By Kristine Wakeen, Lucid Business Strategies

So how does a small business hire good people? What skills and abilities does the applicant have to possess? Where do you find them? These are all questions that a small business needs to ask when searching for qualified candidates to fill their job openings.

Skills, Character Traits and Education

Let’s begin with defining the necessary skills, education and character traits that are needed to perform the job. This information should be found in the job description. You do have a job description… don’t you? If not, you will need to determine the job skills, traits and educational requirements you need in this position. Ideally, this information should be gathered by interviewing one of your exemplary employees presently performing the job. Knowing what these qualifications and requirements are will make it easier to construct ads and identify sources that would be most appropriate in attracting qualified candidates. O.K now that you know what you’re looking for, let’s look at some creative ways to find qualified candidates.

Creative Recruiting Strategies

You probably have already considered some of the traditional recruiting approaches, such as the newspaper or employment agencies (some of which can charge a hefty fee). Maybe you have also used the internet for your job postings, which by the way is becoming a more common way to find people. These sources may have attracted candidates, but did they attract “qualified candidates.” If not, beyond these recruiting strategies, there are some creative ways to find candidates that could give you an edge over your competition.

1. Try before you buy!: Offer internship or apprenticeship opportunities for high school or college students. This can be a cost-effective way to find talented candidates that are required to do an internship or apprenticeship for their degree requirements. This allows for time in evaluating the intern before a decision is made on a permanent assignment. Thus, if the intern is not working out, then the employer can terminate the relationship upon completion of the assignment without any repercussions.


2. Employee Referrals: Begin an employee-referral program and reward employees by providing a monetary incentive for referred candidates that have been on board with the company for at least six months. Providing these incentives is not only motivating to the employee, but also creates a shared vision and a feeling among employees that we are all in this together.


3. Host an Open House: And a tour of your business facility and/or hold an on-site job/career fair. This is an excellent way for prospective candidates to see what you are all about and gives them a taste of the company culture.


4. Stay in touch: With talented people who leave the company, and use them as sources for finding new talent. Talented people usually attract other talented people.


5. Network: With clients, customers and suppliers and other business associates for your recruiting needs. Building these relationships can be a powerful tool in not only finding qualified candidates, but also in marketing your business. According to a recent poll, networking and personal contacts rank as the most used and effective search tools by employers. (Society of Human Resource Management, 2001).


6. Establish a Training Center: Not only for the benefit of training your people, but to pick from among the best graduates for job openings.


7. Recruit: From local colleges and universities. Begin building relationships with these educational institutions. Establishing these relationships will keep your company fresh in their mind. Beyond that, establishing a relationship with instructors specific to your job category can be highly beneficial for finding quality candidates from the instructor’s referrals. As well, a representative from your business can give a career presentation and/or recruit candidates on campus. This approach also allows for the opportunity to discuss with candidates the small business advantage that can’t be expressed in a newspaper ad.


8. Job Hotline: Set up a job opportunity hotline in your organization for potential candidates to call to inquire about current openings.


9. Alternative advertising methods: More companies are using radio and T.V to advertise their openings. There may be cable stations in your area that will let you list job openings at no charge.

Now that you have identified and selected the right candidate, you're now on your way to building a successful organization. Since when you think of it, the real key to a company’s success is its people.

References

Society for Human Resources Management (2001). Personal Networking is Key in Finding a Job or Job Candidate, CareerJournal.com.

© 2004 Lucid Business Strategies. All Rights Reserved.

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