7 Small Business Hiring Strategies

As a small business owner or manager, you know that your team is your best asset. To build a team with the skills and professional values to impress your customers and clients, it’s essential to establish a strong hiring process.

You have a lot on your to-do list. We’ve compiled the most important small business hiring strategies so you can spend less time researching and more time running your business.

1. Emphasize Your Employer Branding

A strong employer brand showcases why your small business is a great company and a great place to work. It’s important for all businesses to have strong employer branding, but especially small businesses since they usually have less name recognition than their larger competitors.

Think of your employer brand as an elevator pitch. When writing a job posting, start with a succinct description of what your small business does, its unique value proposition, and its mission. Next, highlight the company culture, values, and any other perks that will prompt people to apply.

Include your employer brand on your website’s “about us” page and career page, job descriptions, and social media profiles. You may also want to share what a few of your employees like best about working at your small business and a few client or customer testimonials.

2. Write Effective Job Descriptions

Some hiring managers rush through the most important step of the hiring process: writing a clear job description. It’s one of the most effective hiring strategies because it helps managers define their hiring needs so that they’re better positioned to make the right hire for your small business.

A well-worded job description will also attract qualified candidates and show the benefits of joining your small business. In addition to describing the role, responsibilities, and requirements, ask your hiring managers to include an introductory paragraph that highlights your employer brand.

3. Reach Qualified Candidates

Reaching qualified candidates is one of the main hiring challenges small businesses face. You can implement the following hiring strategies to maximize reach.

Diversify Your Job Posting Strategy

Post your job description on job boards with global reach, college and university job boards, and industry job boards. Include the keywords and terms candidates are likely to use when they use a search engine or a job board’s search feature to look for similar jobs.

Include logistical information, like whether it’s a full-time or part-time role and the location or whether it’s remote. Use the most common job title and incorporate synonyms throughout the job description.

Leverage Your Network

Increase your reach even more by using your network. Attend college and university and industry job fairs and networking events. Ask your connections if they know candidates who would be a good fit. Prompt your team members to share job openings with their connections by offering an employee referral bonus.

Look through resumes you collected for similar openings and reach out to anyone impressive who wasn’t right for that role but could be for your new one. Tapping into these networks will help you cultivate a talent pipeline for future needs as well.

4. Use Technology to Improve Efficiency

At a large business, recruiters generally write job descriptions, post them on job boards, review resumes and cover letters, and conduct phone interviews to identify top candidates for the hiring managers to interview. At a small business, your hiring managers are likely responsible for each step. Fortunately, hiring software makes the process more efficient.

One of the most time-consuming steps is reviewing resumes and cover letters. Companies of all sizes use applicant tracking software (ATS) to collect, organize, and screen applications. Your hiring managers can use the filtering tools to search for applicants that meet their hiring needs so that they don’t need to read every single resume and cover letter. It’s valuable to use an ATS that allows your hiring managers to access all the resumes in the database to find candidates who would be a good fit but didn’t apply to your role.

5. Train Your Team on Hiring Best Practices

Because your hiring managers typically handle the entire hiring process, it’s crucial that they know essential hiring strategies and best practices. Teach your team how to write job descriptions, review resumes and cover letters, conduct interviews, and make an offer.

In addition to learning these (and other) best practices, it’s important to train your team on relevant employment laws and regulations. It could be valuable to have an employment law expert lead trainings so your team knows how to conduct a legal hiring practice.

6. Speed Up the Decision-Making Process

Job seekers are likely applying to multiple jobs at once and top candidates are poised to get offers quickly. Recruiters at large companies are probably hiring for multiple positions at once and often get a higher volume of applicants, meaning they can get bogged down. Ask your hiring managers to review new applications daily and to promptly reach out to top candidates to schedule an interview.

Many companies have multiple rounds with candidates over the course of a few weeks or even months. Gain an edge on the competition by encouraging your hiring managers to be more efficient. If they ask revealing interview questions, they should be able to find out everything they need to know from the initial interview and one more in-depth interview.

If there are multiple decision-makers, schedule short, back-to-back interviews on the same day. Keep in mind that it can be more convenient and just as effective to conduct video interviews.

7. Make a Compelling Offer

One of the most important hiring strategies is knowing how to make a compelling offer. To determine the pay, use salary tools to identify the market rate in your state. There will likely be large companies that can afford to pay at the top of the range, but that doesn’t mean you can’t win over top talent.

Think about all the reasons someone would want to work at a small business rather than a large company and offer those perks. For example, you could offer remote work options, a more flexible work schedule, accelerated career advancement, and a collaborative company culture.

Learn More Hiring Strategies

Consider this Small Business Hiring 101. You’ve got the foundation for building a strong hiring process, but there is always more to learn. Sign up to receive expert-recommended hiring advice, news, and trends from Monster for free so you can spend less time searching for best practices and more time implementing them.

5 Video Marketing Tips for Employers

Whether it’s viewed in social media apps, desktop computers, or smart TVs, online video has become an almost inescapable fixture of contemporary life. Likewise, video marketing has become a major component of employers’ recruiting strategies, particularly with younger generations of job candidates who have grown up with online media.

One of the fastest growing and effective uses of online video is in social media recruitment, which allows you to target different demographics and has the added benefit of being highly “shareable.” If you’re not already using video to recruit talent on social media or your website, then you’re missing out.

Knowing where to start can be confusing, so we’ve compiled the five most important considerations when developing and implementing your own video marketing solution:

  1. Avoid the eye candy trap
  2. Keep the cuteness to a minimum
  3. Properly promote your marketing videos
  4. Invest enough resources to get results
  5. Leverage your message with quality video hosting

1. Avoid the Eye Candy Trap

When online video was new, simply having a video on your site was enough to capture someone’s attention. Often shoehorned into an existing website as an afterthought, marketing videos played the role of “eye candy” without necessarily advancing the conversation. While it’s important to get the attention of your audience, you’ll want to take a more strategic approach.

Before undertaking a video project, take a look across your entire collection of yearly initiatives and campaigns. Be on the lookout for recurring themes, such as diversity and inclusion or flexible workplace arrangements, and the recruiting strategies associated with them.

With a little planning, you’ll be able to fashion your videos so they can be used across a broad swath of initiatives and digital strategies. Imagine, for instance, a 2-minute video that’s meant to demonstrate a career path for a new college recruit. Now, imagine that video:

  • Posted on your career site
  • Included in online job postings
  • Shared on social media channels
  • Emailed by your recruiters within a mobile campaign.

