The market for talented employees today is ultra competitive. Businesses today are trying to 'poach' people from their current jobs and into new roles.
So take all of those challenges and then add in the fact that you're a small business. It makes finding top talent even more difficult. Small businesses can get hampered by less name recognition, sticking to a regional search and a small advertising budget.
But, that doesn't mean finding your next great employee is an impossible task. In fact, there are plenty of secret weapons you can use to find and recruit top talent, even if you're a small business.
Emphasize the Person
It's true that big organizations can offer a lot of perks. But that also means there's a chance that employees don't feel a strong connection to the place where they work.
Small businesses can claim this as an advantage. Employees will get to know each other, and the management, which helps forge a real team bond.
Focus on those little special things you and your team do to value other people. Highlight them as just one aspect of why it's so great to work with your company.
Offer Remote Work
Remote work is on the rise as we all work to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic together. But even prior to 2020, remote work proved to be benefit increasingly sought after by top talent.
A study from Buffer, called The State of Remote Work in 2018 found a lot of fascinating facts around remote work:
- 39% of remote companies have fewer than 25 employees
- Remote workers tend to stay with their companies longer
- 88% of small business owners have an interest in hiring remote workers
Offering the ability to work from home, even if it's a day or two a week, is a massive advantage for a small business in attracting top talent. It's a great benefit for the employee, and it doesn't add to your business costs. Just make sure you have a plan set up that builds a positive remote work culture.
Highlight Expanding Skills
Some people want to get to the office, put their head down and do one thing, while others get excited working on different projects and learning new skills.
These are the people a small business like yours might want to target. Someone who is willing to wear multiple hats and intends to expand their skillset and experiment with new ideas for projects could be a great fit.
Think about these factors before you start hiring. If you want to interview people who are explicitly looking to roll up their sleeves and jump in on a lot of projects, make sure you advertise it!
Focus on Company Culture
People spend a lot of time at the office. So company culture matters.
Studies have found that happy employees are both more productive and more loyal. Plus, workplace accidents often happen to overworked employees who are unhappy or stressed.
That means it's critical that you focus on building a company culture that promotes teamwork, thinks about people as more than just an employee number and focuses on workplace safety.
There are lots of little ways your small business can do things that make your office fun and a productive place to work.
Advertise Jobs Outside the Box
Most companies will whip up a short document on job requirements, post it on a website and call it a day. Many of these websites and job boards comb through applicants by an algorithm.
While that's fine in cases where hundreds of people are applying to jobs, for a small business a personal touch can go a long way. That includes advertising the job posting too.
So think outside of the box.
If you're okay with hiring remote workers, hop on Skype to chat. Ask applicants to submit a short video that highlights their skills and personality. And tap into your network, current employees are usually an excellent resource for finding more good people.
Also look at localized job boards and searches. Here in Colorado, you can post your listings on Built in Colorado, Connecting Colorado or Andrew Hudson's Jobs List.
Ensure Employee Safety
Whenever you hire someone new, you want to make sure both you and your employee get protected. That's where workers' compensation insurance becomes essential.
Get the coverage for workers' comp Colorado law requires by contacting Cake. We can provide you with a quote in just five minutes.
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