How to Recruit Quality Employees as a Small Business Owner

Finding employees can be a daunting task. There are many people out there seeking work and it can be difficult to weed through them and find the right one for your business. This can be especially tough for small business owners who lack the resources, recruiters, or HR staff to find the perfect fit for your company. It’s particularly important for small businesses to staff properly, with less people working for you, each one becomes more important. While staffing is an important task there are a few easy steps you can follow to find the right person in this environment.

Focus on the Job Post and Where you Post it

Writing an accurate and compelling job posting is essential. This is your chance to tell the story of your company and sell a prospective employee on what you do and why they should work for you. Talk about your company's mission and where you, as an organization, want to go in the future. Try to avoid jargon and cliches and keep it short, keep in mind that a job seeker may be reading a ton of these postings and you want yours to stand out in a good way. Be specific about the role and the salary so that they know exactly what it is you’re offering and they avoid wasting your or their time if they are not a good fit. A quality candidate will be attracted to a posting that speaks clearly and coercively about a position

Where you put this job posting is almost as important as the post itself. Spending a little money to post your job on a high traffic website like Nexxt, Indeed, CareerBuilder, etc. is very much worth it. High caliber candidates go to high caliber posting sites and your posting needs to be where they can see it.

Foster a Positive Workplace Culture

Word of mouth can be a vital factor in attracting new employees, especially employees who have the benefit of being sought after. You want to be a company that current and former employees rave about. The key to this is to offer strong benefits and perks in the workplace, paid time off, having adequate equipment and technology, an inviting office with good coffee and snacks, etc. While some of these things may be an afterthought, they can make a huge difference in how employees talk about your company to others. Many job seekers will find former or current workers at a company they are interested in and ask them what it’s like to work there, if you want positive responses you need to create a positive environment.

Create a Candidate Pool

Sometimes good employees come to you but sometimes you need to go to them. Don’t be afraid to reach out to a university who has a strong program in your company's field. If you do this regularly you can create a relationship with these universities and they may even start reaching out to you when they find a student who they think would work well in your business.

Your employees themselves can also be a good resource. They know what it’s like to work in your company better than anyone so asking them for recommendations can be a good strategy. Employees also know that they put their own reputation on the line when recommending someone so they are more likely to put forth strong candidates who they know will succeed in your work environment.

Good candidates are out there and they are looking for jobs that will be a strong fit and foster a positive work environment. If you are that company then you will eventually attract them. It may just take a little time and a little strategy.