With one video, you’ve addressed four critical branding elements and improved the ROI of four digital marketing strategies.

2. Keep the Cuteness to a Minimum

It’s important to make your videos interesting and compelling. However, remember your audience in all of your video marketing campaigns. Most candidates are likely to come across your video while searching for information about your company. Ground your video in solid information about your brand, career paths, culture—and then introduce creative elements as a means to reinforce your branding messages.

Many of those wacky (and often funny) viral videos you find on Youtube, while impactful on some level, also tend to have very short shelf lives. In addition to serving different digital platforms, a properly produced video can sustain itself for a couple of years. Get more bang for your buck by considering the shelf life of your videos.

3. Properly Promote Your Video Marketing Efforts

Just having a video posted somewhere online isn’t enough, no matter how well it’s produced. Like anything worthwhile, you’ll have to work to get your video in front of qualified candidates. In fact, it’s been estimated that more than two-thirds of all videos on Youtube are barely seen at all, which makes sense given the sheer volume of videos and the never-ending demands for our limited attention.

While a viral video juggernaut can happen, it’s incredibly rare in the employment video vertical. You’re much better off relying on your proven digital channels to get your message out.

4. Invest Enough Resources to Get Results

Anything worth doing is worth doing well, which often means you’ll need to spend more to get the results you want. With respect to using video for your recruiting efforts, you should hire a professional video company with a deep client base, employment video experience, and a solid reputation.

Not only will a poorly executed amateur video fall flat with candidates, but you can actually harm your team’s internal reputation if you stumble through a video project. Remember, your video is going to get a lot of exposure within your company and will impact various departments. Make sure the experience for your internal customers is top notch.

5. Leverage Your Message With Quality Video Hosting

If you want your video marketing solution to age well, and your investment to continue to remain technologically relevant for the long run, it’s worth seeking out a professional hosting solution. No matter how well-produced your videos are, if they’re simply placed on your company’s web server and supported by an off-the-shelf video player, they may never reach their true potential. Candidates may experience long load times, incompatible formats, and poor quality.

Professional hosting providers overcome these issues with their baseline offerings, but it’s the advanced services that can really differentiate your company in the HR marketplace. These include closed captioning, multi-language support, search engine optimization, social networking features, and other enhancements that will allow your video to be accessible by the widest possible audience.

Remember, this is one of the fastest evolving technologies on the web. An in-house, cobbled together solution that is “good enough” today will likely be considered antiquated and stale within less than a year.

With the Right Tools, You Too Can Hire a Dream Team

As you can see, a well-executed video marketing strategy can enhance your overall recruitment efforts and help you attract top performers. Could you use more advice? Monster can help with the latest news, tips, and strategies for recruiting, retaining, and managing your workforce.

How to Hire and Retain Job Hoppers

The term “job hoppers” is used to describe people who switch jobs frequently. The term doesn’t indicate a set amount of time, and it shifts based on industry standards, but it’s typically considered to be less than two years.

Some hiring managers are reluctant to hire candidates with a series of shorter tenures because they think it’s a sign that the candidate will quit a year or two into the role. However, these hiring managers are likely missing out on qualified candidates.

You can mitigate the risk that your new hire will quit earlier than you’d like by making sure it’s a good fit for both sides. These tips will help you hire and retain employees who have a history of hopping from job to job.

Should You Hire Job Hoppers?

There’s a common misconception that these candidates are disloyal and will continue to switch jobs every year or two. However, they may have quit because the role or company wasn’t a good fit. Some may have left because there was a lack of career growth opportunities and they wanted to earn more money, better benefits, and a promotion. Others may have left to get out of a toxic work culture or to make a career change.

Regardless of why they’ve jumped around, these employees acquired hard and soft skills from adapting to different work environments. They gained insights into their strengths and weaknesses and know the type of role and company culture that’s the best fit. They are probably confident, motivated, and know their worth. It’s likely many of these candidates will stay at a company longer if the role, company culture, and compensation is a fit.

How to Modify Your Hiring Process

When you’re evaluating these candidates, you may want to make a few small adjustments to the hiring process. Consider making these changes:

1. Resume Screening

As you’re reviewing the candidate’s resume, look for context into why they may have moved on so quickly. For example, did they relocate, go to school, make a career transition, or leave the workforce to care for a family member? If they had all or most of their shorter roles earlier in their career, it’s possible they were still determining which role, industry, and company culture was the right fit.

2. Interview Process

Ask questions that will help you understand why they left previous positions, what they want now, and whether it is a good fit. For example, you may want to ask:

  • Would you please walk me through your resume?
  • Why do you want to leave your current role?
  • Why do you want to work here?
  • What excited you about this role?
  • What is your ideal company culture?
  • Where do you see yourself in five years?

One of the most common reasons new hires quit is because the role or company culture wasn’t what they expected. Even though it’s probably in your job description, be sure to adequately discuss the day-to-day job responsibilities, company culture, salary, and benefits so candidates can determine whether they want to move forward.

3. Reference Check

If you’re concerned that a candidate may have left positions because they were let go or didn’t have the skills or work ethic to advance, it may be helpful to do a reference check. However, if you do so, remember to check for any relevant state employment laws you need to follow.

For instance, find out whether you need the candidate’s permission, what you can ask, and what the employers are allowed to share. Keep in mind that some employers have a policy of only confirming that the person worked there and providing their employment dates.

How to Retain These Candidates

The key is to gather feedback and implement changes that will improve their work experience. These changes should help you retain all your employees, not just job hoppers.

1. Offer a Compelling Compensation Package

The best way to retain employees is to offer a competitive salary. However, don’t be discouraged if you can’t afford to pay at the high end of the salary range. You can offer lifestyle benefits and perks like childcare stipends, substantial paid parental leave, student loan repayments, and flexible work arrangements.

2. Create Clear Paths for Career Advancement

Promoting from within is one of the most impactful ways to retain employees, especially job hoppers who are accustomed to frequently switching jobs.

Create a clear career path for every role. Ask managers to develop career development plans for each of their direct reports. The plan should cover the employee’s long- and short-term goals along the path to earning a promotion and raise.

3. Establish Professional Development Programs

Give your employees the training and support they need to achieve their goals and advance at your company. You may want to create an orientation and onboarding program, mentorship program, and ample skills training opportunities.

