How to Recruit for a Small Business
As a small business, we know that it’s critically important to get recruiting and onboarding new team members right. Any growing business will need to bring in new people, so how can small businesses, like ours, do this successfully?
In this blog, we will reflect on what’s worked for us over the last couple of years. This year alone (2022) we’ve hired four new team members (and we’re only a team of eight) so we think we have some good advice to share.
Why it’s important to recruit the right people
Recruiting is a lot like dating. If you're looking for a long-term relationship with someone who shares your values and beliefs, it's not enough to just show up at the bar and hope for the best. You need to create a detailed profile of what you're looking for and then put yourself in front of people who might be able to fill that role. Similarly, if you want an employee with certain skills or experiences, it is essential to come up with a detailed job description before doing any recruiting.
Here are five key areas to help you recruit for your small business:
1. Create a detailed job description
A job description is a document that outlines the specific duties and responsibilities of your open position. It should be detailed enough to fully explain what the job entails, but not so much that it’s overwhelming for applicants.
If you want to attract high-quality candidates, it’s important to write a great job description. This means avoiding tired clichés like “team player” or “hard worker.” It’s also important to avoid any gendered language to avoid bias. Instead, focus on concrete skills and qualifications and make sure these are listed prominently in your ad copy!
Also, we recommend being transparent about salary and remuneration on the job description as this promotes equal pay.
2. Use your networks
One of the best ways to find great candidates is through your network. You may already have a large pool of top-notch talent in your social circle, but you don't need to limit yourself to friends and family.
The people who know you through business are also likely connected with other professionals who could make great additions to your team—and they might be the first ones willing to share those names with you. So don’t be afraid to ask your employees, clients and LinkedIn network for referrals.
3. Post on social media
Social media is a great way to find potential candidates, as well as keep your brand in the public eye. It can also assist you in building relationships with your existing network of professionals, which will be useful in recruiting new talent.
You should post job descriptions on social media and other platforms that allow users to search for openings without inputting their contact information (such as LinkedIn).
Did you know that you can post jobs for free on LinkedIn and advertise to your network through your profile page?
4. Develop a recruitment strategy
As you consider your business needs and goals, you will need to develop a recruitment strategy. Your recruitment strategy is your plan for how you will find and hire the right people for your small business. There are many different types of recruitment strategies that can be used depending on the size of the business or industry. For example:
Recruitment agencies might help you recruit specialist talent that might be hard to find
Job boards are online platforms where employers can post job openings in order to reach potential employees
Referrals from existing employees are another way of finding suitable candidates for specific roles
5. Plan your process ahead of time
It’s worth spending some time to plan our the screening and interview process so you know how long the recruitment cycle might take - and who needs to be involved. Think about the following:
Who will screen CVs initially?
How many candidates do you want to meet?
How many will you shortlist?
How many rounds of interviews will you do - and who will lead the interviews?
How will you evaluate candidates skills and experience to create a shortlist?
What questions will you ask?
Where and when will you interview candidates?
There are many things to think about, but planning ahead will make the process run more smoothly for you and the candidates.
Finally…
Recruiting is one of the most important aspects of running a small business.
Without good employees, it can be difficult to get anything done. Recruiting effectively can be daunting, but there are some simple steps you can take to make it as easy as 1,2,3...
First, create an outline for your job description by detailing what skills and experience an ideal candidate should have.
Then, use your networks and social media accounts to find people who fit this description.
Next, reach out directly to potential candidates through e-mails or phone calls—but don't forget about in-person meetings!
Always keep these tips in mind when searching for new employees because they will help ensure success with every new hire at your company.
Katy
