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Tag: Employee Recruitment

  • How to Find and Recruit Top Talent Before Competitors Do | Entrepreneur

    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    Finding the next game-changer for your business isn’t luck — it’s a calculated hunt. The leaders who consistently win in business know how to identify, attract and lock in top talent before anyone else realizes their potential. Forget waiting for resumes to land on your desk. You need to know where to look, what to look for and how to close fast.

    The same principles that discovered Michael Jordan apply to business recruiting: discipline in scouting, precision in evaluation and decisiveness in making the offer. And yes, that also means understanding what the next generation actually cares about, not just what you think they care about.

    Here are five proven strategies to make sure you spot and secure the best talent before your competitors do.

    Related: Talent Is Hard to Come by, But Only Because You’re Looking in the Same Old Places

    1. Scout where others aren’t looking

    If your only recruiting strategy is posting on LinkedIn or waiting for applications to roll in, you’re already behind. The most exceptional talent often doesn’t announce itself publicly — they’re too busy building, competing and proving themselves elsewhere.

    Some of the strongest hires are hidden in niche forums, specialized Slack groups, college programs, coding competitions or industry hackathons. These are places where ambitious people showcase their skills without necessarily signaling they’re “on the market.”

    Think of it like sports. Michael Jordan wasn’t discovered at a crowded job fair — he was spotted by scouts who looked beyond the obvious pipeline. If you want to find rare talent, you need to go where the masses aren’t paying attention. That might mean sending a trusted team member to judge a hackathon, sponsoring a local competition or simply reaching out in communities where your competitors aren’t looking.

    2. Understand the new motivators

    Money still matters, but it’s only the starting point. Today’s top performers — especially younger talent — are motivated by purpose, mentorship and long-term growth trajectory. They want to know: Does this company align with my values? Will I grow here? Will I be mentored?

    My wife, a respected professional who literally wrote the book on career navigation, explains that the workforce of today is far more intentional about choosing companies that fit their lives, not just their wallets. If you can’t clearly communicate how your business aligns with their personal and professional ambitions, you won’t win them — no matter how big the paycheck.

    This doesn’t mean you have to overhaul your company culture overnight. But it does mean you need to articulate your value proposition beyond compensation. If your company offers accelerated learning, exposure to industry leaders or a strong social mission, make that part of your pitch.

    Related: 3 Golden Strategies to Attract Top Talent in an Ultra-Competitive Job Market

    3. Build a talent pipeline before you need it

    The worst time to start recruiting is when you have an urgent vacancy. By then, you’re playing catch-up — and usually settling.

    Think about it in sports terms: You don’t wait until your star point guard retires to start looking for the next one. The best teams always have a pipeline of prospects in the wings, ready to step up.

    Great CEOs and executives adopt the same mindset. They’re always recruiting — at conferences, over coffee, during casual conversations. That doesn’t mean offering jobs on the spot; it means building relationships long before you have an open role.

    Start by keeping a running list of high-potential individuals you meet. Check in occasionally, invite them to events, and let them know you admire their work. When the right role opens, you’ll already have a shortlist of warm candidates who know your company and are more likely to say yes.

    4. Hire for ceiling, not just resume

    Resumes tell you what someone has already done. But what matters more is what they’re capable of becoming.

    A solid performer with sky-high potential will often outperform a “perfect on paper” candidate who’s already peaked. In basketball terms, you’re looking for the player who’s still coachable, hungry and willing to put in the work — not just the one with the best stats from last season.

    This requires a mindset shift. Instead of obsessing over every qualification, look for adaptability, curiosity and grit. These qualities often predict long-term success far better than technical skills alone.

    Here’s where having a structured evaluation process is critical. My wife’s frameworks, for example, focus on assessing coachability, problem-solving approach and growth mindset. Tools like these can separate an average recruiter from an elite one by giving a clear method to evaluate potential, not just past performance.

    Related: 5 Recruiting Secrets Every Leader Should Follow

    5. Move fast, close decisively

    Hesitation kills deals. The best talent has options, and if you’re slow to move, your competitors will happily swoop in.

    Great CEOs treat hiring decisions like acquisition deals: They act on intel, instinct and a clear read on ROI. Once you know you’ve found your Michael Jordan, don’t drag things out with endless interviews or bureaucratic delays.

    When you’re ready, move quickly and decisively. That doesn’t just mean making an offer — it means making the offer. One that makes the candidate feel valued, respected and excited about saying yes.

    Remember, in the war for talent, there’s no silver medal. You either close the deal or you lose the player.

    The leaders who know how to scout smart, connect with what talent truly wants and move with decisiveness are the ones who build companies that dominate for decades. Everyone else is left wondering how they “missed out” on the game-changers they once crossed paths with.

    The truth is simple: Talent doesn’t fall into your lap — it’s hunted, cultivated and closed with intent. The question is, are you ready to start recruiting like a championship team?

    Finding the next game-changer for your business isn’t luck — it’s a calculated hunt. The leaders who consistently win in business know how to identify, attract and lock in top talent before anyone else realizes their potential. Forget waiting for resumes to land on your desk. You need to know where to look, what to look for and how to close fast.