Additionally, ask managers to set up weekly or biweekly one-on-one meetings and quarterly performance reviews. (These meetings should also help establish good manager-employee relationships, which is likely to reduce employee turnover.)

4. Implement Employee Feedback

You don’t have to guess what will help you retain job hoppers. You can ask. Conduct stay interviews to find out what employees enjoy about their role and working at your company and what could be better. While it’s also helpful to have exit interviews, stay interviews give you an opportunity to make the changes that are likely to keep employees from quitting.

Send anonymous employee engagement surveys to learn how engaged your team members are and what would improve their work experience. Ask about a range of factors that impact job satisfaction, including company culture, compensation and benefits, diversity and inclusion, professional development initiatives, flexible work arrangements, work relationships, and confidence in the leadership team.

Learn More Hiring and Management Best Practices

Hiring managers who automatically reject so-called job hoppers could be missing out on top candidates. Fortunately, you know how to adapt your recruitment and retention efforts to make sure it’s the right fit. Continue to build and develop a strong team by implementing additional hiring and management advice from Monster.

The Best Ways to Measure and Track Employee Absenteeism

Employee absenteeism can’t be avoided entirely, and most people occasionally need to miss work at the last minute. But, when an employee frequently doesn’t show up, arrives late, leaves early, or takes long breaks, it can take a toll on your business’s bottom line.

It’s crucial to have clear workplace attendance policies and track absences so you can manage any problems that arise. The following tips can help you set your policy and create a tracking process.

What is Employee Absenteeism?

When an employee is absent during their regular working hours, they are considered absent whether it’s a scheduled or unscheduled absence (according to U.S. employment law). An employee is likely to ask for time off in advance for a vacation, doctor’s appointment, or event, in contrast to unscheduled absences such as an illness, caring for a sick family member, or dealing with an emergency.

The law specifies that absences are either excused, unexcused, or “no-fault.” Excused absences are approved in advance and unexcused are not. They are considered “no-fault” if the company policy allows for a set number of days off and doesn’t weigh excused and unexcused absences differently.

The Negative Impact of Absenteeism

If there’s widespread absenteeism at your company, it will cost you. Salaried employees will be paid for unworked time. Absenteeism is likely to lead to decreased productivity, quality of work, and employee retention. You may also see lower employee morale and engagement because other employees may be frustrated that they need to pick up the slack.

Keep in mind that constant absenteeism could be a sign of larger issues, like burnout, stress, depression, bullying, and low job satisfaction. If an employee frequently misses work, reach out to see how you can help. You may be able to work with them to improve their role and the company culture.

Create an Attendance Policy

To track employee absenteeism, you need to know your definition. For example, some companies only consider someone to be absent when they don’t adhere to the attendance policy. If you weigh excused and unexcused absences differently, specify what is excused and unexcused. For example, someone may have an excused absence if it’s approved a set time in advance or the person could count it toward their remaining paid time off (if it’s offered).

For legal reasons, it’s important to note that any leave that is approved under the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and any other relevant federal or state laws doesn’t count as an absence. You may also want to note how many unexcused absences someone can have and the repercussions, in case someone files a wrongful termination lawsuit in response to any punitive employer actions.

How to Track and Measure Absenteeism

You can use employee time tracking management software to manage paid time off requests and approvals and timesheets. Your employees can simply log in to request time off in advance or log last-minute absences. This software is also helpful if you have hourly employees, bill clients by the hour, or want employees to clock in and out and track breaks.

There are several ways to measure employee absenteeism, but here are some of the most common:

Individual Absenteeism Rate

  • Days: Divide the employee’s total unexcused absences in the specified time frame by the total workdays in the specified time frame and multiply the result by 100. If Tim has four unexcused absences in a month, the formula would be (4/20) x 100 = 20%.
  • Hours: Divide the employee’s total unexcused missed hours in the specified time frame by the total work hours in the specified time frame and multiply the result by 100. If Tim has missed four full days and miscellaneous hours, the formula would be (38/160) x 100 = 24%.

Team Absenteeism Rate

  • Days: Divide the team’s total unexcused absences in the specified time frame by the total number of employees multiplied by the total workdays in the specified time frame and multiply the result by 100. If your 30-person team had 20 unexcused absences in a month, the formula would be (20 / (30 x 20)) x 100 = 5%.
  • Hours: Divide the employee’s total unexcused absences in the specified time frame by the total number of employees multiplied by the total working hours in the specified time frame and multiply the result by 100. If your 30-person team had 165 unexcused hours in a month, the formula would be (165 / (30 x 160) x 100 = 3%.

To evaluate your employee absenteeism rate, it’s helpful to see how it compares against the national average for your industry.

How to Decrease Absenteeism

Many companies have decreased absenteeism by increasing work-life balance. Consider adopting flexible work policies, such as:

  • Flextime. Employees set their own schedule instead of working the standard nine-to-five.
  • Job-sharing. Two or more employees work part-time to complete the responsibilities of one role.
  • Remote work. Employees work outside of the office.
  • Shift work. Employees work early or late shifts and weekends if they can’t work during the typical workday and workweek.
  • Compressed workweek. Employees work more than eight hours a day multiple days a week to hit 40 hours faster. (Commonly, employees work ten hours a day, four days a week.)
  • Hybrid workplace. Employees work remotely and in the office. Depending on your policy, employees must work in the office a set number of days a week, when their manager requests it, or at their discretion.

Continue to Measure and Improve Employee Performance

These tips for tracking, measuring, and decreasing employee absenteeism rates will help you improve employee performance, so your company is more successful. You’re likely to boost employee morale and engagement, which will make your company more attractive to candidates and employees. Keep up the momentum by receiving expert hiring and management advice from Monster.

Emphasizing Small Business Culture in Recruiting

Does size matter? When it comes to recruiting, a small company can actually have a big advantage. From a closer-knit staff to flexible and collaborative work arrangements, many people prefer small business culture to being a cog in a large corporation.

Of course, building company culture is an ongoing process—one that requires a careful evaluation of what your business can offer that larger competitors can’t. The following suggestions will help you attract top talent to your small organization.

Attract Candidates Who Prefer Small Companies

There are “big company people” and “small company people,” although many employees have experience working for companies of all sizes. While working for a big company can be terrific for the right person, the fact is many people do prefer a smaller work setting. Your job is to find the ones who already want to work in your type of environment or who may be seeking a change of pace.

