Hiring Your First Employee - a book review .

If you have ever considered hiring additional help for your work in the studio, this book is for you.

Hiring Your First Employee, A Step by Step Guide by Nolo Press, answers nearly every question from beginning to end in the employment process.  It covers everything from job descriptions, job postings, and interviews to the more exacting issues involving taxes, withholding accounts, and workman's compensation.

Even though I have had people working for me for over 15 years, I still learned quite a bit more information that was effective and helpful.

My usual test for buying a book is if after reading the entire book (borrowed from the library), I come to the conclusion that I need to have the book as a convenient and ready reference in my future activities.

The layout of the chapters and subsequent information is very effective.  It starts out with Chapter 1 "Deciding Whether to Hire an Employee." This is a really important question to decide whether your "help in the studio" is an employee or an outside contractor.  The I.R.S. takes this issue VERY seriously. A lot of  artists try to slide by or "fudge" this situation. Personally, I don't think the risk is worth it. (Stay tuned for an upcoming blog post about employee vs. outside contractor to learn more.  It is usually very clear one way or the other. )

   Start Career  Pay Day          © 2010
   recycled tin cans
   Artist: Harriete Estel Berman
   Pin available for purchase.

Subsequent chapters cover pay rates, employee benefits, workman's compensation, withholding and taxes.  All the  practical issues that employers need to consider. I personally thought that Chapter 5 "Getting Ready to Hire" about job descriptions and  finding employees was new information for me.  (I have always found my employees by word of mouth through the local Metal Arts Guild.) Chapter 6 then goes through screening applicants and the interview process. Our society has become so litigious that we all need to be extra careful in this regard.

There are several charts and lists of state by state lists of specific requirements. That was great. Just read what you need to know and move on.  Personally, I think that if you are considering hiring help in the studio or already have an assistant, this book should be your next investment to put your mind at ease.

CLICK ON THE LINKS (to the right) or the sidebar of this blog post to find information about purchase. At the time of this writing, Amazon.com has the best prices (including used books), but this book Hiring Your First Employee is also available through NOLO Press as an electronic book at significant savings. 

Stay tuned for more blog posts related to hiring assistants for work in the studio. Share your experience hiring employees or ASK Harriete a question.

Harriete
www.harriete-estel-berman.info

Purchase of this book from Amazon.com is an affiliate link and helps support this blog as a resource for the arts community.