    The same principles that discovered Michael Jordan apply to business recruiting: discipline in scouting, precision in evaluation and decisiveness in making the offer. And yes, that also means understanding what the next generation actually cares about, not just what you think they care about.

    Here are five proven strategies to make sure you spot and secure the best talent before your competitors do.

    The rest of this article is locked.

    Join Entrepreneur+ today for access.

    Roy Dekel

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  • Here’s How to Recruit and Retain Talent From All Generations | Entrepreneur

    Here’s How to Recruit and Retain Talent From All Generations | Entrepreneur

    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    With boomers staying in the workforce longer and Gen Zers increasingly foregoing traditional career paths and heading straight to work, today’s offices, job sites and conference rooms are more generationally diverse than ever before. The range of experiences and points of view offered by today’s labor pool is helping companies be more productive and successful than in years past, with collaboration between workers of varying ages leading to increased innovation and resilience.

    However, while nearly all of today’s workers show a preference for companies with clear values, their preferences and priorities on benefits, compensation and other offerings vary.

    Related: 5 Ways to Achieve Better Recruitment

    Alison Stevens

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  • The Fail-Safe Way to Hire Your First Employee | Entrepreneur

    The Fail-Safe Way to Hire Your First Employee | Entrepreneur

    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    There has always been a difference between being self-employed and being an entrepreneur. The latter requires developing a self-sustaining growth system and doing a lot of hiring. While most entrepreneurs do most of the early work on their own, a growth system will soon need more hands on deck.

    Starting with the first, employees can greatly influence the direction of your company’s future. Although there’s always a wide room for error and improvement, it’s imperative to get it right the first time.

    As an entrepreneur myself, I’ve placed great emphasis on hiring the right person rather than the right skills. This principle is vital, especially for your first set of recruits, and this article offers a fresh perspective on how to go about hiring right the very first time.

    Related: Hiring Your First Employee? 5 Things You Need to Know.

    First, consider your options

    There are obvious signals to know when it’s time to add an extra hand to your team. However, the extra hand might not necessarily be your first employee.

    Bringing an employee on board comes with some legal and moral responsibilities. For one, employment benefits and a promise of job security are part of the equation. So, before you jump knee-deep into hiring your first employee, assess the situation within your startup and explore options.

    One option to consider is freelance work. If you’re experiencing an increased workload within your company, you should figure out whether that specific type of work is an integral part of your business operation. If the job is only available in the interim and is sporadic, it might be safer to work with a freelancer. Choosing to hire in this situation might force you to start manufacturing inconsequential tasks in the future.

    In the case that hiring a freelancer won’t be ideal, another option to consider is the prospect of remote work. Ninety-eight percent of Americans want to work remotely at some point. However, this doesn’t mean you must offer a remote work option to your first employee. Depending on your operational process, you might prefer having your first employee work on-site, but this is not necessarily a rule.

    Should remote working suit your processes well, it’s strongly advised that you hire someone in the same time zone as yourself. It’s really important for you to be in perfect sync with your first employee. Poorly aligned priorities and bad timing can do your business more harm than good. Be sure to keep an eye out.

    Define the role and responsibilities

    Before entrepreneurs make the decision to hire their first employee, it is usually for responsibilities that they’re familiar with. Some may have been handling it themselves for some time. So, it would be pretty straightforward to draw up the responsibilities associated with the role.

    The tricky thing, however, is to accurately describe what you expect the employee’s daily job to be. As an entrepreneur, you have various responsibilities that are so muddled up that it’s hard to clearly group them into stand-alone roles. For instance, some companies’ first recruit is in finance, and entrepreneurs seldom know if who they need is a bookkeeper or an accountant.

    Getting past this tricky stage requires some reflection. Also, you could solicit advice from mentors and other entrepreneurs who have successfully hired several employees.

    Related: 6 Signs It’s Time to Hire Employees for Your Startup

    Look out for the right personality

    A common mistake that young entrepreneurs make is focusing on skills when hiring. No doubt, skill and experience levels are important attributes to consider, especially as they pertain to the role. However, you should place a higher priority on their personality.

    Startups exist in very competitive landscapes and volatile markets. As a result, the roles and responsibilities within them are more dynamic than people expect. The majority of employees tend to rely heavily on the responsibilities spelled out in the job description and tend to lose motivation as changes occur.

    Remember that you and your first employees need to be in sync at all times because the culture and future of your company depend greatly on it. So, it’s safer for you to look into candidates with a shared entrepreneurial spirit and a will to take on more responsibilities than were stipulated in the job description.

    Finding people with the right personality is a tough job. Ironically, job boards (like LinkedIn, Indeed and Glassdoor) don’t make the job any easier. Listing a job on boards can offer you a variety of candidates that may turn out to be overwhelming. Not to mention, resumes are hardly a reliable measure of a candidate’s drive.

    As a solution, you can reach out to your network for talent referrals. Eighty-five percent of job openings are filled via networking, according to a survey. While you may have immense respect and trust for those preferring the talents, you should personally interview the candidates and conduct due diligence before making your decision.

