment Offer Letter Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) Bottom Line Use an offer letter template to prepare and send a formal document to the candidate you wish to hire. It sets the tone for the onboarding process and helps the employee understand what to expect moving forward. To ensure candidates have the information they need, draft the employment offer letter with important details like a job description, compensation and benefits, and how to accept or decline the offer.

An employment contract is a written employment agreement documenting the shared rights and responsibilities between your company and a W-2 employee. A strong employment contract should include terms of agreement, the employee’s responsibilities, compensation and benefits, and a nondisclosure agreement (NDA), among other items, and will help ensure all parties are aligned and all laws are followed. We’ve provided a general employment contract template for you to download and use, as well as a California-specific template since the state has numerous laws and regulations that make creating contracts a bit more complex. What to Include in an Employment Contract An employment agreement template works as a fill-in-the-blank document. You add your company name and logo plus the worker’s name along with dates and payment info. The benefit of starting with an employment contract template is that much of the wording is boilerplate. You only need to change details specific to your business and any agreements made with the worker. Beyond describing your company and details of the job that the employee is being hired for, the employment contract should address compensation, benefits, and employment terms. In addition, it’s helpful to include a clause to ensure confidentiality and clarify how disputes will be resolved. Here are six critical sections to include in employment contracts: Pros & Cons of Using an Employment Contract Both employers and employees can benefit from an employment contract. However, it’s in your best interest to write the employment contract in a way that preserves your rights as an employer, such as by specifying the amount of advanced notice you need to receive from the worker if they resign (for them to be eligible for bonuses or severance). Using an employment contract can go a long way toward eliminating confusion from the start; however, it can also create more work for you and is sometimes costly. The primary benefit of documenting your employment agreement in a written contract is that it clarifies expectations all around and provides you with an assurance that work will be done as expected. Employment Contract vs Job Offer Letter Different from an employment contract, a job offer letter is a more common way that businesses clarify the employment relationship with direct-hire employees. In an offer letter, you specify the hire date, pay rate, and job title and spell out any other pertinent agreed-upon information, such as a hiring bonus or extra paid time off. The differences between a job offer letter and a more formal employment contract are: Employment Contract Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) Can I write my own contract? You can, but we don’t recommend it. Employment contracts are ripe for mistakes that can lead to costly litigation and disputes. It’s best to use a template and have it reviewed by an employment attorney before using it. Do I have to use an agreement for an independent contractor? Do you have to? No. Should you always? Yes. Without a formal written contract, you won’t be able to hold the contractor accountable since it’s just your word against theirs. Plus, you won’t have any protections for your business. I already have employee contracts. Can I use those for freelancers? No. Employment contracts and freelance contracts are different beasts. Freelancers should receive your standard independent contractor agreement. How do I know whether to use an employment contract or a 1099 contract? If you’re hiring an employee, use an employment contract. If you’re hiring a contractor, use a 1099 contract. The distinction between an employee and a contractor can be tough to make. Review our five key areas of difference to give you a better idea. Bottom Line An employment contract is a useful document to have in the personnel file if you are hiring a manager-level employee or higher. Use our free downloadable templates as a starting point to protect your business and yourself, as well as set clear expectations about the role and compensation of the worker. is an example of payroll software that offers features like e-signature and document storage as part of their payroll processing. Once you hire a worker, whether a 1099 contractor or W-2 employee, Gusto can process their payroll and store their signed contract documents online. Start with a 30-day free trial.

Although finding the perfect fit for a sales position can be daunting, following a few simple steps can make the process much smoother and improve your chances for success. Those steps include creating a strong job description, determining the best compensation package for the role, and using job boards and your job ad to target sales reps. We’ve even created a free checklist to help you. Don't forget about , too. Its user-friendly platform helps you source top talent with powerful tools like an applicant tracking system (ATS) and a free Highlight Enhancement ($60 value) included with your 4-day free trial. Plan ahead and find success when it comes to hiring stellar reps. 1. Create a Job Description Every organization knows that hiring for any role, let alone finding the perfect sales representative, is no easy task. Doing your due diligence, though, with a well-crafted job description can help to attract quality applicants and eliminate those who don't meet all of the necessary criteria—saving you time in sifting through applications and streamlining your recruiting process. With clear expectations from the start, it's much easier to find a candidate that fits just right. Follow these steps to create your job description: 2. Decide How to Compensate Your Sales Rep Once you’ve decided exactly what it is you want your sales rep to do, you can consider the best way to incentivize the position. There are several ways to pay a sales rep, but the most common is to provide them with some kind of base pay (salary or hourly), along with some pay that’s based on performance, such as a bonus or commission. This will vary by industry and sales rep experience, so make sure you’re considering all relevant factors when determining a commission structure. For example, retail employees may make a flat dollar amount for every item sold, whereas software salespeople may make a percentage of the first year’s deal value. No matter what you decide, we recommend setting a policy where you only pay a commission after a customer or client has completed their payment. 