(Newswire.net — July 22, 2020) — There are few things more important than building a productive and passionate bunch to represent your small business. From ensuring operations run smoothly to generating leads and making great first impressions, your employees are an essential part of your brand. But finding qualified employees who also meet the mark when it comes to cultural fit, skills, and drive isn’t always easy.
If you’re looking to add to your team in the near future, keep these recruiting strategies in mind.
1. Use your extended network
Hiring new team members in 2020 looks a whole lot different than it did 20 or even 10 years ago. Gone are the days of newspaper classified ads and cold calls — now, recruiters have access to thousands of applicants in their local region, and millions of job seekers around the world.
Online job boards provide a convenient medium for employers and job seekers to connect, research, and secure valuable job options. In fact, websites like Glassdoor, LinkedIn, and Indeed have become fairly standard in the hiring industry — but your networking efforts don’t need to stop here.
To expand your network even further, consider implementing an employee referral program. Employee referrals are a great way to generate new candidates while also keeping your current employees engaged. And when you think about it, it makes sense to enlist trust in your high-performing staff to vouch for and help you recruit new hires. Include bonuses, gift cards, or other incentives to encourage your team to participate.
Another great way to leverage your network is by attending industry workshops or joining online forums that focus on your vertical.
2. Elevate your advertising efforts
In the age of uber-cool startups and state-of-the-art office spaces, securing top-end candidates can be considered a competitive sport. To reach and attract as many desirable candidates as possible, you’ll want to amp up your advertising. Here are a few pointers to get you going:
- Start with our website — your website is the first impression your customers, partners, and prospective candidates have of your organization, so you’ll want to make sure it’s as engaging, polished, and user-friendly as possible.
- Write a solid job description — a great job description should accurately reflect job duties, company culture, and experience required. Refining this piece will help you attract serious and qualified candidates.
- Diversify listings — reach multiple audiences by posting your available job to several websites. Take it a step further by encouraging current staff to share open jobs to their personal platforms as well.
3. Keep a log of previous applicants
Tip #3: don’t let stellar applicants get away! All hiring managers know that the recruiting process is often a drawn-out one. To save on time and focus on promising prospects, keep a database of individuals who have applied previously for the same or similar positions. This way, you can just refer back to your list and start by contacting your top picks.
4. Verify final candidates
While some of your employees do more behind-the-scenes work, some of them are probably interacting with the public, clients, and other colleagues on a regular basis. This is one of the many reasons it’s so critical to invest in high-quality hires. To make sure your business, customers, and staff feel safe, welcoming, and professional, it’s good practice to run background checks.
There are several types of background checks hiring managers can choose from, including:
- Employee credit checks — primarily used for finance-related jobs
- Motor Vehicle Record (MVR check) — used for delivery drivers, public transit operators, etc.
- Criminal background check — general report used for a variety of industries
5. Offer competitive perks
As we mentioned earlier in this post, the modern job market can be a seriously competitive one. In order to build a stellar staff, you’ll want to appeal to the best of the best. Offering competitive pay, perks such as unlimited PTO, good health benefits, and professional development opportunities are just a few of the things job seekers are on the lookout for.
Final notes
Finding your A-team takes time and determination, but hopefully, these five tips will make the hiring process more manageable. Make sure to share your experiences and hiring hacks with us by dropping a comment below!