How can you attract candidates to your small business?
When you ask a typical business professional about their dream workplaces, many will cite the names of large conglomerates and well known giants within their specific industry.
While the reputation of a large firm is hard to beat, small businesses can still attract high quality talent by focussing on its core strengths.
The key part of small business recruitment lies in communicating the numerous benefits that larger firms cannot match. Here are three areas of focus for attracting potential candidates to your smaller firm.
1. Sell your unique culture
As the book Small Business Management explained, companies that are more modest in size have a distinct advantage in ensuring high quality practices across their business. In terms of culture, this means that small businesses can often implement change at a more rapid rate.
Shaping a company is a tough job, but you may find it easier to occupy a niche and build a unique culture within your smaller enterprise. This should translate into all communications with potential candidates. Offering a new kind of environment can be very appealing to potential employees so be sure you can identify and fully capture what makes your business special.
2. Create a supportive environment
81 per cent of employees within small businesses stated that they were satisfied with their jobs.
According to a survey conducted by GFI Software, an overwhelming 81 per cent of employees within small businesses stated that they were satisfied with their jobs. When compared to ratings in overall companies, this is a particularly strong result. A smaller workforce means that businesses can dedicate more time to the individual needs of the employee.
In order to maintain a high level, it may be wise to periodically revise your HR policies to keep up to date with modern employee satisfaction methods. Good employee relation schemes don't have to be costly in order to see a noticeable effect and innovative measures will draw others to your company.
3. Take a personal approach
Having fewer CVs and applications to shift through may actually be an advantage for smaller businesses. Recruitment in these instances often comes down to the quality over quantity approach.
One of the ways you can hone in on the best candidates is through social media.
Maintaining a positive online reputation is critical in drawing candidates into your business. According to Herd Wisdom, 55 per cent of candidates stated that employee testimonials influenced their application decisions.
While you can't directly control the opinions of your employees, maintaining a strong digital presence is important to making a good first impression. Using sites liked LinkedIn allows you to start conversations with potential candidates, connecting with them on a deeper level.