    Related: 4 Strategies for Hiring the Right People at Your Startup

    Again, being an entrepreneur entails lots of hiring. While some roles may seem pressing at first, they might not exist for so long. You need to figure out which roles will exist over the span of your company’s existence. Only these roles should be filled by employees. Freelance workers and independent contractors could work just fine for other roles.

    Once you’re sure of the role’s long existence, you have to define the employee’s everyday job and expectations before moving on to start looking for who to hire. Although well-defined responsibilities are essential, you should look out for candidates that have can-do attitudes and are willing to take on more responsibilities. Finding these talents on your own is hard, but utilizing your network for referrals can significantly increase your chances of getting it right on the first strike.

    Judah Longgrear

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  • Biggest Resume Red Flag According to Former Google Recruiter | Entrepreneur

    Biggest Resume Red Flag According to Former Google Recruiter | Entrepreneur

    Less is more when it comes to crafting the perfect resume, according to this industry expert.

    Nolan Church, a former Google recruiter and current CEO of talent marketplace Continuum, says his biggest resume faux pax is too many words and not a lot of context.

    “The No. 1 thing I don’t want to see on a resume is probably text bricks,” he said in an interview with CNBC Make It, adding that if he sees “endless streams of text” on an applicant’s credentials, “there’s zero chance you’re going to move forward.”

    RELATED: 19 Best Skills To Put on a Resume That Employers Will Love

    Instead, Church advises people to “optimize a resume for 10-second viewership” with short sentences that highlight the most important points, making it faster for HR to review your credentials and move along in the hiring process.

    Church finds that people often go wrong when describing their daily duties, and says a concise one-line bullet below each job title should suffice. With short-hand communication like Slack and email so pertinent in office culture, getting to the point fast and clearly is crucial.

    RELATED: Exploring the 6 Different Types of Resumes

    “If you can’t succinctly describe what you’ve been doing in your career, there’s just no way you’re going to be able to succinctly write in the workplace,” Church said.

    He recommends the tools ChatGPT and Grammarly to cut down on words and consolidate descriptions. Additionally, he suggests having at least five to 10 people review and provide feedback on your resume. That way the next time a recruiter sees your credentials, they will be finely tailored.

    Sam Silverman

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  • 6 Strategies for Hiring Good Employees in 2023 | Entrepreneur

    6 Strategies for Hiring Good Employees in 2023 | Entrepreneur

    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    Are you having trouble attracting good employees? It’s become a big problem for many companies in today’s job market. A lot of hiring managers say posting ads on job boards and employment sites simply don’t draw many quality applicants.

    If you’re feeling like it’s time to get creative, here are some underrated hiring strategies you can use to attract the best candidates starting today.

    Related: Stop the Ever-Expanding Job Description from Hurting Your Company

    1. Mobilize your current employees

    Your greatest resource might not be a job board but your team members. Your workers may know someone who’d be a good fit for your company. As a group they can provide a network far larger than yours, so why not mobilize them to start asking around?

    One way to do this is through social media. The average social media user has several hundred friends and followers. Some of these people may not even be local or otherwise connected to your company. Ask your team to start messaging friends to see if they’re looking for a job.

    It’s shocking how well this strategy can work. But it makes sense — your workers are likely connected to other professionals, and their network will most likely be larger than your own.

    Try incentivizing your existing team to find leads. You might pay them to make the initial contact or offer a bonus to everyone who leads you to a quality candidate or successful hire.

    Related: Hire Your Next Remote Team Member from One of These 20 U.S. Tech Hubs

    2. Look for people in real life

    Think about all the people you interact with on a day-to-day basis. Maybe it’s the barista at Starbucks or the customer service rep at the hardware store. Have you ever thought, They’d be an amazing fit for the company? Why not ask them?

    It might sound a little bold, but that’s the point. Instead of posting a want ad and waiting for them to come to you, you have the option to actively go after people who catch your eye and who you want working for you. Chances are that no one else is offering these people jobs this way, which gives you an edge.

    If you’re not meeting candidates through your normal routine, switch it up a bit. Where would your ideal worker be found right now? The best way to catch a fish is to wade into the river.

    Make sure you work on your “elevator pitch.” This should be a 30-to-60-second description of the job and its benefits.

    Face-to-face interaction gives you a chance to persuade potential applicants, answer any questions they may have and offer insights into your company culture. Don’t force a decision right away, but make plans to follow up in the hopes that they consider your offer. You can be sure that they will.

    Related: How to Attract Smart Millennials Through Better Job Descriptions

    3. Give people a taste of what it would be like on the job

    Traditional job advertisements present candidates with a job description, a list of essential benefits, and a compensation package. Although these details are important, they don’t answer one of the most important questions on applicants’ minds: What’s it like to actually work there?

    Candidates want to know more about your company culture. What’s the work environment like? Who would I be working with? If you can answer these questions, you’ll be more likely to weed out less qualified candidates and energize your best possible talent.

    An interview is an opportune time to do this, though that assumes you’ve generated quality applicants who’ve made it to the interview process. Some companies include short videos in their job advertisements to offer a glimpse into the workplace environment. You might try doing the same.