Actively promote the fact that you are “a small company that does big-time projects,” or something similar. If you can offer candidates a broader range of experience and responsibility as a small business, highlight that. Don’t try to hide the fact that you are small (it won’t work anyway). Instead, emphasize the clients you serve and the quality of work that you do.

Promote Your Unique Small Business Culture in Job Postings

Small businesses typically have a more laid-back, “un-corporate” work environment, often with a close-knit group of employees who are all encouraged to pitch ideas and venture outside of their day-to-day roles. If that is true for you, then let that un-corporate attitude come through in your job postings as part of your recruiting strategy.

Use the job description to clearly define the profile of your company’s ideal candidate in a tone that captures your culture. Perhaps you’re looking for someone who is “excited to help the company grow through innovative ideas” but also “enjoys working collaboratively as part of a team.” Being clear about what you want in job applicants using the tone of your posting will help you attract more people who would do well in your environment.

Use the Interview Process to Emphasize Your Work Environment

The interview is a great opportunity to highlight your small business culture, especially if it occurs in the office. In addition to describing your unique work environment, allowing the candidate to see it in action can provide a powerful, non-verbal display of the advantages your small company brings to the table.

Use your own authentic, distinctive characteristics to appeal to applicants. Whether you have open and inviting collaborative spaces, a lively lunchroom, or a quiet, peaceful office, let candidates experience you and your company, and see who responds to your culture. The people who respond positively and enthusiastically are likely the ones who will fit your company best.

Provide Flexibility

The world is filled with people—especially millennials—who prioritize flexible work arrangements over other benefits. There are high-quality candidates in all professions who are looking for a job that lets them use their skills and still have a life outside of work. Small business culture should allow for this kind of flexibility, which can provide a great incentive for top candidates without breaking the bank.

If you don’t already have this type of arrangement available, it may be worth designing a role that allows for it. Remember that time and flexibility can be more important to people than working for a big company or receiving big company benefits (which, by the way, cost big money). If you design and promote different roles with this in mind, you may be pleasantly surprised at the quality of people you can attract.

Remain Competitive With Pay and Benefits

That isn’t to say you can ignore other benefits when making a job offer. If you want to compete for top talent, you have to offer competitive pay and benefits. However, there is a difference between being in the ballpark and perfectly matching the benefits of a Fortune 500 company. Even if you can’t match salary, you can still win over top candidates with something close to what the big competitors offer, along with the benefits and qualities that are unique to smaller organizations.

Put the best plan that you can afford in place for compensation, health insurance, retirement, vacation, and associated areas. If a job candidate puts together a spreadsheet to compare your dental coverage to that of a Fortune 500 company, you likely won’t be able to beat them. Don’t worry about it; move on and find other people who are the right fit for your environment.

Your Small Company Can Offer Big Opportunities

Remember, not everyone is chasing a competitive job at that well-known corporate office. Actively promote the advantages of your small company culture. Get creative about things like flexible work arrangements. Be competitive about benefits but don’t worry about matching bigger companies in every way. Your job is to promote your advantages to a wide number of candidates so the people who prefer your kind of culture and work environment can step forward.

Leverage Your Small Business Culture the Right Way

Building company culture and using your smaller size to attract the right candidates is important, but it’s just one piece of the recruitment puzzle. You’ll also need to advertise in the right places, manage the candidate experience, and conduct a smooth onboarding program, among other responsibilities. Monster can help you become more efficient with expert recruiting advice and the latest hiring trends, delivered free to your inbox.

How to Close the Job Skills Gap With Your Hiring Process

If you’re having trouble finding workers with the skills you need to compete, you’re not alone. More than 80 percent of employers report that they are experiencing a skills gap — particularly a soft skills gap — in their workplace.

Surprisingly, the hardest to find qualifications aren’t tech-focused hard skills. The top 10 soft skills employers report having trouble finding are:

  1. Problem-solving
  2. Critical and analytical thinking
  3. Management, leadership, and team-building
  4. Communication skills
  5. Interpersonal skills
  6. Teamwork and collaboration
  7. Work ethic and initiative
  8. Flexibility and adaptability
  9. Attention to details
  10. Sales and customer service

The scarcity of these skills is costing companies potential revenue. It’s estimated that the inability to find skilled workers will cost U.S. businesses $1.2 trillion by the end of the decade. As technology continues to advance, hiring managers predict that many of today’s job functions will be performed by robotics, artificial intelligence, and other forms of automation, while jobs that require critical thinking, problem-solving, and other soft skills will grow. The five strategies below can help you bridge the soft skills gap.

Skills-Focused Labor Demands

Last month’s job gains were concentrated in just a few sectors, most notably healthcare, government, and professional, scientific, and technical services. “The increase in job creation, particularly in sectors like healthcare and technical services, is evidence of the continued strong demand for workers with sector-specific skills,” says Monster Economist Giacomo Santangelo. “Increasing unemployment could be due to various factors, most notably mismatches in skills and job requirements.”

As the skills gap grows, Monster’s 2024 Work Watch report identified improving the success rate on hard-to-fill roles as one of employers’ top priorities this year. This will be crucial as labor demands continue to increase with Monster’s total active job postings up 11% in May, following a 6% increase in April. Santangelo says, “Employers can engage better with candidates by catering more toward transitioning candidate preferences for things like flexible hours and remote work (“work from home” remains the #1 search on Monster), by being more transparent about the application process, and by investing in training and development to bridge the skills gap and attract candidates seeking growth opportunities.”

1. Be Sure of the Skills You Need

Despite the fact that most employers cite the skills gap as an impediment to maximizing profits, nearly half of all HR professionals were unsure of what skills they are actually missing. The truth is you can’t know what skills you’re lacking until you undertake a thorough workforce skills gap assessment, beginning with a company-wide survey that aims to learn not only what skills your workers employ in their current positions, but also skills they have used in the past.

Some soft skills to consider mining information about as you craft your survey include:

  • Social skills, such as interpersonal communication, conflict resolution, teamwork, collaboration, and team-building
  • Workplace etiquette, including email etiquette, maintaining appropriate boundaries, and resisting the urge to overshare
  • Sales skills and customer service
  • Adaptability, innovation, and creativity
  • Organization and time management

Once you attain a better idea of what skills you already have, you can begin mapping them to the skills you need to grow your business and see which skills you lack. From there, you will need to devise a strategy to develop the skills you need within your current staff and attract talent with the skills you need.

