How Small Businesses Can Attract Top Talent
Hiring talented employees can be difficult, especially for small businesses. The presumption is that, the best ones always flock towards companies that can provide them higher incomes and better opportunities. Unfortunately, some companies could not even find enough candidates to choose from. They are also faced with various hiring challenges including the lengthy hiring process.
However, this is not always the case. Recruiting the best talent is still possible for small businesses, provided they make use of a proper hiring strategy. Most employees are always ready to spread their wings for a variety of reasons. Working for a large, well-known company, does not always work for talented people. Some of them look for job fulfilment, which cannot always be quantified with money.
But even as talented employees look for new job opportunities, it cannot be denied that there is an increasing demand for new talents. With so much competition around, you have to be really creative when hiring.
Tips for small businesses on the lookout for good candidates:
Present a strong brand
Sell your company to potential talents by creating a strong image of your brand. It’s all about branding, and when it comes to recruitment, your company is your product. So how do you attract talented workers and entice them to work for you? Sell them what you have to offer.
The best talents want to work for and in an organisation that shares their values. Describe your organisation’s culture and how you value your employees. Is it just about profit margins or do you value corporate social responsibility too? More often than not, top talents would rather work for a business based on their core values.
Company values should be deeply rooted and presented clearly in all company communication platforms, be it your website or newsletter. It could be Integrity, Stewardship, Customer Commitment, Passion, or whatever ethos your organisation stands for. A strong company culture can easily beat a glamourous workplace anytime, and this holds true when it comes to attracting the best workers.
What can you offer?
Small businesses do not have big budget perks but for sure, your company has something to offer that even the larger companies can’t offer or won’t even if they are perfectly capable of doing so. Talented workers who do not want to be tied up with work are always looking for flexible work schedules. Perhaps, you can offer a work from home option on certain days. Why not allow your employees to work on their own time provided they come up with an output for a certain project?
Superstar workers want to leave their mark too and the idea of sharing and owning part of a brand can be pretty attractive. Most startups attract talents by providing them an option to be part of the company. A sense of ownership will not only make talented employees want to work for you but, it will also make them work harder.
Where to post
The accessibility of the internet has widened the playing field, recruitment-wise, to the advantage of small businesses. That could work both ways though, as posting all over the internet will only yield mountain-full of applications, mostly from unqualified candidates. Posting your vacancy in your website will be a good idea as you might hit the jackpot and get a good talent who is interested in your brand niche.
There are various social media sites where you can post your vacancy. However, choose a site that will be visible to the applicants you are targeting. Checkout platforms where professional of various industries congregate.
The best employers are those who can provide work-life balance for their employees. If you can offer this, then you will be able to attract top talents who put a primer on quality of life over money and prestige. Being a small business can work for you when it comes to attracting the best and the brightest, but you should know how to attract them first. You may not have a big budget for salaries and perks, but if you can assure them that they will grow with the company, then you will be able to get some of the best people in your line of business.
