How to Compete for Employees in a Tight Job Market
As a business owner, you want the best of the best to be helping you run your company’s various elements. Unfortunately, every other business owner is looking for the same thing. This can make finding those top notch employees a frustrating competition. Here are a few things that may help you in your hunt for workers that will lead your business to success!
Create More Compelling Job Descriptions
Pull in your potential employees right away with a compelling description of the job. Just like any story, pitch, or essay, use a strong opening sentence that introduces exactly what the job is. Using a casual tone will decrease any intimidation that purely professional language may bring. Be transparent with the necessary qualities the position requires—telling someone they don’t qualify after they’ve entered the job application process is a frustrating waste of time and energy for both them and you. Also mention the particular benefits of the job, and the exciting opportunities that come with it. Leave out things like the simple or mundane tasks of the job and keep the description as straightforward as possible.
Expand Your Search
Newspaper ads just won’t cut it in collecting a sufficient pool of potential employees. The two best means of recruiting are word of mouth recommendation and internet searches. Consider hiring a specialized recruiter to do some digging for you, looking through sites like LinkedIn or GoogleBusiness or contacting persons within similar positions in different companies to ask about their network. Take advantage of local or university job fairs to get your name out into the community so that the people who learn about needed positions within your company can spread the word! In addition, use as many platforms and means of applicant collection as possible: Indeed, UpWork, Teamtable and Workable are a few examples of websites that allow qualified employees to find your open positions. The more options you have of potential employees, the more likely you will be able to find the right fit for you!
Hire Remote Workers
One way to open your potential employee pool is to make the position a remote one. The ability to work from home is more accessible than ever before… technology allows for frequent and easy communication, even with video chat to improve the personality of any meeting and offer a means of easy presentation. You can also save money or resources on office space that would otherwise be used by in-workplace employees. You get the tasks done that you need, your employee gets the benefits of working from home!
Offer Perks
Offer reasons to enjoy the actual workplace! Spaces that foster creativity and relaxation like a well-stocked breakroom provide some relief from the stresses of work and encourage casual communication between coworkers that can turn into effective cooperation later. Design these areas to be both functionally comfortable and aesthetically pleasing. You may even consider creating a lounge area for outside so that your employees can get some fresh air and sunshine! Remember though that for lounges outdoors, you should avoid leaving wood furniture in the sun. Consistent exposure to the sun’s rays damages furniture, lowering the lifespan of the furniture and decreasing its visual quality. Furthermore, any “special” company event like a lunch or party is a great way to boost morale and offer positive, energetic experiences that employees will love.
Allow Flexibility
One of the biggest reasons that employees avoid or leave a job is the rigidity of schedules. The point of anyone’s job is to provide the funding to live and live well. You can stand out from other employers by allowing employees a position that provides that means of living while offering the flexibility to actually do the things they’re earning money for. What’s most important for the success of your business is that deadlines are met and the work done is of high quality—how and where and when that work takes place is secondary to the fact that it gets done. Allowing employees to choose their own hours can actually increase the productivity of your employees.
Market Your Business Well
Once you’ve introduced the open position to your pool of potential applicants, they will likely dig a little deeper into your business itself—what is the purpose, vision, reputation, etc. Marketing your business well therefore is a tool of attracting employees as much as customers! Demonstrate the vision that you have for your business and how it will benefit people, places or things. Make your vision as broadly applicable as possible; if an applicant can find relevance to your cause, they are more likely to want to work with you towards its realization.
Communicate
Don’t let something as important as good employees fall through the cracks. You expect applicants to present themselves well, professionally. You should be doing the same! Respond to applications, notify them of their status quickly, even let them know that they haven’t gotten the job quickly and thank them for their interest. Follow up with requests of writing samples or recommendations in a timely manner. Make communication personable, if at all possible. Show these people that you are a company that values the efforts made by the people that work for them. They will be more likely to respect and commit to such an organization than to an impersonal business.
Encourage Career Development
Part of any employee’s goals should be their own personal career development. Make that development an aspect of any position within your company! Encouraging professional goals will show employees that you are invested in their success as well as your own. You can use a mentorship program between higher level leadership and lower level employees to show those employees what options are available to them in regards to their professional interests, and then help them to set effective goals and plans to achieve them. Plus, any improvement in their skills and capabilities also means an improvement in the quality or quantity of work getting done in your business.
Get your business the best quality workers you can find by highlighting incentives of your business, making the application process accessible and personal, and pulling from the biggest pool of recruits possible. Doing so will give your business the human resources it needs to thrive!
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