As much as you might try to run your business singlehandedly, eventually you’re probably going to need a little bit of help to take your company to the next level. Choosing the right employees for your company is always a challenge, but it can be expensive to rush a decision and select the wrong employee. If you’re looking to expand your team, here are a few ways to ensure you make the perfect hire.
1) Target Your Online Job Search
You can easily post your job openings on sites like Craigslist or Monster, but you might be creating more work for yourself than you’d like. Many qualified job seekers look to these big sites, but posting on those sites can seriously dilute your candidate pool, making you wade through piles of subpar resumes to find the rare gem. If you want to supplement those tools, consider doing some vigorous networking through LinkedIn, or even Twitter.
LinkedIn provides an excellent marketplace for talented employees, and it is easy to check their references and past accomplishments. Twitter also provides an avenue to announce jobs and contact information. Since you are contacting your fans directly, you know that you’re targeting potential job candidates who are loyal and passionate about your business.
2) Head Back to College and Trade Schools
Hopefully, you have already contacted the Career Center at nearby colleges and vocational schools to register with their job listings board for possible interns. These can be a great source to find young talent and employ alumni in the area. You can also arrange for the placement office to screen potential job candidates to meet your requirements.
3) Ask Your Peers
Now, we’re not telling you to go out and poach star employees from your competitors, but they can be a great source for new employees. If you’re close with other small business owners, you each probably have an employee or two that isn’t quite a perfect fit on your team, but would work well in another environment. If so, arrange to meet those employees to see if they would be a good fit for your company and if they are looking for a new opportunity.
4) Mine Current Employees
This method will require you to have faith in your current employees, but some of the best hires you’ll make can come from direct recommendations from your star employees. Your employees won’t recommend just anyone, but rather those they know will meet your high standards and come with the skill set that the position requires. You’ll also have built in training support to help new employees get up to speed – the new employees who come recommended as connections with the old ones will be able to comfortably fit in within the new office environment faster too.
5) Contact Professional Staffing Services
Staffing agencies, or recruiters, have a solid track record in placing qualified job candidates in the right job. If you’re looking to fill specialized positions, like accountants or data analyst jobs, a staffing agency like Kforce can make it much simpler to find the perfect employee without the headaches. A good staffing service will partner with your business to make sure you only get qualified candidates.
6) Reach Out to Local Professional Associations
No matter what industry you’re in, the local chapter of your industry’s professional association will be a goldmine of top-notch talent. Most trade associations and professional organizations will be full of members who are dedicated to their profession and ready to make strong connections within their communities. There are dozens of trade associations for many professions, so you’ll have a lot of avenues to find new employees. Most will have local job boards for members, so reach out to the local chapter.
7) Make an Attractive Workplace
It is no secret that the best employees want to work for the best companies. One of the easiest ways to find the best employees is to make them come to you. Top employees are looking for fun, innovative work environments with a strong company culture. This is more of a long-term method, and it begins by making the correct hires as your company is growing. Make sure to hire employees who fit your company culture, not just the job description, and you’ll build the kind of company that attracts serious talent.
Author Bio:
When Rainier Fuclan is not busy working at 352 Media Group, a professional web development company and digital marketing agency with more than 10 years of experience, he is busy freelance writing and blogging.