Dawn Triemstra has joined the team at Ponte Winery as their new Marketing Manager. A food and wine lover, she grew up in Del Mar, where she still resides. A graduate of the University of California, Santa Barbara with a degree in English and a masters in Journalism from American University in Washington, D.C., Dawn previously worked in the publishing industry at Riviera Magazine, a luxury lifestyle publication where she focused on culinary articles and Surfing Magazine where she produced their swimsuit issue. An avid blog reader and book junkie, the vineyards and gorgeous wine country atmosphere at  Ponte  drew Dawn into the  wine  industry  where she  will be able to take her passion for wine, food and events to new heights.

by Mike Hayden

Effectively hiring employees involves making informed decisions at the right time and executing them properly. Our focus this month is to highlight some effective methods that will help you make educated hiring decisions and hopefully avoid the cost, liability and stress of hiring the wrong person.

One of the first keys to a successful employment relationship is to have a very clear understanding of the position you are trying to fill what type of results you expect from the employee. Job descriptions change over time, but an initial description is necessary both for the employer and the employee. Informing a prospective employee of his or her job function and how

their job impacts the goals and objectives of the company is critical to a successful relationship.

Once you have a concise job description and a candidate in mind, discover all you can about the prospective employee before you hire them. A simple yet effective process of screening your employees before you hire them can be accomplished using the following guidelines:

• Review several prospects before selecting the top candidates
• Inform the top three candidates that they are in consideration for the position and will be required to provide references and background info.
• Check all references carefully.
• After selecting top candidate, provide a written “Contingent Job Offer” with requirements for a background check and/or a drug screen test or whatever else you require before hiring someone.
• Job offer should include all pertinent information regarding job including tentative start date, wage and salary information, job description, supervisor, etc.
• After successful completion of the background check, inform the employee that the job is theirs and they can start according to the agreed upon start date.
• Provide the employee with all pertinent employee policy information at the time of hire before they start work, including new hire documentation, employee handbooks and employee benefit summaries.

Plan before you hire and spend more time preparing for their employment. Employee turnover is an expensive way to learn that someone is not right for the position

Mike Hayden is Vice President and co-founder of Champion Employer Services, a Professional Employer Organization.