Hiring is inherently stressful, especially for small business owners where hiring the right person the first time around feels particularly crucial. But by knowing the best resources for attracting talent AND maintaining a universal hiring practice, owners can make the process go smoothly and focus on celebrating the growth of their team!
Attracting talent that fits
- Know where to look. Oftentimes employers think the giant job boards will attract the best talent but we’re looking for quality over quantity here. So consider advertising the position within your industry where your job description will circulate among interested parties. Why filter through a hundred resumes of ill-fitting candidates when you can get five highly qualified ones? On this note…
- Write a stellar job description. Your job description is pretty much the single most important tool you have in finding the right candidate. Make sure it clearly states your company’s identity (what makes it different than competitors), thoroughly describes the role (avoid ambiguous language) and includes the pay range. No ‘competitive pay’ here! Seriously, candidates need to know if the job will support their lifestyle before they go through the application process. This is especially true for passive candidates.
- Make applying easy. You’ll lose candidates if the application is lengthy and repetitive. And please make sure that creating an account is NOT part of the requirement. But do identify the ‘must-have’ skills for the position to filter out the unqualified.
The hiring process
- Maintain a universal hiring procedure. While the positions may be unique from one another, make sure the hiring process for each one isn’t. A universal process will streamline the experience for both manager and candidates and it sends a positive message that the company has a firm grasp of the responsibilities and decreases the chance of a misstep.
- Do invite team members to participate, however. Here is where employers can be a little flexible with the process. Invite future colleagues to interview candidates and provide feedback. It’ll help ensure a good fit.
- Don’t leave a candidate hanging. While it sounds a chore, acknowledging each candidate in some way, either a thank you for the application or a polite rejection, it’s a useful tool for maintaining your company’s reputation, and it’s simply polite. It also could lead the candidate to apply for a position in the future, which is a positive thing. They may not be the right fit now but with a stronger skill-set, they could be someday.
There’s one more tip we have for you and it’s a good one: always be hiring. Looking to the future and anticipating hiring needs is a terrific way to avoid being in a desperate search for your next employee, and it’ll also help in preparing for growth, something all small businesses are looking to do. And the team at Eos HR can help. We make sure small businesses’ maintain the smart hiring practices that will support their goals. Schedule a free consultation today to learn more.
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