3 Tips to Hire Hidden Gems
Hiring new employees can be a struggle for business owners; with unemployment sitting at 3.6 percent, companies are finding it difficult to bring on quality candidates. Today’s job seekers are thinking outside the box when it comes to jobs—remote work opportunities, 4-day work weeks, and side hustles are competing with more traditional career paths. And the proof is in the numbers: It was recently reported by Manpower Group that 77 percent of hiring managers are facing difficultly filling vacancies, which is a 17-year high. With that, employers need to start getting creative with their hiring practices. Hidden gems are out there, and we’ve got 3 tips to find them.
Be Crystal-Clear About the Role
It is easier than ever to screen resumes and cover letters thanks to tracking systems that recruiters have been using for years, which helped to weed out unqualified candidates and save valuable time. But if applications are being automatically scanned for certain keywords, that means your job descriptions cannot be vague. Candidates need to know exactly what you’re looking for in a new hire, what the qualifications for the role are, and the primary responsibilities. It’s challenging to tailor a resume to a cloudy job description. Generic job descriptions carry the possibility that great candidates will just move on to the next.
The solve? Hammer out the details about your open roles and be crystal clear about expectations, skill requirements, and even your company culture—and be real about it. Technology, company reviews, and social media make it a cinch for candidates to uncover falsehoods. While this method might garner less applicants, the ones you do get will be a better fit.
Search Year-Round
If you’re only seeking candidates when you’ve got a job opening, you’re probably missing out on some top talent—not to mention you’re up against the clock trying to fill an empty role, and that just leads to hiring a warm body. Keep your network of contenders on the back burner. And be sure to maintain relationships with people you know you want to hire once there’s an opening. Hiring new talent is so much easier when you’ve already got a pool of candidates in mind.
Outside the Box Interviews
The conventional method of interviewing (screening call, in-person interview, panel interview, etc.) might be necessary for large corporations with many layers of leadership, but small businesses have the unique opportunity to switch things up. For instance, why not invite potential candidates to coffee with the team? This is a great way to build that talent pool we were mentioning, and it gives your team the chance to really sell your organization as a great place to work. Formal, stuffy interviews can lead candidates to feel anxious and like they need to say exactly what the boss wants to hear. Candidates who are just “putting on a show” aren’t truly being themselves, and you’ll never be able to learn what contributions they could make to your business.
Small business owners like you can always benefit from having additional cash on-hand, especially when it comes to marketing your business to attract top talent. A revolving line of credit from ARF Financial might just be the perfect solution for anything from expansion projects to training new hires. You can draw on this loan whenever you need a bit of cash, and only pay interest on what you take. You can even request funds online! Stop by today to learn more. And happy hiring!