MightyRecruiterWhenever you hold an event meant to market your company’s services or products, look for ways to turn it into a recruitment event as well. Rather than go well out of your way to make it plain you’re in need of talented individuals to come work for your company, put most of your effort on the marketing. Whenever you encounter someone who takes a genuine interest in your company, simply let him or her know you’re always looking to attract top talent. Even if the individual isn’t interested, she or he might know of someone who is.
2. Let People Know What It’s Like to Work for Your Company
Just because you have a small business doesn’t mean you don’t have a fun work environment. Use social media to show off your company brand and give others a glimpse into what it’s like to run and work for your company. Show images of day-to-day work activities, optimize your website to show off the best and most rewarding aspects of your business and use blog posts to share what your company is currently working on. When it’s time to attract top talent, you want to make sure your job descriptions are clear as to the type of employee for which you’re looking. Be specific about the role you need filled, the tasks the position requires, the level of education you prefer applicants to have and if there are any professional or personal skills you’d like a candidate to possess.
3. Have Year-Round Interviewing
Rather than be a company that only interviews when it has a need for new employees, become known as one that is always interviewing for viable job candidates. Just because you don’t need new talent now doesn’t mean you won’t need it in the near future, or that you won’t need it ASAP. By constantly interviewing candidates, you’ll have quick and easy access to individuals likely to be a good match for your company. Something else to think about is that you might discover a company position you never knew needed to be filled.
4. Consider Non-Traditional Employees
When you attract top talent, step outside of the norm and look beyond individuals with degrees, several years of experience and a well-crafted resume. While you could be hesitant about hiring former prison inmates, know they’re people who have something to prove and are more likely to give a job their all. Former inmates also bring a new perspective you might not have considered before. You should also set your sights on the talent in vocational schools and even former employees who left your company on good terms.
5. Create a Referral Network
Rather than view other small businesses in your area or industry as a collective threat, view them instead as an ally and another way to attract top talent. Just because a candidate isn’t a good fit for your company doesn’t mean he or she wouldn’t fit perfectly with another business. If you know of a potential business that isn’t in the area and the job can be done remotely, see if the business owner would be open to the idea of the candidate telecommuting. This is less expensive, and it’s also a great way to possibly get a few referrals from other businesses you’ve helped in the past.
6. Involve Your Current Employees With the Process
No matter how many degrees a person may have or how many years of experience he or she has, nothing determines how well that individual will fit in with your company like job shadowing. With job shadowing, you get to see how well the candidate fits in with the rest of your employees, how likely he or she is to succeed in the position, and you give the applicant a chance to see what it would be like to work for you. It’s a win-win situation for everyone involved. Afterwards, ask your employees if they can see themselves working with the individual. For more suggestions on attracting top talent and hiring all-star employees, check out the tools and articles on Mighty Recruiter.