3 Best Hiring Practices for Small Businesses

Small businesses are hiring at record rates, but that doesn’t mean that finding the right person to join your team is any less of a challenge than before. If anything, it’s a greater challenge than ever, and to ensure you’re making the right hire for your upcoming position, you have to understand the best hiring practices for small businesses like yours. Not sure what those practices are or even how to begin to reshape your hiring so it better fits today’s best practices? If you incorporate these three tips in every talent search you undertake this year, you’re certain to create a great connection with a candidate.

1. 1. Think carefully about what you need. When was the last time you took a good look at the requirements involved with getting a job for yourself? If you’re like many, it’s been a while. How do you know that the number of years of experience is the most important thing? If a bachelor’s degree in marketing isn’t actually required for the job, why list it in the ad? You could be overlooking lots of candidates you hadn’t previously considered because you don’t open yourself up to the possibilities. Remember that most jobs aren’t just about technical skills. Often they’re as much about fitting into your company culture as they are performing given tasks. So, look for those candidates who have the soft skills you need. For example, imagine you need a team leader. If that’s the case, someone who is introverted and shy may not be your best candidate, even if they have the software skills and experience you need the most. 

1. Create a better job search. It all begins with the ad for the job, as well it should. Spend some time with that ad. Don’t just recycle the version you used last year when that new hire you spent so much time with didn’t work out. Instead, create an ad that will get the attention it deserves. Consider an opening paragraph that will catch the attention of potential candidates and highlight what makes your company such a great place to work. Don’t forget to include key information about what the day-to-day process looks like in your company as well as skill, education, and experience requirements. The best ads offer more information about you than they do list requirements for job seekers.Once you’ve crafted the perfect ad, place it well. Where are the most talented people in your industry gathering online? Moreover, where are they actually going to be geographically located? Don’t spend time and effort posting to job boards they’ll never visit or newspapers they’ll never see. Use social media that’s geographically targeted to find individuals who might be perfect for the job. Don’t forget to reach out within your local community too. There may be career counselors at local community colleges that could connect you with the perfect candidate. You should also consider relationships you’ve already built. Do you know colleagues who could connect you with a potential candidate? Are there team members who might be able to refer a new hire? When it comes to best hiring practices for small businesses, the better your search, the more likely you are to connect with the talent your company needs most.
2. Build a solid interview process. The interview will be the first chance you really get to connect with the person you may hire, so think hard about how you want the interview to go. Look at those red flags on the resume and address them in a positive manner. Perhaps you’re concerned about gaps in work history. Maybe there’s a solid reason behind that. Asking the right questions can mean you connect with the candidate in a way you never would have thought possible. 

Consider both work experiences and soft skills throughout the interview to truly get a feel for the candidate. Don’t come up with ridiculous brain teaser questions, but seek to understand times when they’ve performed well in similar situations that they may face on a regular basis within your company.

As you talk to the candidates, make sure they really want the job you’re offering. After all, you’ll invest a lot of time and money in training this person, so ensure they’re actually interested in what the job will involve. They’re considering you as much as you’re considering them, so play up the positives but take the time to understand whether or not they might be comfortable within your organization. Consider getting them out of the interview room during this process. Take a tour of the company or even have lunch together. Most importantly, don’t forget to involve other team members.

Hiring your next team member won’t be an easy process, but effective hiring starts with the best hiring practices for small businesses, and these tips can help you shape that plan. If you’re looking for help growing your business, reach out to us today! We’d be happy to lend our expertise to you along the way.