    A video doesn’t have to have high production values, though it should feature interviews with relevant people and reflect the day-to-day operations of your company. You can incorporate these videos into your job listings or share them over social media to generate potential leads.

    Related: What are Pulse Surveys, and How They Can Help Your Company?

    4. Be patient, but don’t settle

    Depending on your industry, you might set aside four to six weeks to hire a new employee. But with many companies facing a talent shortage, you might need to extend this deadline just a bit. After all, finding a candidate who fits your culture could be more important than finding one who fits your timeline.

    This also means that you should avoid settling on a candidate who seems like they “might” be a good fit. The only thing worse than a vacancy is a bad hire. You might find yourself stuck with that person until they either improve or you have sufficient grounds for termination.

    Instead, stay focused on your talent acquisition and screening processes. If you’re a recruiter, make sure senior management understands current HR challenges and will back your continued search for the right person.

    For some positions, a lengthy search process may be required, so it also helps to have provisions in place to cover the workload in the meantime.

    Related: 5 Things to Consider Before Hiring a Marketing Consultant

    5. Source from others you know

    Job referrals are worth their weight in gold. Some of these referrals can come from your employees (see above), though you can also source referrals from others you know.

    Think about your professional network. Chances are that you already have relationships with other business owners, some of whom are in industries that overlap your own. Although these businesses might not be eager to part with their employees, they might know of outside professionals who would be a good fit for your organization.

    Don’t neglect your social circle, either. You might be able to source referrals from your friends, family, or any community outside of work that you’re a part of. You’d be surprised how many people are eager to help others land a job or help you fill a vacancy.

    6. Focus on your story

    Every job description should tell a story. That story is designed to captivate potential candidates and show them how they’d benefit from being part of your team. In essence, your job description is a sales pitch, and as such, it should contain more than just the basic facts of the position.

    If you’re unsure where to start, consider the words you would use to describe the ideal candidate. Lead with something like, “We’re looking for innovators who are passionate about building customer relationships” or, “Do you value creativity? So do we.”

    Alternatively, you could start by identifying the problem your business is designed to solve or the need you seek to fill. How would the ideal candidate solve this problem or need? A job description that presents a compelling story will generate far more interest than the usual bland list of responsibilities and requirements.

    You might even ask your existing employees about their hiring and onboarding experience. Their insights can help you learn what made your company attractive in their eyes, which may help you connect with future job candidates.

    Related: Looking to Hire a Marketer? Here’s Why You Should Think Twice.

    Strategies that work together

    These tips aren’t meant to be mutually exclusive. You might gain more traction by combining several of the aforementioned strategies. For example, if you create a video to showcase your company culture, you can share this content with your network and encourage your team members to do the same.

    It also helps to be open with your people about your recruitment strategy. They might even offer input that influences the direction of your talent acquisition process or provide useful feedback to help you craft a narrative about your business.

    John Boitnott

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  • 5 Ways to Achieve Better Recruitment | Entrepreneur

    5 Ways to Achieve Better Recruitment | Entrepreneur

    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    While candidates must work hard to impress their potential employers, employers must also present candidates with the benefits of working for the company. Having the right employees on board can contribute to your overall success as a business. They can also minimize the need to hire several times, which can be expensive. Therefore, companies must make a good impression by implementing a highly efficient recruitment process. Here are some ways to achieve better recruitment.

    Related: 6 Strategies for Making a Good First Impression During Business Meetings

    1. Fast-track your hiring process

    One way to improve recruitment is to fast-track the hiring process. You must ramp up your recruitment process to attract qualified and skilled staff. One way to do this is by leveraging modern tech tools like online skill tests and recorded video interviews to filter unqualified candidates, hasten short-list creations, and expedite hiring decisions.

    Another way is by defining job requirements. Loosely defining job requirements can bring the recruitment process to a crawl. Fast-track recruitment aims to quickly identify qualified candidates systematically and accurately within a short period. Organizations must first determine the core competencies required for the position to gauge an applicant’s qualifications.

    Related: How Can You Make the Recruiting Process Faster?

    Before posting a job ad for any position, organizations should conduct a thorough job analysis. They do this by interviewing existing employees holding the job position, reviewing job descriptions, and consulting with subject matter experts. A clear, detailed, and focused outline of the skills and abilities required for the job can shorten the hiring process. In addition, organizations should also consider creating realistic job previews. These include simulations in skill tests replicating on-the-job tasks, and helping hiring teams reduce unqualified applicants.

    2. Implement safer recruitment

    Safeguarding during recruitment is one of the best ways to protect your organization. This is especially true for those working with children and vulnerable individuals. If organizations can detect predatory individuals and prevent them from working with vulnerable individuals, they can stop several cases of mistreatment and abuse. Safer recruitment can help stop this abuse by ensuring you will not hire dangerous individuals.

    Related: 4 Ways to Strengthen Recruitment, Retention and Engagement in the Wake of the Great Resignation

    Unlike a typical recruitment process, safer recruiting involves additional steps and amendments to the usual steps. The primary steps include creating job descriptions with references to the responsibilities involved in keeping children and vulnerable individuals safe, having references from previous employers, and interviews involving specific questions about the candidate’s suitability to work with children and vulnerable individuals.

