Imagine that it’s 1:00 a.m. and you are wide awake. You spent the day dealing with problem employees, and you dread tomorrow because it will be more of the same. Running your business should be easier. Your product or service is great. Instead of living your life’s dream and watching your bank account grow, you are constantly recruiting, trying to find the right people to grow your business. You find someone you think will be great, only to be disappointed when you realize they are another average or subpar employee. If only you could solve the mystery of hiring the right people, most of your problems would be eliminated.
Sound familiar? I hear this too often from small business owners. I hear the defeat in their voices when they offer excuses like:
- There are no good people out there anymore.
- It’s too expensive to pay for ads on the big job boards.
- I’m too small to compete with the big companies.
Here’s the good news: those excuses are advantages most small business owners overlook.
There Are Great People Out There Hiding in Plain Sight.
The problem is that most small business owners are looking in the wrong places. They practice the post and hope method of attracting great people. They post a boring job description and hope the right people apply. Hope is rarely an effective strategy.
One of the best ways to attract the high-quality candidates is to write a great job posting. To save time, most small business owners post the job description. Job descriptions are boring! We wonder why no qualified candidates apply. Dare to be different! Catch their eye. Stand out from the crowd; make ‘em go, “Whoa!” Finding great people requires writing a job ad that will appeal to them and posting it in places where they are most likely to see it.
You Can Recruit Great People Without Expensive Ads.
Think about the skills, attitudes, behaviors, and personality traits of your ideal candidate. Where do they work? What hobbies do they have? What groups do they belong to? Once you know where to look, invite them to apply for your jobs. We call these people passive candidates because they are unhappy where they are, yet not actively searching for a new job. When you reach out to them with your awesome opportunity, they are open to learning more.
Reaching out to passive candidates costs only a few minutes of your time and is one of the most effective ways to recruit. No one knows your business better than you; it’s your passion! What better use of your time than talking to great candidates instead of reviewing resumes of unqualified people? Wouldn’t you rather spend your time talking with great candidates than looking at hundreds of unqualified resumes?
Being Small is An Advantage
Even if you’re a small company, you can attract talented employees. Instead of complaining about things that are out of your budget, like high salaries, generous benefit plans, or [insert other cool perks here], focus on what you can offer. Robert Versteeg, Head of HR at Witlox Van den Boomen, states: “I don’t have the budget, time, or team, but I’ve learned to compete through our two main assets: our talent and our story.” Versteeg understands that small businesses must focus on what they do offer to attract top talent.
In large firms, talented people can get lost in the thousands of employees who work there. In a small business, top performers can work closely with the owners, or upper management, and can be more involved with the heart and soul of the business. High performers get to see results of their work. Creativity, innovation, and calculated risks are encouraged because that’s what keeps a small business growing. Working in a small business means a more diversified experience. Employees often have more than one role and can broaden their experience.
Understanding how to leverage your business and the opportunities you provide to great employees is the key to successful recruiting. When you make small changes to your approach to recruiting and hiring the right people for your business, you will be amazed by the results. In no time at all, you will have a business filled with the right people who share your passion.
If you or someone you know needs some help decoding the mystery of hiring the right people, call me, send an email, or text MOMENTUM to 480-418-1411 to get more in-depth, step-by-step help for hiring the right people. And, the best part is that it’s FREE!