So many small businesses today have difficulty growing, simply because they can’t find the right people. This is why I started my business as a private recruiter 11 years ago. I saw that small businesses don’t have the recruiting expertise internally to effectively search for top talent. In the past 11 years since starting the business, and recruiting for a wide variety of industries and positions, we have identified some interesting patterns and trends with  how candidates and employers interact.

From watching this interaction between employer and candidates, we noticed that clients who have the most success in hiring have some things in common. I thought it would be useful to share what we have learned about the relationship between the employer and candidate, so that you can position your business to better attract top talent.

You might be surprised to learn that the reason many businesses can’t find help often has to do with “the way they think” about finding help.  The first thing a client needs to know when launching a search is, “It is still a candidate’s market.” Some business owners may not have recruited for years, and therefore approach
recruiting like they would have a decade ago, when candidates may have been more plentiful and less demanding.

The businesses which are most successful in hiring today are those who:

  • Understand that candidates have many job choices and are most likely interviewing with multiple employers while they are interviewing with you. These businesses ensure that their recruiting process is not prolonged, that it is a “high-touch” experience for the candidate, and that the company and candidates are in continual communication with many touch points throughout the process.
  • Develop and refine their employment brand (online and otherwise) in order to
    attract the best and brightest.
  • Conduct a market analysis themselves, or engage an outside recruitment consultant prior to the job search to ensure what they are offering is a competitive market wage. If you are below market, you will have a difficult time filling any position, and even when you do, you will likely only be able to attract “C” players, as “A” and “B” players will be able to command higher market rates.
  • Do a great job selling the company, and what they have to offer the candidate
  • Give the candidate ample space during an interview to ask their questions and assess the employer. This may seem obvious, but I have had candidates share that the interview they went through with an employer was rushed, was all about the employer, did not give them a chance to ask their questions, and was focused on only what they could bring to the table for the employer, and not at all on what the employer could offer them.
  • Have had training on interview skills to ensure interview questions do not violate any employment laws, neither the Federal, nor State laws.
  • Ask relevant questions of the candidate, not high-pressure or stress type questions,
    or legal, yet inappropriate ones.
  • Conduct past supervisory reference checks

Treat candidates with respect. This includes those who are chosen, and those who are rejected. This means getting back to candi dates promptly following the interview and selection, scheduling the interviews and start dates promptly, and maintaining continual communication with the candidate selected prior to their start date.

The Goal
The above are recruitment simply best practices, which any business can implement.  And the best part is that most of these practices are not costly and can be implemented internally. Using these best practices will put you in a better position when recruiting, with the goal of increasing the candidate flow, genuine interest in your business, and
increasing the quality of candidates who express interest in your organization.