    3. Use social media

    Tapping into your social media networks is one of the best ways to improve recruitment. You can rely on social media to stir up interest and attract the best candidates. More and more candidates are now turning to social media for job research. So, you must be able to take advantage of these to increase your chances of finding the best employees.

    Related: 4 Free Ways to Grow Your Social Networks

    Some companies that use social media for recruitment say they have brought in higher-quality candidates, all thanks to social media’s diverse range of filters and hashtags. For instance, Facebook allows you to set advanced search filters to align with the persona of your ideal candidate. You can set the criteria according to location, industry, specific keywords, etc.

    4. Get help from specialist recruiters

    Many businesses are now recognizing the importance of partnering with specialist HR recruiters, as these experts know how to conduct recruitment properly. These specialist HR recruitment agencies can help locate the ideal candidates for your business. Having the right skilled professionals on your team is essential for success.

    Hiring the wrong candidate can cost companies a lot of money, not to mention wasted time and effort. To guarantee the best hire, you must clearly understand your industry, something that specialist recruiters have. They can advise you on industry trends, provide job insights, and benchmark salary offerings. These recruitment agencies will take the time to understand the role, company culture, and business objectives, allowing them to create bespoke hiring strategies.

    Specialist recruiters might charge you a fee but consider that a good investment. When you pay for a recruitment specialist, you will have access to excellent talent pools, job board advertising, and social platforms, allowing you to target and attract ideal candidates.

    5. Look to recruit internally

    When filling up some positions, most companies immediately turn to traditional recruitment, where you look for people outside the company who can fill in these positions. Why don’t you look within the company and see if some of your existing employees would be willing to take the roles? The process is called internal recruiting, which involves hiring someone from within the organization.

    One of the benefits of internal hiring is providing growth opportunities to employees. If you allow employees to grow, they will be happy to stick for a long time, reducing turnover rates.

    If you are confident about your team’s abilities, you already have a great pool of talents from whom you can hire to fill in new roles, and that means you won’t have to invest time, effort, and money in recruiting new ones. You won’t have to undergo background checks, conduct interviews, and other time-consuming steps involved with recruitment.

    Internal recruitment also allows you to save money. As you know, there are monetary costs involved in recruiting new employees. These can include paying for ads, fees for recruitment specialists, conducting interviews, and more. But if you already have people in the organization who can carry out the role, why don’t you onboard and train them?

    Under30CEO

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  • Why You Should Be Hiring When Everyone Else Is Firing | Entrepreneur

    Why You Should Be Hiring When Everyone Else Is Firing | Entrepreneur

    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    Now, I know this might sound like a crazy idea. After all, why would anyone want to hire when the entire world is downsizing and laying off employees left and right? But hear me out.

    The truth is, layoffs are happening because these large companies have become bloated and inefficient.

    They have so many employees that they can’t even keep track of who’s doing what. And when times get tough, they start slashing jobs left and right without any regard for the talent that they’re losing.

    Related: A Downturn Can Actually Be a Good Time to Cultivate Talent. Here’s Why.

    Why is everyone firing?

    The economic impact of the multiple crises we’ve experienced over the past few years alone has led to companies experiencing a decline in revenue and profits, causing them to restructure their businesses to survive. This restructuring often results in layoffs and downsizing to cut costs and stay afloat.

    Some companies also had to shift to remote work arrangements, and the need to implement safety protocols has also contributed to the layoffs. Companies that were unable to adapt to the new normal had to make tough decisions, including downsizing and restructuring, to remain competitive.

    With the rise of automation and artificial intelligence, companies are looking to streamline their operations, which means reducing the number of employees. As a result, employees who have skills that can be easily automated are often the first to be let go.

    Some companies are also undergoing mergers and acquisitions, which can lead to redundancies and layoffs. When two companies merge, there is often an overlap in roles and responsibilities, which can result in the elimination of positions.

    But as an entrepreneur, you have the opportunity to do things differently. By building your business efficiently, you can pick up talent at a fraction of the cost and build your dream team in a way that these large companies could only dream of.

    What are the benefits of hiring during an economic downturn?

    First and foremost, hiring while others are firing allows you to access top talent that may not have been available in a more competitive job market.

    Many highly skilled workers who have been laid off may be looking for new opportunities and may be more willing to work for a smaller, growing company that can offer them more flexibility and growth potential.

    In addition, hiring during a period of widespread layoffs can give your business a competitive advantage. As larger companies downsize their operations and scale back on services, smaller businesses that are still growing can step in to fill the gaps in the market. This can help your business gain market share and increase your customer base.

    Another benefit of hiring during a period of layoffs is that you may be able to negotiate better terms with potential employees.

    To clarify, when discussing negotiating better terms with potential employees, it is not necessarily about undervaluing their talent. Rather, it is simply acknowledging the reality of the current economy and job market.

    With more people looking for work, you may be able to offer lower salaries or fewer benefits and still attract top talent. This can help you keep your labor costs under control and invest more in other areas of your business.

    Related: Companies Need To Be Better at Hiring, Not Firing. 7 Tips To Pick And Retain The Best Talent During Uncertain Economic Times.

