I have been asking our clients, “What is your number one challenge in business today?” I must say I was surprised by the number who replied, “Hiring and keeping good people.” I know from experience that this is a challenge, but was surprised it was the number one concern for many of you.
Let’s address hiring today. We’ll work on retention in another post.
To hire good people, you first have to attract a good group of applicants to choose from. Where do you find them? I suggest you start with these resources:
Your network. Bob Beaudine, in his book, The Power of Who, says you already know WHO you need. That doesn’t necessarily mean you already know your next employee. It just suggests you probably know the people who can introduce you to them. You just have to let your friends, family, and associates know you are looking for good employees and let them spread the word. I know several people in our industry who are working for retailers they found through their network.
Facebook. This is an extension of your network. If you post on your personal and business page, you might be surprised how many prospects you can reach.
Indeed. If you are over 30 and have not looked for a job in a while you might not be up to speed on this one, but your potential employees are. Jerry Isenhour and I were recently discussing this over dinner. Jerry asked our server (a pleasant young lady) how the job market was in the town we were in. She said “so-so”, and added that you could find a job if you really looked. Jerry then asked, “If you were to look for a new job, where would you start?” Immediately, she said, “Indeed, then maybe Craigslist.” Of the most popular online job banks, Indeed.com is second in monthly traffic to LinkedIn, but at a much more palatable cost to the employer. If you need highly-skilled or managerial talent, LinkedIn may be the right choice, but I would certainly visit Indeed.com.
Craigslist. Mentioned above but worth a repeat. Great for local listings.
Your Website. We often find that people looking for employees and not saying so on their own website. Well, that’s just silly. That is the first place you need to announce job openings. Today’s job seeker is looking for your listings and without web site announcements they will not find you.
Other. There is an almost endless list of resources for finding applicants, including LinkedIn, Monster.com, Glassdoor.com, local newspaper, employment agencies, trade organizations, civic organizations, schools, and more.
Good applicants don’t just magically appear. Finding them is a process. It takes knowing and using all the resources at your disposal. We hope this helps you explore more options for finding the good applicants you’ll need in order to hire good employees. You must build a marketing program for new team members.
In future posts we will discuss interviewing, training, and rewarding good staff. Stay tuned.