3. Post the Sales Rep Job on a Job Board Once you’ve got your job description written and are clear on how you’ll pay your sales rep, it’s time to post your job opening where job seekers can find it. You’ll typically start with a job ad and screening questions and then determine the best job board(s) to use. You may consider a sales-specific job board like (focused on general sales positions) or  (focused on tech sales) or one of the highly popular general job boards. Write a Compelling Job Ad A sales rep job ad is a marketing tool to entice talented salespeople to join your team. However, it also serves to provide enough information to help interested job seekers determine whether the job is a good fit for them, including the pay structure you’ve decided on for this role. Not every salesperson will be comfortable working under a commission-only structure, for example. You can write a compelling job ad in a few simple steps: Use your sales rep job description as a starting point. Keep your job ad succinct, and use bullets to make it easier for job seekers to read. Include questions in your job posting so those applying to your job are clearly aware of your requirements. List experience requirements and set those as “must haves” or “preferred.” Use Pre-screening Questions To help job seekers assess their qualifications when applying for a job, online job boards like  (shown below) allow you to add pre-screening questions. For example, ask candidates about their years of selling experience, industry expertise, or level of education. You can also set up common and specific interview questions to automatically send to candidates who apply for your job. Make sure you’re avoiding any illegal interview questions. 4. Screen the Applicants Responding to Your Job Ad When hiring salespeople, it’s crucial to make sure they can do the job. Your sales rep serves as the face of the company by representing your brand. Therefore, it’s best to review their applications and schedule screening calls to confirm whether they fit your culture and style in addition to having the job skills you need. Review Applications & Cover Letters While a cover letter is nice to have, pay close attention to applicants’ resumes. Make sure the resumes match your must-haves for this position. As you review the job application, resume, and cover letter, check to ensure the applicant has the following: Experience in your industry or with your product line Basic selling skills, including prospecting and closing skills Solid communication skills (including a resume and cover letter free of typos) Satisfactory answers to any questions asked on the application Verify the Applicant’s Job History Online It’s not a bad idea to do a LinkedIn or internet search of the job applicant by name to see if their social media profile matches what they’ve listed on the job application, resume, and cover letter. If it doesn’t match, you may want to pass on that applicant entirely. According to Indeed, some 40% of job seekers lie on their resumes. Schedule Phone Calls With Top Applicants Phone screening is a quick and easy way to assess your top picks. It’s typically a short telephone call that lets you chat with the job applicant, answer any questions they have, and assess their true interest in the job. For tips on what kinds of questions to ask, read our article on how to do a telephone screening interview. 5. Interview the Most Promising Sales Rep Candidates Conducting an in-person or video interview with your top three to five candidates is one of the best ways to get a sense of the job seeker’s temperament and people skills when you’re hiring a sales rep. During the interview, you’ll ask them questions about situations they’ve encountered, such as how they have overcome pricing objections or what to do when a client says they need to get the OK from their partner first. Scheduling the Interview Scheduling the interview with a sales rep job applicant is often the most difficult part. Fortunately, there are new text and email scheduling apps available to help you manage multiple interviews and give your job candidates a choice in picking a time that works for them. Interview Questions Those wondering how to hire a sales rep are often curious about how to structure an interview or the types of interview questions to ask. Your interview questions should be focused on the job seeker’s interpersonal skills, such as listening, as well as their sales experience. Candidates should be able to provide you with examples of how they interact with people and what kinds of sales they’ve done. Pay close attention to their body language, tone of voice, and personality. Sales reps must convey a friendly attitude but also be resilient to objections. This is a fine line to walk, and finding someone who can do this well every time is like finding a needle in a haystack. Keep in mind that some interview questions may violate state or federal labor law, such as asking about family or marital status, age, or criminal background. Below are several helpful guides to give you a starting point for what to ask and what to avoid. Interview Scorecard A best practice to ensure fairness across all candidates and avoid discrimination is to use an interview scorecard to keep track of the feedback on each candidate. This is especially true if your sales reps are interviewed by more than one person, such as an HR rep or a department manager. We’ve provided several examples in our article on interview evaluation scorecards that you can download and customize for your sales rep interviews. 6. Put Your Sales Rep's Job Offer in Writing Once you find the best candidate, it’s time to put your job offer in writing. Your sales rep job offer should include more than a start date and job title; it needs to be specific and should include the job description as an attachment that the candidate signs off on, noting their ability to achieve the requirements of the role. Further, the compensation amount and how it’s to be calculated should be included in the job offer letter so that the sales rep understands how they’re getting paid. 7. Hire & Onboard Your Sales Rep If you use an ATS, hiring can be simple. You can send the candidate reminders along with forms they need to sign and documents they need to review. If all hiring is done in-house, use a new hire checklist to make sure you don’t forget to gather the proper paperwork for your new sales rep, such as their W-4 tax withholding forms or I-9 documentation. Additionally, onboarding your new hire will require a specific amount of sales training and support to ensure they are successful. Even for highly experienced salespeople, it’s crucial that you give them training on your industry, competitors, and the services and products you offer so they’re not tripped up by any potential client questions. It’s not a bad idea to assign your new hire a peer mentor or trainer to help them acclimate to the new role and learn best practices from a more seasoned sales team member. Bottom Line Hiring a sales rep is an important process that requires careful consideration. You need to pinpoint what they’re going to be selling and how they will be compensated, post a job, interview, and choose the best candidate. To streamline your hiring journey, consider using an ATS, which can manage these steps for you—saving time in the long run. If you need more assistance, check out our sales management guide. 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