    Building your dream team on a budget

    When hiring during tough times, it’s also still very important to be strategic.

    Instead of simply filling gaps in your existing staff, take the time to think about what positions you need to add to take your business to the next level. This is the perfect opportunity to build out your dream team, with a focus on hiring people who can help you grow and thrive.

    While it’s true that hiring during tough times can be an opportunity to pick up top talent at a fraction of the cost, it’s still important to be mindful of your budget. If it goes down to it, you can consider hiring on a commission-only basis or offering equity in your company as a way to attract top talent while keeping costs low.

    Building a great team is one of the most important things you can do for your business. And since this great team is built during hard times when work dedication is slowly fading, they will help you achieve your goals in ways you couldn’t have done alone.

    And when the economy bounces back, you’ll be in a position to reap the rewards of having a highly skilled and motivated team in place.

    Related: How to Be An Accountable Leader During an Age of Layoffs

    While it may seem counterintuitive to hire when everyone else is firing, doing so can be a smart move for entrepreneurs who want to make duplicates of themselves in the company.

    With the right strategy, you can pick up top talent at a fraction of the cost and build your business in a more efficient and effective way.

    So, don’t let the current economic climate scare you away from hiring — use it as an opportunity to build your dream team and take your business to new heights!

    Roy Dekel

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  • 3 Proven Ways to Hire (and Keep) Diverse Talent | Entrepreneur

    3 Proven Ways to Hire (and Keep) Diverse Talent | Entrepreneur

    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    One of the most common diversity, equity and inclusion strategies over the last decade has been to diversify hiring processes. The temptation to hit the “easy button” and fill front lines and open positions with women, people of color, those with disabilities and other marginalized communities is opportunistic and inauthentic. If you’re not creating an environment for diverse talent to thrive, diverse talent will not stay. This requires a more holistic approach, rather than a simple hiring fix.

    To take a more holistic approach to hiring diverse talent, consider:

    • Broaden where you recruit
    • Remove bias from the hiring process
    • Hold recruiters and hiring managers accountable for diverse representation

    Related: 10 Ideas to Drive Your DEI Initiatives in 2023

    Broaden where you recruit

    If you went fishing and didn’t catch any fish would you blame the fish? Or if you were gardening and had trouble growing plants, would you blame the flowers? It is more likely that you would shift your approach to catch more fish or grow more plants. Yet, with diverse talent, we often blame them for not applying or not being “qualified.”

    Instead, shift your approach much like you might shift your approach with other ineffective techniques. There are lists of organizations that can help place diverse talent. Folks from diverse backgrounds will check peer-reviewed websites like Glassdoor and reach out to people that work at the organization, as well as comb through the corporate website to see if it’s truly a diverse and inclusive workplace. After many corporate promises were not delivered, there is an increased skepticism by potential employees to be cautious when evaluating employers. Compensation and benefits (although important) are table stakes, with culture and flexibility taking precedence over traditional worker priorities.

    And time developing relationships with HBCUs, diverse networking groups and building a reputation for inclusion first before showing up on campus and at events declaring diversity is important. Actions speak louder than words. Candidates from diverse backgrounds have never been so highly sought after and they can be choosy with their employment in ways they have not been afforded in the past. Do intentional and consistent work and candidates might believe it.

    A diversity recruitment strategy outlines the organization’s goals and approach to recruiting diverse talent. This strategy should explain outreach efforts to underrepresented communities and track success, pivoting as strategies work or need to adjust to meet candidate needs.

    Related: 5 Tips for Finding Diverse Candidates That Make Dollars and Sense

    Remove bias from the hiring process

    The hiring process is riddled with bias. if we don’t have systems to address bias, then bias is invited into the process. Most hiring managers admit they hire people they would like to spend time with vs. people that are most qualified for the position.

    Use inclusive language in job postings to attract a diverse pool of candidates. Avoid using gendered language and be specific about the skills and qualifications required for the position. If a job posting has a requirement that people doing the job do not currently fulfill, it’s not a requirement.

    Ensure that the interview slate of candidates and a panel of interviewers are diverse and represent the organization’s commitment to diversity and inclusion. This sends a clear message to candidates that the organization values diversity.

    Manage personal bias in the hiring process. There are many biases that play into the hiring process. To find diverse talent, recruiters and hiring managers need to be aware of their potential biases and be prepared to manage them. Bias is not bad; bias is human. Inclusive leaders manage their biases knowing they can never fully remove them. Some include:

    • Potential vs. performance bias: Those in the majority group (white, straight, cisgender, able-bodied men) tend to be evaluated on potential. Women, people of color and those from underrepresented groups tend to be evaluated based on actual performance. This means that the starting point is different for people based on identities they can’t control. Be cognizant of this bias with clear objective criteria to evaluate candidates so this bias does not creep in.
    • Caregiving vs. providing bias: Women are often assumed to be caregivers whereas men are assumed to be providers. This stereotype may be true, yet it certainly is not always the case in modern culture. The traditional family with men being the primary owners and women being stay-at-home has shifted significantly in the last few decades, yet our brains are still wired to connect women with caregiving and men with providing. This leads to an unfair advantage where men as seen as more committed or stable compared to women. Question assumptions about women’s caregiving responsibilities equitably to men.
    • Cultural fit vs. cultural add bias: When people say they’re a good cultural fit, it’s usually code for they like us. Humans have an affinity or like me bias and like to surround themselves with people they feel comfortable with, usually of their identities. This is an obvious challenge if we want to diversify our workforce, we need to look at people from different backgrounds as cultural adds. This doesn’t mean that they’re not aligned with our core values and beliefs, yet they bring a different perspective. Asking the question, “What perspective does this person add?” can help combat this bias.

