When you run a small business, all of your decisions can impact the success of your company.
One of the most important things in determining success is your employee base.
Strong, motivated, productive employees are going to get you the business you want, it’s your responsibility to get those employees.
Hiring Quality Workers
When you have a position to fill, you want to find the best fit for the job. This doesn’t mean hiring the first applicant to make things easier or more cost effective for you (though the first candidate may be the best one).
As the following article looks at, there are some ways of lowering the cost of hiring without sacrificing quality.
They include:
- Advertise online – Most people job search online these days, so keep your postings to the Internet. Your social media pages are excellent for this, plus they make a great medium for sharing and getting the word. You should also have a constant page on your website for applicants that lists any openings and where they can submit their information. Skip the print ads or the paid services for listings. These don’t always bring in the best candidates;
- Advertise through word-of-mouth – Sometimes the best candidate is right under your nose. Let your friends and colleagues know you are looking and see who they come up with. Your neighbor may know the perfect guy or your current employee may know someone currently looking who would fit the bill;
- Don’t be afraid to use a recruiter – Yes, you’ll have to pay a recruiter, but they may save you enough time to make it worth your while. They can sift through applicants, set up interviews for you and do some other initial screening. The time you spend away from your business doing the searching will cost you in its own way;
- Face-time and do phone interviews – You don’t need to conduct every interview in person. A phone or face-time interview will save you some time (which is money). Also, if the candidate isn’t local and you’d have to fly them in, have the initial interviews over the phone;
- Sell what you have – You may not be able to wine and dine your candidates at fancy restaurants or set them up at lavish hotels during the interview process, but you can fill them in on your great business environment. You can describe what you can offer, flexible hours, a family environment, a close knit supportive work atmosphere…play up the charms of a small business;
- Always keep your eyes out – Even when you’re not hiring, if you run into someone who could be a great fit, hold onto her contact information. You never know when the time will be right.
Finding the right employee can be tough. Or maybe you’ll luck out and find the right person right away.
It will pay in the long run to hire the best people you can instead of settling because the process was too difficult or expensive.
Just don’t sacrifice those great candidates to save a little money.
About the Author: Heather Legg is an independent writer who covers topics pertaining to small business, social media and marketing.