A Guide to Hiring for Small Business
A business is only as good as the people that it employs. And that’s especially true for smaller companies where each employee is a representation of the company culture and values that it represents.
That’s why hiring for small businesses isn’t just a way to fill out various roles; it’s an essential aspect of running a company that will ultimately determine how successful your business is and what you can achieve, both long-term and short-term.
But what are the best practices of hiring employees for small businesses? When thinking of small business hiring, where’s the best place to start?
Let’s go over the most important things to consider when hiring; whether you’re hiring your first employee or have been running a company for many years, you may find these key points helpful.
The Process of Hiring for Small Business
Strongly Consider the Position You Wish to Fill
When hiring employees for your small business, you are not only adding a new member to fill a vital role on your team, but are also committing a salary and benefits. You need to be sure that each employee you end up hiring meets specific criteria for what you are looking for.
First off, you should carefully consider the position that you want to fill—an integral part of the small business hiring process revolves around identifying the specific roles and responsibilities that are currently lacking.
You must try to avoid overlapping responsibilities as much as possible and instead create positions that fill a specific need in your company, solving problems and making life easier for others.
You must ask yourself: what tasks would you like to pass on to a new employee? How will they make day-to-day operations more efficient? What types of past experiences should an ideal candidate have?
In some cases, you may find that instead of hiring a new employee, you might be better off outsourcing specific tasks to a freelancer.
Have a Clear Job Description
When hiring for small business, you may be tempted to look for the right fit and then assign them work as needed once they are onboard. However, that is a flawed approach that leads to disappointment and confusion, both from the company and from the newly-hired employee.
The problem with this approach is the lack of clear expectations. Without specific requirements and responsibilities in your job description, you won’t attract the people with the right skillset and may find that the person you hired simply isn’t fit to handle some of the tasks that you need them to take on.
That’s why, for every new business hiring employees, it’s crucial to create a very specific and well-thought-out job description that lists all of the responsibilities that the candidate would be tasked with.
A good job description must not only convey the information about what the job will entail, but also provide insights about your company and its culture in order to attract the very best candidates to apply.
How to Find the Best Candidates
Figuring out how to find employees for small business needs is always a challenge since you are competing with larger companies that can often offer more lucrative benefits.
However, the trick is to understand where the ideal candidates usually look for jobs and aggressively pursue them through those avenues.
The good news is that you probably already have a network of colleagues and peers that might help you find the best candidate in your situation.
You should leverage your website and your social media channels to announce that you are looking for an addition to your team; you might be surprised to find that openly declaring”hiring for small business” can help get your message shared across the web.
80% of employers say that social recruiting helps them find passive candidates that might not otherwise see their listing: don’t underestimate the potential rewards of being proactive when hiring for a small business.
It’s also a good idea to actively look for potential candidates in your own network of connections. Figuring out how to hire employees for a new business isn’t easy, so you should not be afraid to reach out to former partners or your circle of professional acquaintances and ask if they might know someone who is a good fit.
Hiring Your First Employee
As a small business hiring employees, especially if it’s your first hire, you may find the process to be a daunting task that takes up a lot of time. As a new company, you’re probably still figuring out exactly what you’re looking for, which makes specifying your requirements more difficult.
What’s more, employees are usually more reserved about working for new companies that don’t yet have a track record.
However, no matter where you stand, learning how to hire staff for small business is easier than you think; there are plenty of great employees out there who are looking for an opportunity just like the one you have to offer.
Remember, you might not find the ideal employee on the first day, but if you show patience, don’t settle for the first candidate, and keep an open mind in terms of the person that might be a good fit, you will almost always come away happy with your choice.
L3 Funding
Hiring for small businesses can be a complicated process. Still, if you use the steps listed above and have the resources for offering appealing terms to the candidates, you should have no trouble filling any position.
If you need merchant funding for your business operations or expanding your staff, L3 Funding can help—we provide a range of financing options specifically designed for small business needs. To learn more, please call (877) 9-FUNDIN or fill out an application form today!