Long hiring cycles are the bane of any organization’s recruiting strategy, and with good reason – according to Robert Half’s latest Salary Guide research, nearly one third (32%) of candidates lose interest in a role if the employer doesn’t provide a status update within two weeks of interviews, yet it takes five weeks on average to staff an open position.The consequences can be especially painful for small businesses: that same research found more than one third of Canadian small business managers blame long hiring cycles for higher recruiting costs (35%), delayed or canceled projects (35%), higher staff turnover rates (39%), and – perhaps most distressingly – losing much-needed potential hires to other offers (36%).
When it comes to hiring, knowing how to recruit employees for small business projects who are likely to be engaged on the job and thrive in your unique corporate culture is one of the greatest challenges hiring managers can face. However, many decide to wing it, and ultimately end up prolonging their hiring cycle further.
Here are four hiring tips for small business managers that can help set you on the path to small business recruiting success:
Crafting an effective job description is crucial for small business hiring managers. Focus on clarity and conciseness: Start by clearly outlining the role’s responsibilities and expectations, then highlight the four most essential skills candidates must possess, using specific examples to illustrate their importance. Avoid jargon and unnecessary details that might deter top applicants.Keep in mind that Canadian workers want flexibility – when asked, 65% cite flexible work schedules as one of the top three perks most important to them, while 53% cite remote work options. Meanwhile, 34% of employees who aren’t seeking a new job don’t want to give up their current level of flexibility.
Small businesses know this and are more likely than their medium and large counterparts to offer perks including flexible work schedules (97% versus 90% and 95%) and company-subsidized meals or snacks (92% versus 84% and 90%).
When recruiting for a small business, you’ll likely be emphasizing your lean staff and diverse mix of opportunities to measure a candidate’s fit in the first place. Make sure your postings emphasize, and that you set aside part of your discussion to communicate, your flexibility and willingness to accommodate work-life balance as well. You’ll differentiate yourself from similar opportunities they’re considering with larger competitors who might pay more, but with tighter strings attached.
Want more hiring and recruiting strategies for small businesses? Check out 4 ways small businesses can use their size to their advantage.
Like most employers, you will probably ask promising candidates to take part in more than one interview and meet with various people in your organization. Using a mix of interview formats throughout the process, like video interviews, panel interviews, and in-person interviews can be helpful because:It allows you to observe how candidates navigate different types of meeting environments and adapt their communication skills accordingly.It provides a window into how candidates are likely to interact with future coworkers.
A key advantage small businesses have over their medium and large counterparts is the opportunity they provide new candidates to grow a wider variety of skills. As an interviewer, this should mean assessing candidates for potential as much as experience.Be sure to review a candidate’s resume and cover letter thoroughly. What has their career trajectory been so far? Have they worked for a small business before? If not, do they specifically mention why they are interested in working for a small business, and what they hope to gain from the experience? Considering questions like these can help gauge whether they might be a good match for the job and your organization.
For example, studying the career path of a candidate can help you assess whether your small business would be able to offer them the kind of advancement that they seem to be working toward professionally. And if the person has worked successfully in a small business setting before, it stands to reason that they would be likely to do so again, especially if they are targeting a job at yours.
Looking for more hiring tips for small business managers? Check out mastering the art of reviewing resumes.
The questions you ask a candidate during the interview process, and the answers you receive in return, are obviously crucial to determining whether you are making a solid hiring decision. So it is vital to develop a list of questions that will help guide the conversation and allow you to learn as much as you can about how the candidate would act on the job during your meeting.To prepare, see our post on four types of interview questions that can help you dig deeper. You will get ideas for closed-ended informational questions, open-ended behavioural questions, situation-based hypothetical questions and outside-the-box curveball questions. You will also gain insight into what types of questions to avoid.
While preparing interview questions as part of the small business hiring process is certainly useful and helps you compare responses from potential hires, don’t be afraid to go off-script as well.
If you tie yourself to your prepared questions, you risk missing out on important information that could arise if the interview flows more naturally. You also risk losing an opportunity to start building a rapport with someone who could become your employee.Looking for more hiring tips for small business interviews? Check out the top 15 interview questions to ask job candidates.
Everyone knows about LinkedIn and Indeed, but perhaps your small business is looking for accountants, in which case you should be targeting AccountingJobs.ca or job boards for provincial bodies such as CPA Ontario. Or perhaps you’re looking for a legal professional – LegalJobs.ca and provincial bodies such as the Law Society of Ontario have you covered.Other niche boards include:
The Canadian Public Relations Society or International Association of Business Communicators for communications professionalsThe Canadian Marketing Association’s Marketing-Jobs.ca for marketing professionalsTech Talent Canada for all things enterprise technologyCharity Village for the charitable sector
Hire Authority, run by the Human Resources Professionals AssociationBonus tip: If you need to staff roles at your small business sooner than later, and you want to avoid making costly small business hiring mistakes, consider engaging contract professionals. They can assist your team with tight deadlines and heavy workloads and make sure projects keep moving forward. You might even find that these skilled professionals are so successful working in your small business environment, you’ll want to hire them for your permanent team.
Need skilled talent? Robert Half’s recruiting specialists are experts at finding candidates that suit your needs, no matter the size of your business.