2. Implement an Upskilling Strategy

Armed with more complete knowledge about your soft skills gap, you might be tempted to immediately begin an aggressive recruitment campaign to find workers with the skills you need. But in the long run, implementing a comprehensive workplace upskilling program, combined with more targeted recruiting, may be a more sustainable approach.

Your upskilling strategy should combine two or more of the following:

  • Designated mentoring: Pairing entry and midlevel employees with senior staff can help employees develop soft skills, particularly when it comes to navigating workplace relationships, negotiating with vendors, developing communication and presentation skills, and improving sales and customer service techniques.
  • Frequent feedback: Rather than relying on infrequent high-stakes employee reviews tied to compensation, implement a culture of frequent low-stakes feedback that includes brainstorming on ways to improve skills.
  • Soft skills training: Bring in outside speakers for inspiration and small group facilitators for upskilling. Invest in automated self-directed learning modules and remote learning opportunities. Keep your company’s membership in professional and industry associations up to date and invest in sending team members to conferences and trainings that address areas where they need to improve.

3. Get Better at Recognizing Potential

Recognize the transferrable aspects of expiring and emerging skills and offer resources that allow your employees to transition from their current competencies to new in-demand skills in a way that bolsters their confidence by:

  • Focusing on the soft skills your employees already possess. For example, if they are great at teamwork but tend to avoid conflict, you can guide them to use their relationship-building skills to address communication challenges.
  • Giving workers gradually increasing amounts of authority and autonomy. A worker who is nervous about public speaking should not be assigned a big presentation in front of a large audience if they’ve never been tasked with one before. But they will likely benefit from working with a more confident public speaker to develop and present a small portion of a larger presentation.
  • Recognizing that your expectations may be unrealistic. Your workplace’s soft skills gap may not be as dire as you think. As your industry changes, you’ve likely added a host of new skills to your job descriptions, but have you jettisoned skills that are no longer relevant? If not, your job descriptions have likely morphed into a laundry list of qualifications no job applicant could possibly possess and discourage talented candidates from applying.

4. Improve Your Recruiting Game

The most important soft skill to look for to keep up with the rate of change workplaces are likely to experience in the coming years is adaptability. Rather than looking for applicants with a particular set of skills you need right now, keep in mind that many of the jobs that seem so vital today will not exist tomorrow.

The best way to address your soft skills gap is to look for candidates who have a passion for learning and whose resumes demonstrate a track record of embracing change. A close second is learning to recognize transferrable skills that can be leveraged to help your business succeed. This can be accomplished by revising your candidate filtering processes, including adjusting your applicant tracking system (ATS) to recognize a wider range of keywords.

Finally, work with local educational institutions and get involved in professional associations to communicate the skills you need and establish talent pipelines to address staffing needs.

5. Embrace Flexibility

It’s not just your workers who need to embrace change. For many job functions an onsite 9-to-5 work schedule is no longer necessary, nor is it desired by many top performers. Offering remote and hybrid scheduling options can increase the geographic scope of your talent acquisition efforts.

A growing number of workers prefer the flexibility of contract or freelance work, so you may need to outsource, at least temporarily, to address your soft skills gap. If you are planning to contract for freelance expertise you don’t possess in-house, consider adding coaching and upskilling your staff to the duties of your contracted workers. Once they’ve trained your staff to shoulder these duties, you can transition those functions to your existing staff.

Once you’ve established alternative work policies and an aggressive upskilling strategy, you can underscore these features in your hiring efforts and leverage them to hire more workers with the soft skills you need.

How to Identify Soft Skills: Interview Tips

Soft skills are more important to employers than ever, which is a surprise to many millennials and others who have banked on their tech-heavy resumes to land the best jobs. Companies want soft skills, but they’ve discovered that it’s not so easy to assess a candidate’s soft skills from a resume.

Most employers know what soft skills are, but they have trouble recognizing them in the hiring process. For the most part, they hope interviews will give them some indication as to whether a new hire will work out.

Six Soft Skills to Look for in Hiring

In general, employees use soft skills to interact with their environment and the people around them. Six skills, in particular, stand out:

  1. Adaptability
  2. Communication
  3. Conflict resolution
  4. Critical observation
  5. Problem-solving
  6. Teamwork

It’s easy enough to write skills like these down on a list, but it’s an entirely different task to identify them in job applications. Start by putting the soft skills you seek in your job descriptions.

Ideally, your candidates will read the job description and know what soft skills are expected of them. Likewise, when assessing soft skills, interview candidates by going beyond the general skills and experience required for the position. There are a hundred possible questions, but you need to focus on behavioral interview questions to bring out those soft skills.

How to Identify Soft Skills With Behavioral Interview Questions

In a behavioral interview, the employer wants to know how the candidate will perform in different circumstances. Often, it’s more about adaptability, communication, and problem-solving than about degrees or job titles.

Bruce Tulgan, author of Bridging the Soft Skills Gap: How to Teach the Missing Basics to Today’s Young Talent, suggests that employers learn how to identify soft skills by asking job seekers problem-solving questions. For example:

  • Tell us a story about a time you solved a problem at work.
  • Tell us a story about a conflict you had with another employee at work.
  • Can you tell us about a time when you disagreed with your manager’s directions or priorities? How did you respond?
  • Tell us a time when you made a mistake or were asked to go back and make corrections. How did you handle it?

The key to learning how to identify soft skills with behavioral questions is to avoid leading questions that may elicit canned or less-than-genuine responses. In general, you want to ask questions that prompt self-reflection and candid responses.

Identifying Soft Skills Through Observation

Of course, beyond a candidate’s past experiences, your interview itself is a good mechanism to investigate their soft skills. While it’s important to keep in mind that everyone brings some level of anxiety to the formal interview process, a candidate with good soft skills will nonetheless exhibit certain behaviors during your interview. Keep an eye out for:

  • Eye contact: Does the candidate have a hard time looking you in the eye or, conversely, is the candidate intensely staring you down like boxers in a pre-match press conference? Eye contact should be casual, so it’s okay to have short breaks in contact every now and then, so long as they reconnect with you, especially when you’re talking. That’s a good sign of active listening.
  • Organization: One of the most important skills in handling any task is organization. As your candidates to explain how they would perform a particular assignment, then watch for how they would execute the assignment step-by-step.
  • Interruptions: Interrupting a person is often a sign of poor communication skills. Of course, if a candidate keeps talking and talking, you may have to interrupt. Also not a good sign.
  • Evasion: When people don’t answer direct questions, it usually means they don’t have a good answer or they can’t focus. Either way, they’re evading the question.

