One of the most difficult things for a business owner can be acquiring employees. Regardless of what kind of field your business is in, labor seems to be more difficult to come by now than ever before. Fortunately, our exclusive leadership-roundtable of business owners came together to discuss the best ways to tackle this problem for you. Their insights have been catalogued and distilled for you here.
Improve Company Image
If you’re looking for new workers, the first place you will want to start is your online image and presence on social media. Websites such as Indeed, LinkedIn, and Glassdoor are places where you can effectively market your business to emerging talent. Workers who are actively looking for new jobs will often check your business listing on these destination sites. Make sure that your pages are up to date and reflect the sharp image of your business that we know you’re cultivating.
Pay attention to your company image online, especially in reviews. Encourage your current employees to leave their own reviews on public websites like Glassdoor and Indeed.
Updating those pages sets your company up for a great passive image, but now you are onto more active pursuits to find talent. Recruiting agencies can be an effective way to introduce your business to new faces, as they specialize in connecting businesses to skilled laborers. Temp agencies are another great place to start. Whether you are looking to hire for the short or long-term, you can always hire people temporarily and, if it is a good fit, there is a chance that relationship could evolve into something more permanent.
Get Creative
There are also many ways to get creative with your hiring. Try building relationships with local colleges, or trade and technical schools if that applies to your line of work. Even starting a small internship program at the local high school can reap great rewards, especially if you have a track in place to hire those interns when they begin looking for full-time work. Many youths are interested in flexible hours during school, either for pay or credit. Your local Chamber of Commerce is a great place to list your current job openings as well.
Recruit employees all the time, not just when more employees are needed. This helps to prepare your company for uncertainty and volatile times.
Recruiting new employees can begin with the ones you already have. Setting up a referral program is an excellent way to incentivize your employees to introduce your business to their friends and family. Good options include:
- A cash bonus to both the referee and new employee after 90 days.
- Paying a referral bonus, regardless of if the new employee makes it 90 days. However, increase the bonus each time your employee sends another candidate to the company. Or give additional bonuses for each milestone the new employee stays with the company within the first year. This approach incentivizes your workers to always be looking out for new talent.
- Consider only offering referral incentives to the top performers within the company. This keeps your best people referring their best, as well as showing them how much trust you place in their judgment.
Family members should be somewhat separate in areas of command. Avoid them directly reporting to one another to eliminate any conflicts of interest.
Pitching Your Company
Once you have found your workers, the second half of your recruitment process is the sale. You are selling your company, notably its management style and culture. You need to convince them that your company is worth their time and effort beyond the pay that you offer. What can they get by working for you that they can’t get somewhere else? There are many ways to accomplish this. Here are some suggestions:
- Highlight a training program for new employees, with a certification upon completion.
- Create an emphasis on safety culture, with incentives for safety and performance.
- Add culture-related questions to your interviews.
A great way to earn new employees is by highlighting the ways that your business is helping the world and the environment. Learn more about running a sustainable business:
In Closing
With these tips, you are all set to get out there and acquire some new workers! Your business is at its best when it looks and feels like the place where things are happening. Searching for job candidates requires some active and passive work, but it can really pay off once you have everything set up. Good talent goes a long way.
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