Creative Recruiting Tips for Small Businesses and Attracting New Talent

How to attract new talent to your small business

As a small business owner, you’ll know that attracting and retaining top talent can be a major challenge. With limited resources and budget, competing with larger corporations for top candidates can seem like an uphill battle. However, with a little creativity and effort, small businesses can attract employees just as effectively as bigger companies.

Here are a few creative recruiting tips and strategies to help small businesses like yours in attracting new talent no matter where it’s based in the United States.

Use Employee Referrals

One of the most effective ways to attract top talent is by tapping into your current employees’ professional networks. Your current workers are likely to know and trust many individuals in your industry: people they’ll happily recommend as potential candidates for open positions. Encourage your employees to refer friends and colleagues by offering a referral bonus or other rewards for successful hires. This not only helps attract top talent, but also helps ensure that the referred employee is a good fit for your company culture.

Partner with Local Schools and Universities

Teaming up with local schools and universities is a great way of attracting top talent from a pool of up-and-coming professionals of the future. Consider offering internships or job shadowing, or co-op positions to students in exchange for their skills and fresh perspective. This can also be a great way to identify potential full-time hires once they graduate.

Host Events and Networking Opportunities

Hosting networking events is a great way to meet a wide variety of potential employees. You could also organize a job fair, or even a panel discussion for professionals in your field. It also gives you the opportunity to show your company culture and the benefits you can offer. Events like these are terrific for meeting potential candidates in person and for you to really sell the benefits of working for your company.

Leverage Social Media

Social media platforms like LinkedIn and Twitter are powerful tools for attracting and recruiting top talent. If you’re actively posting job openings and engaging with potential candidates on these platforms, you can reach a wider pool of potential hires than is possible through some traditional means of recruitment. You can also use social media to showcase your company’s culture, values and mission, all of which can be a major factor for potential candidates in their decision to apply for a position.

Use Targeted Job Postings

When posting job openings, be as targeted as you can in terms of the language you use and specific job requirements you highlight as being critical to a role. Remember, you’re not just aiming to attract the right candidates you’re looking to entice the best ones. And of course, the more carefully you target your job advertisements, the more likely it is that you’ll attract candidates who are truly interested in and qualified for the role.

Promote Your Company Culture

We’ve already looked at opportunities to promote your company’s culture, but what does this mean in practice? What a business stands for and how it operates day to day are major factors influencing potential hires. The more they like your culture, the more likely they are to say yes to a position. So be sure to showcase your company’s culture and values in order to attract top talent aligned with your mission and vision.

Consider Remote Work Options

More and more companies today offer remote working options for their employees. This can be a major advantage for you as a small business owner looking to attract top talent, as it means you can tap into a wider pool of potential hires. By offering remote work options, you can potentially attract top talent from anywhere in the country. Just be sure to have clear communication and guidelines in place so that remote employees can work effectively and efficiently.

Provide Opportunities for Growth and Development

Talented employees are often looking for opportunities to grow and develop their skills and careers. So why not put some ongoing training and development opportunities in place? This can be done through in-house training programs, conference attendance, or professional development courses. By investing in your employees’ growth, you can signal to top talent that your company is serious about valuing its workers’ development and success.

Including information about your in-house training and development in your recruitment advertising or social media will attract potential hires who want to grow their career within a company.

Offer Competitive Benefits

While salary is certainly an important factor for potential hires, it’s not the only thing that attracts top talent. Offering competitive benefits such as healthcare, 401(k) plans, and flexible work schedules can help your company stand out to potential candidates.

In today’s job market, employees are looking for more than just a paycheck. They want a company that values their well-being and offers support in all aspects of their lives. Think about the additional benefits your company can offer to address the needs and concerns of potential employees.

Make Healthcare a Part of Your Offering

Top talent will be attracted to businesses that value their wellbeing. Consider making affordable, high quality group health benefits a part of your small business’ offer package. It signals to potential employees that your company  recognizes the importance of its people.

Get a No-obligation Group Health Benefits Quote From Us Today

Our Self-Funded Program provides flexible health coverage and contract options for small-to-mid-sized companies. See what your small business could soon be offering new and existing employees by making sure to get a quote from us today.