Finding Great Employees in a Tight Job Market
There are 32.5 million small businesses in the US. Small companies create 1.5 million jobs annually and account for 64 percent of new jobs created in the US according to the bureau of labor statistics. They are all competing with other small businesses for employees and Fortune 500 companies who have better benefit packages and generally can pay higher salaries. What is a small business to do to attract employees?
How to Start
a. Check your online profile to see what your candidates are seeing Google and Glassdoor.com are 2 good places to start.
b. Write a job description that will attract qualified candidates.
c. Offer a competitive salary, benefits, and unique perks. Often your local chamber maybe able to help.
d. Highlight your brand and culture. What sets you apart from other employers
Where to find those great workers
Start with relatives and friends and get the word out that you need. One of my favorite local Tai restaurants ‘s employs grandpa who is a retired Digital Equipment Corporate mechanical engineer. He has great customer service skills and gets to be around his children and grandchildren.
Don’t forget to reach out to your network. Past schools, clubs and associations are great places to start. Be flexible, offer remote or hybrid work and don’t forget to consider interns, retirees, moms’ hours, contractors, and job sharing.
a. Ask your business partners, vendors, and employees for referrals. Offer and incentive or finders fee for a referral that turns into a hire.
b. Utilize online job boards like Indeed, Zip Recruiter, LinkedIn, or Career Builder. There are also specialized job boards like Dice for IT workers.
c. Check with state agencies like to the Massachusetts Department of Employment and Training to find qualified workers. They offer hiring incentive programs that pay $5,000 per hire up to $75,000.
d. Consider outsourcing to a recruiter who can help you with multiple job openings
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