3 Tips for Successful Hiring as a Small Business
Many small businesses today offer great services and products to the surrounding community. Of course, these business owners have a vision for their craft and aim to become the best at it, going above and beyond to become the best in their market. However, only so much can be done by one or two people. Past a certain point, it can become difficult to accelerate the success of your business. Consequently, the next step is to hire employees who would allow you to further fulfill the company mission, offer knowledge, skills, and abilities conducive to the industry you are aiming to compete in, and would be an overall positive influence in your business and life.
While hiring can seem like a simple and straightforward process, it can actually be a surprisingly challenging feat. According to LinkedIn in 2021, 54% of talent professions identified “finding candidates with the right skills” as their biggest challenges when it comes to hiring. Another study conducted by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) in 2021, found that 65% of organizations had trouble recruiting for open positions, while 43% reported difficulty retaining employees.
Keeping this in mind, we believe these tips can assist you in hiring motivated employees who will grow your business to the next level.
I. Put in the time, energy, and resources to find the right candidate.
Whether you want an employee who is knowledgeable, passionate, and creative, or you need an employee who is detail-oriented, conscientious, and traditional, you will have to invest quite a lot of time to hire and maintain those employees. Cutting corners when hiring can be tempting. However, cutting corners can result in hiring an employee who quits quickly after being hired, a very long hiring process, or an unmotivated or poor performing employee. Consequently, we suggest putting more energy and time into the following activities:
· Understand the knowledge, skills, and abilities that are required for success in the position. Developing a solid understanding of these can clear up any misunderstanding between the position and potential candidates and can save you a lot of time. Failing to do so will leave you with an applicant pool filled with candidates who aren’t particularly qualified for the position.
· Develop a strong recruitment effort which correctly describes the position and makes the position look favorable. Whether you choose to market on indeed, LinkedIn, or by word of mouth, you must do a good job communicating what will be required of employees in the position. In addition, highlight positives about your company that will make job seekers want to work for you.
· Orchestrate a formal and positive interview experience for candidates. Which questions will tell you whether an employee will be a good fit for your company? There are many inexpensive ways on the internet to find interview questions in an inexpensive and easy way.
· Be patient; hiring can be a long and arduous process. It can be frustrating when it takes a long time to find the right candidate(s). However, patience will increase the likelihood that you will find the right candidate for the job.
Putting the time, energy, and resources into finding a good candidate for your small business can be incredibly rewarding, especially when you have dedicated and motivated employees to show for it.
II. Make your business attractive and exciting for job seekers
Before you start trying to recruit people. Ask yourself, why would anyone want to work for your small business? What do you offer that other businesses lack that would make an employee excited to come to work every day and contribute positively to the company? In addition, ask yourself if you personally would work at your small business. Answering these questions can shed a new light on the potential negatives which are stopping employees from seeking a position at your company. It will likely be different for every business, but some common things you can do to are:
· Create a welcoming and open-minded culture. This involves allowing employees to speak their mind and promoting transparency.
· Offer growth and learning opportunities. Your business can be integral to an employee’s career experience. Giving them further experience to grow can give them more incentive to stay.
· Recognize and reward employee achievements. This varies by industry. However, developing a system which rewards overachievers can keep employees aim higher.
· Value work-life balance. This can be anything from offering a hybrid work format or encouraging employees to take vacations.
Who wants to work in an environment where everyone dreads their tasks, complains all the time, and simply wants to go home? Likely, not very many people. As a business owner, it is your duty to facilitate an environment which makes for a positive experience for anyone who decides to spend their time working for you.
III. Take advantage of internships and apprenticeships.
Offering internships can be a cost-effective way of training and developing new employees for your small business. In addition, you can offer the intern a permanent position at your company once they have garnered enough experience. This gives you a strong employee in a cost-effective way. Some pros to doing this as opposed to an employee with previous experience is:
· You can train the intern specifically for your business. Doing this develops someone who understands and works more tailored to your business goals.
· You are offering the intern a valuable experience. For an intern, you are giving them likely their first experience into their field of choice. This can be incredibly rewarding for both parties.
· Interns may have new ideas and fresh perspectives that may help your business. Interns without previous experience are more likely to think outside the box and/or have original solutions. In addition, they may come with fresh education with revolutionary skills to the industry you are operating in.
· Allows you to develop successful training procedures. Training an intern would allow you to see the positive and negative of your training procedures and to make changes accordingly.
In conclusion, hiring can be difficult and arduous process. It takes time, energy, and resources to successfully hire candidates that are right for the job. In addition, as a small business owner, you might not have the resources to invest into professional recruitment efforts. However, keeping patience and following the tips given above, we believe you can find an employee who will be integral to your business!