    Related: Business Leaders Need to Take Inclusive Language More Seriously — Here’s Why.

    Hold recruiters and hiring managers accountable for diverse representation

    What gets measured gets done. Without clear expectations, managers resort to past methods. If we want more diversity, we have to do things differently. The status quo is the enemy of diversity. Accountability begins by:

    • Setting clear expectations: Clearly communicate the organization’s diversity and inclusion goals and expectations for diverse hiring to all managers. This can include specific targets for diverse hiring and a commitment to eliminating bias in the recruitment and selection process. The goal is to improve, not set quotas or force diversity when it is not possible yet.
    • Establishing metrics and tracking: Establish metrics and tracking mechanisms to measure the effectiveness of the organization’s diverse hiring efforts. This can include tracking the diversity of candidate pools, monitoring the progress of diverse hires and measuring the impact of diversity and inclusion initiatives on employee engagement and retention.
    • Incorporating diversity into performance evaluations: Incorporate diversity and inclusion goals into managers’ performance evaluations to hold them accountable for diverse hiring. This can include evaluating managers based on the diversity of their hires, their efforts to eliminate bias in the recruitment process and their ability to create an inclusive work environment.
    • Recognizing and rewarding success: Recognize and reward managers who are successful in hiring and retaining diverse talent. This can include public recognition, promotions and bonuses for achieving diversity and inclusion goals.
    • Addressing non-compliance: Hold managers accountable for non-compliance with diversity and inclusion goals through disciplinary action. This can include coaching, training and, in some cases, termination of employment.

    Despite positive intentions to diversify hiring processes, leaders often struggle to find diverse talent. They cite the lack of applicants as evidence that diverse talent does not exist and is not attracted nor qualified to work at their organization. However, when diversity recruiting and hiring are given a strategic approach, results shift. There are three proven ways to diversify talent acquisition: broaden where you recruit, remove bias from the hiring process and hold recruiters and hiring managers accountable for diverse representation.

    Julie Kratz

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  • 7 Interview Questions to Build a Positive Work Culture | Entrepreneur

    7 Interview Questions to Build a Positive Work Culture | Entrepreneur

    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    Creating a positive culture is more than putting a ping-pong table in the break room or free snacks.

    It’s also about hiring positive, motivated employees who share your company’s values and are committed to making a difference.

    It’s always good to remember, while the look of your office shows how much you care, the people that are in that building make your company what it is.

    That is where the interview process and the questions come in:

    1. Who is your favorite person that you have ever worked with or for?

    You’ll have a couple of answers: One person will say this person was their favorite because they were best friends, they can talk about anything and would always laugh. That shows me that this person’s number one focus is not growth — meaning head down and getting to work.

    An answer like, “My first boss was so strict, and at first, I hated him. Two years in, I realized I learned so much and he helped me be so much better in my job and as a professional.”

    That person gets that if they sew in hard work they are going to reap success. If someone gives them critical feedback, it will help them grow.

    I want that person.

    Related: 3 Interview Questions To Help You Hire The Right People

    2. Who is your least favorite?

    I don’t care about the least favorite person, I care WHY. This shows me what kind of management style the candidate doesn’t work well with.

    Say the reason was that they brought their boss this idea they worked on for weeks, and all their boss said was “thank you,” but they think they didn’t respect their opinions.

    It is likely their boss respects their opinions, even on an average level.

    This shows they are probably wearing a lens that makes them think people generally disrespect their opinions. So, if I hire them, I have to fight with this person’s ghosts and do extra to make them know I respected their idea.

    3. Where do you get your moral code or compass from?

    The way people ground themselves is mercurial.

    When someone says they are their own moral compass, they have no concrete thing they ground themselves in and will get blown in the wind.

    You want the source to be really good — a parental figure, a historical figure, an institution, etc.

    This way you know they hold themselves to a standard and you don’t have to manage their moralities.

    4. If you get to the end of your life and look back at the time between now and then, what will make you say, “I did it!”?

    I want to see if their desires line up with the company — their desires beyond personal goals, what they want to accomplish and where they see themselves in five years.

    It helps me know that we are aligned and a qualified organization for what they want to do and achieve.

    If it makes sense, then they will see your company as a bridge to help get to their goals.

    This is the most integrity-focused and integrous part of the vetting process, too, because you can also see if the company is a good fit for the individual.

    Related: 3 Ways to Establish a Positive Company Culture

    5. Name everything you can do with a brick.

    This is the best test — those with a higher IQ would, on average, be able to give 12 or more creative answers in five minutes. If they give less than six in five minutes, then it is indicative of lower fluid IQ and less creativity, and it also indicates that they will struggle to come up with solutions to complex, nuanced problems.

