How to Attract Talented Staff for Your Business
Invention Development Advice - Business Planning

Top tips to recruit small business staff

Small business owners can sometimes feel disadvantaged when it comes to hiring talented, qualified employees but Hayley Crealy, director of recruitment company Talentpath has some professional tips and advice for finding and keeping quality employees.

There are a number of reasons why small businesses have trouble attracting and keeping good workers, with the major issue being the perception that there is a certain instability associated with smaller firms.

Ms Crealy says a successful recruitment process begins with time taken to carefully decide precisely what the job is and what is required of the individual, remembering that employing the wrong person can be disastrously expensive.

“Once you know the job and its requirements, draw up the advert with the job title as the prominent heading.

“Adverts with the salary displayed often attract a larger and more relevant response, however, many studies have found salary to be ranked low on priorities underneath things such as opportunity for progression, management style and location.

“Be sure to highlight other benefits besides the financial package, such as growth or promotion opportunities,” Ms Crealy said.

Ms Crealy suggests tempting potential employees by emphasising the size of the business as a positive - smaller companies have more one-on-one management and the CEO will usually work side-by-side with employees.

Another advantage of a small business is that it is slower to lay off in times of uncertainty - big companies are the first to cut in times of economic crisis.

Tips for the hiring process:

  • DO use employee referrals to source new candidates.
  • DO be prepared to be flexible and individually tailor benefits to attract staff, in order to compete with higher salaries offered by larger employers.
  • DO consult with staff to find out what benefits they’d most appreciate as they may not always be financial.
  • DO take time to make new employees feel more welcome and regularly connect with them to see how they’re settling in.
  • DON’T make promises to candidates that you aren’t sure you’ll be able to deliver from day one.
  • DON’T underestimate the influence of employee word-of-mouth to attract new employees. Unhappy staff may dissuade potential recruits.
  • DON’T make big decisions about employee benefits or workplace enhancements until you’re sure you have the capacity and resources to follow through with them.

Small businesses should not be intimidated by hiring top talent and just need to be aware of their point of difference and know what to emphasise.

Fortunately, more and more employees are looking for meaningful work that a small company can provide.

For all your recruitment needs in human resources, sales and marketing and business support, contact Talentpath on T: 1300 768 358.

 

source: http://www.womensnetwork.com.au

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