19 Things You Need to Know About Finding and Keeping Talented Workers
Finding and hiring talented staff is an eternal issue for small business owners. To help alleviate that challenge, members of COSE’s Strategic Planning Course gathered recently for a roundtable discussion on some of the things entrepreneurs should keep in mind as they dip into the talent pool and also try to retain the staff they already have. Following are 19 takeaways from that discussion.
Finding and hiring talented staff is an eternal issue for small business owners. To help alleviate that challenge, members of COSE’s Strategic Planning Course gathered recently for a roundtable discussion on some of the things entrepreneurs should keep in mind as they dip into the talent pool and also try to retain the staff they already have. Following are 19 takeaways from that discussion.
1. Identify the type of candidate you want.
2. Prior to beginning your hiring search, ask such qualifying questions as: What kind of culture am I trying to build? And does this person need to be an Internet whiz?
3. Are there people already working in your organization who might be able to refer a potential candidate?
4. Job boards such as Indeed and Career Board can be great resources.
5. Think back to what you did the last time you had to hire. What worked? What didn’t?
6. How do you acquire customers? Consider utilizing that same strategy to finding good employees. Just like potential customers might be doing business with someone else, your next potential hire might be working for someone else right now. Put yourself out there and go after that person, even if they’re employed.
7. Know what you want and know what you’re willing to give up to get what you want.
8. Related to No. 7, prioritize what you want and what’s most important to you and this job you’re trying to fill.
9. Don’t wait until you have a need to begin thinking about all this stuff. You should always be recruiting ahead of a need. Keep the relationships going with the people you interact with. You never know when you might be calling on them again.
10. Looking to entice millennials to your workplace? Think about what they want out of a job, such as telecommuting opportunities and a fun workplace culture.
11. Something to keep in mind if you have millennials already working in your office: Often times, this group of people feel the best way to get a bigger jump in pay is by going to a new employer.
12. One more thing about millennials: There is no fear factor with this group. They feel they can find a job quickly if need be.
13. Excessive turnover in your business can cause current employees to leave as well. For example, if you have trainers on your staff who are constantly training new hires, they can get burned out and then they could leave, too.
14. When you move into hiring mode, look closely at the resume of the candidate. Are there a lot of “two-year-and-out” jobs listed? That might be a red flag.
15. Turnover is not necessarily a bad thing. Some churn can be good because it can infuse your business with new ideas and a fresh perspective.
16. Word of mouth works. People know people, who know people, who know people, who knows someone who would be a fantastic fit for the job you have available.
17. Leverage LinkedIn. Find employees who have profiles similar to the people already working at your business. Again, even though these people might already be employed elsewhere or even if you don’t have a job opening at the current time. It will at least build the pool of people you have to go from when you do have something to offer.
18. Remember to tell your employees thank you. Be genuine. If someone gets a project done on time, or if they do a good job handling a customer, recognize them. And give them a specific reason why you’re thanking them.
19. Keep work/life balance in mind. For some employees, that can be more important than a raise.