More Questions About How to Identify Soft Skills in Your Applicants?

Good questions can help you identify soft skills in prospective employees, but you first need a strong recruitment strategy to bring them in the door. With expert hiring pointers and the latest analysis of hiring trends, Monster has tools to help you connect with the right candidates. Get started by accessing our free employer resources today.

For more information and current data on the skills gap, visit these resources:

Are Extra Company Perks Disappearing?

During the pandemic, companies had to rethink worker benefits. The nature of work changed, the workplace changed, and the things that workers found valuable shifted. Nearly all (98%) of companies reported plans for at least one form of benefit expansion, according to a 2021 Care.com survey.

It’s been a time of intense competition for talent and one of the most stressful work environments many people have ever experienced. Employers started offering extras like company-wide mental health days, work-from-home stipends, and flexible hours to accommodate caregiving.

But with inflation at 9% in June and some big companies announcing layoffs, experts are watching to see whether employers keep their benefits extras.

“I think it depends on what type of company it is and what its goals are when it comes to human resources,” says Caitlyn Parish, CEO, and founder of retail company Cicinia. “If they value a happy, mentally healthy employee, I don’t think they’ll take away such perks.”

Here are some factors affecting these decisions:

Companies are desperate for workers

While the economy has made things tight in some sectors, employers still need people to do the work. “The clients that I manage are not scaling back their benefits to employees based on inflation,” says Heather Summers, senior manager of human resources at Flex HR. “In fact, they are making their benefits more attractive to fill their open positions.”

That sentiment is echoed by Matthew Burr, a human resources consultant in Elmira, N.Y.: “I think compensation is actually higher,” Burr says. “They’re still paying people more money because they’re trying to get people to come to work. Labor still has the upper hand.”

Even if a company’s bottom line is suffering, employers may choose to keep benefits and subtract from other expenses. “They may be cutting in other areas, but from my experience, they’re still desperate to get their pipelines filled from an employment perspective,” says Jenna Squires, president of World Payroll & HR. “They’re still dangling all the carrots.”

Employee retention is key

Employee benefits aren’t just about attracting great hires — they’re also about keeping the great talent you have. Sixty percent of workers said their companies’ retirement benefits were a big reason they stayed at that company, according to the 2022 Global Benefits Attitudes Survey by consultancy WTW. In a competitive landscape, shrinking benefits can lead workers to jump ship for companies offering better packages.

“We have concluded that pulling back such offers would diminish our bonds with our workforce, and ultimately reduce employee satisfaction rates,” says Lorie Carson, founder and marketing manager of search site Real People Finder.

Moreover, in some companies, benefits managers are still debating about how to boost perks to meet employee needs.

“A lot of my clients are still looking to add stuff,” says Jill Santopietro Panall, owner and chief consultant of 21Oak HR Consulting. “I’m frequently reaching out to them and hearing, ‘Can I have a corporate wellness person come in to talk about stress in the workplace?’ ‘How do I get an EAP?’”

The bottom line

Jobs growth was still strong in July, but the fact is, the future is uncertain. Higher prices will affect some businesses and require some pullback to stay afloat.

In the meantime, though, many companies are still talking a big benefits game. “I’ve seen an addition of a lot of mental health days or flex days off,” Squires says. “There’s still an uptick in trying to figure out those things for work-life balance. I definitely haven’t seen where those trends are stopping.”

Strategic Tips for Hiring Seasonal Employees

For companies experiencing seasonal peaks, the ability to recruit effective temporary staff is more crucial than ever. Whether it’s for retail and hospitality during the holiday or summer rush, tech companies during major project rollouts, or accounting firms at tax time, seasonal workers—be they contractors or temporary part-time or full-time employees—are vital to the success of these industries. However, finding qualified candidates for such roles presents unique challenges.

Seasonal hiring requires a faster process than traditional hiring—attraction, interviewing, and onboarding must be expedited. This may seem overwhelming, especially when you are only bringing on staff for a few months or even just for a single project. Yet, with the right strategies, this process can be streamlined, making it less daunting and more efficient.

It’s important to recognize that competition for seasonal workers is intense in the U.S. labor market. The demand for flexible employment opportunities has surged, and businesses must adapt to stay competitive. By keeping up with employment trends through resources like the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, which offers detailed and updated data monthly, businesses can better plan their hiring strategies.

Time is ticking so don’t let the best temporary hires get away. Finding the right seasonal workers is crucial for managing workload spikes during peak periods. Here’s how you can effectively search for and recruit the temporary talent you need:

How to Find Seasonal Workers

Utilize Specialized Platforms: Monster is an excellent platform for targeting seasonal workers. Also, consider utilizing career centers on university and college campuses to reach students.

Leverage Social Media and Your Website: Post job openings on social media platforms that align with your target demographic. Ensure your company website has an accessible career page linked directly from the homepage to attract applicants.

Implement an Employee Referral Program: Encourage your employees to share job ads on their social networks. Reward employees who refer successful hires with bonuses or extra days off.

Reengage Former Employees: Reach out to recently retired staff, previous interns, and past seasonal workers. They are already familiar with your organization and can reduce training time.

Involve Your Community: Engage your customers and fans by asking them to refer potential candidates. This can also strengthen your relationship with them.

Review Past Candidates: Contact candidates from past job postings who were overqualified or not selected for the singular roles available at the time. They might be interested in seasonal opportunities for additional income and experience.

By diversifying your recruitment strategies and offering incentives, you can effectively build a robust pipeline of seasonal employees.

Start Hiring Early

You want first dibs on qualified candidates so it’s best to start as early as three months in advance of your seasonal needs. You’re not just looking for warm bodies. You need time to vet and train, and make sure things gel, especially with your existing workforce. Temporary staff interact with your work teams, along with your customers, so the best seasonal hire is not only qualified, but a great culture fit too. Remember having the wrong person is not better than having no person. Attract large numbers by simplifying the application process. Lengthy, complicated job applications are a time suck and turn off young, qualified job seekers. Include an option to apply via mobile.

Offer a Solid Onboarding Process

No train, no gain! While it may seem like a waste to spend time onboarding seasonal employees, it’s not—they’re representing your company, sometimes on the front lines, and you need to get them up to speed on your product(s), brand and customers. Take time to check in and give them plenty of opportunities to ask questions. Setting them up for success drives performance, and results in fewer mistakes and less micromanaging by busy managers. Shorten onboarding windows by pairing new hires even virtually with seasoned employees for a few days—best before the rush arrives.

