How to Find Employees for Your Small Business

When you need employees for your small business, it can be hard to find the right people with the right skills. As a budding startup, you don’t have the luxuries that large corporations do — you could be looking for candidates under budgetary and time constraints. If you haven’t made your first hire yet, where do you even start? 

The bad news is there’s no one right way to find the perfect employee. The good news is that there are several things you can do to improve your hiring process that won’t break the bank. This guide will provide solid strategies for finding qualified workers. These will start your recruiting process on the right foot, even if you’re operating with limited resources.

Writing a Job Description

Putting together great job descriptions for new jobs can be tricky. On one hand, you want your post to feel professional. On the other hand, you don’t want it to bore your prospective hires. A good job description should be clear, easy to read, and descriptive. 

Try to see things from a potential candidate’s point of view. If you were in their position, what would you want to know about a prospective job? You’d want to know things like:

• What tasks you’ll be doing on a daily basis
• The education and experience needed
• Whether the job is part or full time
• The hourly rate or salary
• The benefits offered
• Whether you’ll be working alone or in teams

Determine the role that needs to be filled

Determining your company needs requires more forethought than just saying something like, “I need a marketing expert.” Spend time thinking about the job you’re hiring for. What are the skills that prospective employees will need, and how do they fit into your business goals? This type of planning will make it easier to spot the right resume when it comes along. 

For example, if you’re an information technology (IT) consultant working with corporations, a marketer who specializes in business-to-customer (B2C) marketing won’t help much. You need a professional who knows how to appeal to your target audience and who is familiar with business-to-business (B2B) strategies and marketing tools.

Write a realistic job summary

Your job description not only needs to attract qualified candidates but it should also repel the wrong ones. When you’re drafting the summary, try to make the skills and experience you’re looking for as clear as possible in your job opening. However, you should avoid things like jargon and cliches. If you’re looking for a marketer, platitudes like “bleeding edge” and “innovative” are overused and confusing. 

Let’s continue with our example from above. The marketing expert for your consultant startup should have experience writing B2B content. They’ll need skills like the ability to write “white papers” and “case studies.” They’ll also need to be familiar with email marketing tools like GetResponse. 

Give the job posting a clear title

Regardless of which job boards you use, you’ll want your job posting to be easy to find. Think about the job title that your ideal hire would type into a job search engine. Would they type “lead generation rockstar”? Of course not. A professional would type in the title of the actual job they desire. Giving your job post a clear title will help you attract a larger talent pool.

When you’re searching for a marketing expert, title your posting with something like, “Director of Marketing” or “Marketing Specialist.” A clear job title will increase the odds of the right hire coming to you.

Include compensation details and benefits

Benefits can be very attractive to job seekers. If you offer things like health insurance, paid time off, or matching 401(k) programs, be sure to include them in the job description. Even a cool or unique company culture can be attractive to some hires. As a new small business, you may not be able to afford to pay a high salary. To some workers, certain benefits can be even more appealing than a high wage. 

Why not offer your marketing hire a commission payment benefit to make up for their low base salary? They could get paid an extra portion of every conversion from their marketing material. Not only would this idea intrigue them, but it could also add an incentive to be more productive. Other perks, like the ability to work from home, can be especially important to new employees during situations like the COVID-19 pandemic.

Where do I find employees for my small business?

Great employees are everywhere; you just have to know how to meet them. You can find possible hires online, through networking, or at just about any institute of learning. However, you’ll need to find recruiting strategies for locating and getting to know talent. 

Below are some suggestions for where and how to reach possible hires. While some of these options cost money, there are plenty of cost-effective strategies for small business owners. When you find the right hire, they’ll want to learn everything they can about your company. ZenBusiness can help you make a great company website that will educate and impress visitors.

Networking

You can network online using sites like LinkedIn. LinkedIn is designed for professional use and allows you to connect with job seekers and see their resumes, experience, and portfolios. After you post your job ad on your LinkedIn page, you can search for professionals in your industry and reach out to anyone who interests you. 

In-person networking can be scary for some, but it’s really important. Set up a booth at a career fair or attend a trade conference for people in your industry. If these events get too expensive for your small business, though, you can always network for free with the people you come in contact with daily. You never know if your waiter, bagger, or bank teller has the personality and skills you need. Always be prepared with business cards on hand. 

If you’re still not sure how to network, there are plenty of guides to help.

Online Job Postings

As a small business owner, you’ll likely want to post your job for free on a site like Indeed, Google, or even Craigslist. However, you might have better luck finding quality job candidates if you pay to post jobs on sites like Glassdoor and Monster. On some job sites, you can pay to get your job posting sponsored or advertised.

RELATED: Using Craigslist To Find Work

Referrals

You might not have enough current employees to start an employee referral program, but that doesn’t mean you can’t find referrals elsewhere. Try using your personal network, or think about connections with family or friends who could be perfect for your business. You can also speak to co-workers or bosses from previous jobs to see if they know anyone looking for employment.

HR Software

Unfortunately, when you post your job online, you risk getting inundated with applications from unqualified potential candidates. That’s why it’s smart to have HR software to keep track of everything. One type of HR software that helps with recruiting is called an applicant tracking system (ATS).

A good ATS can help you keep up with all of your job seekers. ATSs like Oracle Taleo and Bullhorn can automate processes like scheduling interviews, sending rejection letters, and posting on several job sites. They also serve as a database to store information for all of your candidates.

Social Media

Because of the vast number of people who use it, social media has become extremely popular for marketing professionals. You can also use it to find new hires; simply post your job description on sites like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Social media lets you connect with people who have an interest in your field. You can also see elements of their personality through their pages. Facebook even has social groups you can join for almost any career choice. 

The more your post gets shared, the better, so try to get everyone you know to share your job description. You can even purchase ads that will ensure your post is seen by a wide audience.

Local Universities, Colleges, and High Schools

Schools are great places for finding young, hungry talent. Students are looking to take the next step in their careers. Universities and smaller colleges hold several job fairs and recruiting events every year. Make a call to local colleges to see if you can grab a booth at an upcoming event. Another option is to contact a school’s journalism department to see if they’ll include your job post in their publication. 

Depending on the expertise required for your job, you can even try contacting nearby high schools. Some high-achieving students could be looking for a summer job or internship that will look good on a college transcript.

Find the best employees for your small business

When you’re trying to fill open positions in your company on a small business budget, you have to get creative. When you don’t have recruiters to meet your staffing needs, it’s important that you make the best of every resource you have. You don’t have the time or money to waste.

Luckily, not having the capital doesn’t mean you have to settle for workers who are less than exemplary. If you write an appealing and professional job post, there’s an assortment of free and inexpensive ways to find top talent. 

You’re devoted to your business. Whether you’re a trade worker, consultant, or freelancer, you don’t want to spend precious working hours doing administration. ZenBusiness has business resources that can make starting and maintaining your business much easier so you can focus on making your company a success.