Reward Seasonal Work With Perks

The last thing you want is someone quitting in the busiest and most stressful time of year. Motivate and engage fix-termed workers by offering an end-of-term bonus or a few creative perks for putting in those long working hours. Think of what benefits would be meaningful incentives—discounts on products or services? Maybe meals or career-enrichment activities? Go with things that can be obtained in a shorter period and used right away. Then consider extending any company discount even after their position has finished so you can count on them next year. Call it re-recruiting with a bonus for you—zero re-training.

Provide a Good Seasonal Experience

Set them up for a positive experience at your company. Poor employee reviews impact prospective candidates, both full-time and seasonal, and hurt recruiting chances along with your brand. Make sure they feel welcome and appreciated, just like a regular employee. Create opportunities for staff to connect, put healthy snacks in the break rooms, include them in the newsletter, and reward them for going above and beyond. Sure they come and go, but they leave a lasting impression on your long-term success and lay the groundwork for next year’s seasonal workforce—and future permanent employees.

Consider Contractors

There’s great talent out there that’s not interested in working directly for an employer or being on the payroll. Contractors are perfect when there’s an uptick in projects, and better still if the seasonal or project work can be done from home. Actually, by making as many jobs as possible work-from-home, you open your business up to dollar savings and untapped talent that could possibly pay full-time dividends in the future.

Post Jobs For Seasonal and Contract Workers

Meeting fluctuations by recruiting seasonal employees and contractors isn’t optional—you want to be good to your team and grow your business. Seasonal work isn’t rocket science—the key is to be willing, able and temporarily super staffed to meet that predictable influx of customers and demand in prime peak times. Ready to post a job now? Our self-service job posting tool makes it easy, and even helps you write your job ad for you.

Don’t Cut Corners

You may be tempted to save short-term costs by bypassing some HR processes for seasonal employees. This can bring trouble on many fronts, from fielding confused workers to running afoul of labor laws. So, keep your seasonal workers on your regular HR platform, and disseminate systems and knowledge to branch offices that are hiring for the season. “We supply franchisees with information on how to interview and evaluate candidates, with orientation and training programs, and with all the forms they’ll need,” says Lemcke.

Don’t Assume High Unemployment Makes Seasonal Hiring Easy

When the economy fluctuates, it’s important to remember that higher unemployment doesn’t necessarily mean that quality candidates will line up at your door. In fact, “we’ve experienced pockets of the country where it was very difficult to hire,” says Lemcke.

The catch in these conditions is that extensions of federal and state jobless benefits have made many workers eligible to collect benefits for a long time, reducing the motivation to find work, according to Mark Perry, a professor of economics at University of Michigan in Flint.

Use One Staffing Vendor

If you use multiple staffing vendors, consider giving just one an exclusive for your seasonal hires. Staffing agencies may be swamped recruiting seasonal employees for many clients at once. If you promise one agency all your business, they may be more willing to go the extra mile to bring you the best seasonal workers.

Don’t Assume That All Your Seasonal Hires Are Temporary

Many of your seasonal workers will never be candidates for permanent positions, but some of them could be. Tag potential permanent hires early on, keeping close tabs on their performance. At the end of the season, evaluate their fitness for full-time employment.

Don’t Neglect Your End Game

Never assume that your workforce will remain intact through the season; it most likely won’t. “No matter how much we plan, we still have to hire some people toward the end of the season,” says Lemcke. Consider structuring compensation to reward seasonal workers for staying as long as you need them. “Our lawn-care technicians get a bonus based on production if they complete the season,” Lemcke adds.

Does Your Seasonal Hiring Strategy Need a Long-Term Fix? We Can Help

Whether you’re recruiting seasonal employees or a permanent workforce, you always face the challenge of knowing how to appeal to the right candidates. This can change each year — or even each season — which is why it would help to keep tabs on the latest job market insights. Stay connected with Monster for free access to hiring resources that will add immediate value to your recruitment efforts.

What Are Middle Managers and Should You Hire Them?

Middle managers can play an important role within your organizational structure. They are often tasked with helping employees improve communication and feel more engaged, among other important responsibilities. When you hire the right fit for your organization, these managers can strengthen the relationship between higher- and lower-level staff, helping your business function more efficiently.

Whether you’re looking for someone to implement plans created by senior leadership or make sure that the day-to-day operation of your team is helping your department reach their goals, middle management might be the solution you need. In this article, we explain:

  • what these managers are
  • whether you should hire them
  • how to hire good-fit candidates

Here’s what to know.

What Are Middle Managers?

They are exactly what they sound like — managers that hold positions in the middle of your top levels of management (such as executives and senior managers) and lower-level employees. Since these managers bridge the gap between the different hierarchical tiers of your organization, they’re generally well-positioned to take on the following responsibilities:

  • Implementing your business strategy: Mid-level managers should be able to transform your high-level staff’s organizational strategy into actionable plans for their teams and departments. While your upper-level staff decides on the direction and sets the gears into motion, your middle-level staff can help clear the path and make sure everyone stays on track.
  • Supporting junior staff: Middle-level management supervises and supports your lower-level staff. They keep track of and make sure employees complete their daily tasks, meet quarterly and yearly goals, and stay aligned with your organization’s objectives.
  • Problem-solving: Since these managers are closer to the inner workings of your business, they are often more aware of issues happening on the ground level. This makes them perfect candidates to solve operational challenges and other problems.
  • Resource allocation: Another responsibility these managers typically take on is managing their team’s resources. This could be keeping an eye on your learning and professional development budgets, the cost of paying personnel, and managing the technology or equipment needed in a way that makes sense for the overall goals of your company.
  • Performance evaluation: These managers are often the employees that conduct performance reviews. Since they manage many of your employees directly, they are in a great place to provide valuable feedback and coaching.
  • Team development: Your middle-level managers work closely with lower-level staff and can decide which capabilities are covered and which skills need more development. As such, they are also typically in charge of fostering a learning-focused work environment.

Should You Hire Them?

Middle managers are great for companies with lots of goals to accomplish and various moving parts. For example, imagine someone is tasked with putting together a large musical performance. They are assembling an orchestra full of musicians who all play different instruments. Some musicians play woodwinds, others play strings, and there is also a percussion section taking shape.

As the orchestra grows, the performance becomes complicated with lots of moving parts. A conductor is eventually needed to step in to make sure people play at the right times and with the appropriate volume and expression.

Think of your middle managers as the conductors who organize the various components of your growing business, making sure everyone performs at their best. You might need to hire them if your business needs improvement in the following areas:

  • Operational efficiency: These managers ensure daily operations run smoothly. They oversee employee tasks, coordinate learning and team-building activities, and address operational challenges hands-on.
  • Communication: Since these managers bridge upper management and lower-level employees, they are in a great position to foster communication between teams. They alert employees to organizational goals, professional expectations, and major changes or strategy shifts. These managers also gather feedback from employees to provide valuable insight for higher-ups.
  • Employee engagement: They play a key role in employee engagement and morale. They are often more accessible to lower-level employees and better able to provide them with the support, guidance, and feedback they need to succeed in their roles. This can contribute to a positive work environment and increase employee satisfaction.
  • Flexibility: They are uniquely positioned to help their teams adapt to changes and implement necessary adjustments at the operational level. Their agility can be crucial in navigating the organization through the transitions and uncertainties that will inevitably surface.

What to Consider When Hiring Middle Managers

When hiring or evaluating mid-level managers, look for the following traits:

  • Leadership skills: These managers should be capable leaders who can guide and inspire their teams. To gauge these skills in your interview, ask the candidate to provide you with examples of how they set a positive example for their team, motivate others, and foster a collaborative work environment.
  • Communication skills: Strong communication skills are essential for mid-tier managers, who must convey information clearly, listen actively, and facilitate effective communication between different levels of the organization. Ask candidates how they handle communication breakdowns or misunderstandings within their team to understand their communication style and understanding.
  • Decision-making skills: These managers often need to make sound decisions, even in the face of uncertainty. Look for candidates who are proactive in addressing their organization’s challenges and adept at identifying and resolving challenges within their department or team.
  • Resilience: Mid-level managers need to pivot and adapt quickly to change. Candidates who are flexible and can navigate uncertain circumstances will be more likely to succeed.
  • Team building and motivation: Great mid-level managers excel in building strong and highly engaged teams. They recognize how to nurture individual talent, foster a supportive team culture, and help their team address conflicts constructively.

Consider these qualities alongside the candidates’ relevant work experience and transferable skills. This will help you get a 360-degree view of which candidates would make a great hire for your open role.

Chart a New Course in Your Organization

Now that you know how to harness the power of middle managers to steer your teams toward better communication and smoother operation, it’s time to source your next great-fit candidates. Create a Monster job posting today and gain access to millions of professionals who are ready to make an impact on your team.

Small Business Hiring Challenges and What to Do About Them

Small businesses are a crucial economic engine in the U.S., with more than 33 million small firms employing 61.7 million Americans, according to the Small Business Administration. They account for nearly half of private sector employees. 

But a small business is a delicate balance of investment in the business versus a tight bottom line. Running a successful small venture requires good people, and good people have to be hired. That’s a harder endeavor for a smaller shop. 

“We hear about a lot of layoffs from many companies, so one would expect that hiring top talent would be easier,” says Steven Mostyn, chief human resources officer of Management.org. “However, many laid-off employees are taking a career gap and focusing on themselves and their families, making hiring a bit tricky recently.” 

Challenges of Hiring as a Small Business

Although small businesses run on a small headcount, managing that headcount is a challenge. For one thing, it takes resources to recruit, and small businesses lack the budget of a larger company. They also don’t enjoy the same name recognition. 

“You need top talent to expand, but it’s tough attracting them without the brand power or budgets of big companies,” says Finn Wheatley, a financial expert and risk analyst at The Small Business Blog. “It can feel like a Catch-22.” 

Additionally, small businesses have less money to work with, making competitive compensation a hurdle. And there’s less time to hire, since small teams are stretched across multiple responsibilities. 

“None of my customers have time or resources to quality check, reference and vet the workforce coming onto site,” says Lucy Clarke, founder and CEO of Fixed Construction, which helps construction companies hire vetted workers. 

Hiring Strategies That Work for Small Companies

Thankfully, small firms are also teeming with ingenuity and grit, so they’ve found a number of solutions to the hiring issue: 

Build a Strong Employer Brand

Business branding can attract workers and make sure you get talent that identifies with your priorities. That means giving your company a personality that brings in workers who agree with the direction you’re headed. 

“We’ve focused on building a strong brand that attracts potential employees,” says Eric Eng, founder and CEO of AdmissionSight, a college admissions counseling company. “We’ve highlighted our company culture and our dedication to our employees’ growth and development.”

Eng’s company has invested in promoting its brand on various platforms, with a focus on social media where many job seekers are active. “We’ve also partnered with local universities and attended job fairs to grow our presence and reach out to potential hires,” Eng says. 

Offer Creative Compensation and Benefits

In some cases, workers will choose a job with a less competitive salary if it comes with benefits that suit their lifestyle. Do you offer time off for volunteering, plus a great 401(k) match? Make sure prospective employees know it. 

“We highlighted flexible scheduling, remote options, professional development — perks that attract talent craving work-life balance and growth,” Wheatley says. “Where we couldn’t match salaries, we provided other enticing incentives.” 

Midwest Cards, a dealer of collectible trading cards, offers the full package: “This includes health, dental and vision insurances, HSA and PPO plans and year-end bonuses based on company performance,” says Jim Christy, owner and managing marketing director of the firm.  Also on the menu: a profit-sharing plan and cash balance pension plan. “These add significant value to our compensation package,” Christy says. 

Streamline the Hiring Process

By cutting back on unnecessary steps and automating what you can, you can make it easier for your already-stretched workforce to manage the hiring process. This could mean relying on digital tools to help with portions of the hiring process — or using digital tools for other tasks at your company to free up more time for hiring. 

You can also get ruthless about the resumes that make it to your desk. “To make our process more efficient, we’ve implemented a bold move: automatic rejection for applications without portfolios or signatures,” says Peter Howard, founder and managing director of Phd Design, a graphic design agency. “Automatic rejection if they are addressed to ‘The Manager’ or similar. Automatic rejection if it is 12-point Times New Roman on a white sheet. If they can’t be bothered, then why should we?”

Utilize Referrals

Some of your strongest assets are your current employees. Building an employee referral program can make hiring faster, lower costs to bring in new talent and help you find someone who’s a great fit. 

“Leveraging our existing network for referrals has proved invaluable,” says Jessica Moore, CEO of headwear company SilkyDurag. “People tend to know like-minded professionals.”