    This test does not tell everything about IQ or anything like that, but you do get an inkling.

    For example, a marketer will give more creative, longer, paragraph-style answers as opposed to an operator who would give a lot of answers, but brief two-word ones.

    Someone with creative answers would not be able to follow set patterns, as opposed to the operator’s logical answers.

    6. If you were going to give a training on __, what would the outline be?

    I prefer this question over asking questions like, “How much experience do you have in ___?” or “How good are you at ___?”

    You don’t want their opinion on their knowledge, and you don’t want them to tell you what they’re good at. You want them to display knowledge.

    By asking the candidate to teach you about the position they are applying for, you will be able to see how teachable they are, where they got their knowledge from and how much they know.

    You want to also know if they know more than you. You never know what you might be able to learn.

    7. What is something that you have learned about __ that most people in the industry don’t know?

    I want to know, again, where on their timeline of learning they are. There are three levels to this:

    1. The formative level: Where you accept what anybody tells you about anything.

    2. The medium level: “Oh! I have learned something on my own, and I now have my own rules.”

    3. The final level: Where you are judging and where it can be dangerous to a degree. You take everything from the first two and apply it further.

    You are asking for them to demonstrate if they are at that third level and if they are at that level of fidelity in their knowledge.

    Related: 11 Crucial Interview Questions to Ensure a Culture Fit

    To promote a positive culture, you want to know how much your candidates care about the role and the company.

    For example, a candidate coming to an interview in a suit, a notebook and their resume — even though the company is very casual — shows they care about you, the role and the company.

    It’s more than giving water and comfy chairs. It’s also about creating a work environment that fosters collaboration, innovation and growth. This starts with the people — people make the company, not the other way around.

    Josiah Grimes

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  • The Best Way to Retain Employees Is to Use These 6 Strategies | Entrepreneur

    The Best Way to Retain Employees Is to Use These 6 Strategies | Entrepreneur

    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    The year started off with HR continuing to make headlines, as news of massive layoffs within tech and other industries have dominated headlines and discussions about the incredible capabilities of predictive AI — like those displayed by ChatGPT — have complicated the hiring process. It might seem that, after years of record-low unemployment and rapid hiring pushes, 2023 will usher in a new era for managers and employees alike; one that may again favor employers’ interests, juxtaposed by a strong desire for employees to feel a sense of purpose and belonging at work.

    While candidates will likely have less leverage going into negotiations than they did at the height of the Great Resignation, the power balance in the workforce may not shift as significantly as one might think. Unemployment is still incredibly low and there are still roles sitting unfilled at businesses around the country. News of layoffs elsewhere may even send employees who feel undervalued or at risk in their current roles to seek new opportunities to get ahead of an unforeseen loss of income.

    Alison Stevens

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  • Watch Out for These Red Flags When Hiring a Virtual Assistant | Entrepreneur

    Watch Out for These Red Flags When Hiring a Virtual Assistant | Entrepreneur

    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    Finding the perfect virtual assistant can be a challenge. You want to make sure you hire someone who is reliable, efficient and experienced. However, there are some red flags you should be on the lookout for when hiring, as I understand all too well having worked remotely in the hiring business for almost 20 years.

    Knowing what to look for can help you avoid onboarding someone who isn’t the right fit for your business. Below are the most common red flags I have encountered during the hiring process when looking to onboard a virtual assistant (VA).

    Related: 3 Signs That You Need a Virtual Assistant — And What Type to Hire

    Lack of communication skills

    As a virtual assistant, this person will most likely spend the majority of their time communicating with you via digital messages, so if they are not clear up front, they are most likely not a good fit for your team. Additionally, if you ask a direct question such as, “How long have you managed x, y and z?” and they respond with something that does not make sense like, “Yes, you should use that software,” then that can show a lack of attention to detail and understanding, both of which are very important skills to possess as a VA.

    If your job candidate passes this first step, they should move on to an interview. This may be a video call or over the phone. Again, ask very direct questions that demonstrate a candidate’s knowledge and communication skills. For example, if your company uses certain software and your VA is required to be familiar with it, ask them a very specific question about how the software works — also ask them if an imaginary emergency scenario occurs, how would they fix that, taking you through the process step by step. Their answer will demonstrate their expertise and it will give you a chance to see if they can explain a complex process in simple terms.

    Unprofessionalism

    While this may seem obvious, there are some subtle signs that someone is unprofessional which can later translate into how they work. This is especially important to notice if you are working with a remote team. One clear sign of unprofessionalism is if the person appears to be working during the interview. It is always important to clarify if they are just taking notes, but if they seem distracted and are typing while looking off-camera, this is a good sign they are not paying attention. If they are unable to dedicate a few minutes to an interview, they will most likely not have time to fully dedicate to your organization.

    Another red flag is when someone shows up to an interview unprepared. The easiest way to spot this is if you ask the candidate to complete a task before the interview — such as reviewing your website or some company literature — and they show up to the interview having not done that at all. Some subtle signs appear if you ask them particulars about the job description and notice that they seem surprised or are unable to answer questions related to the job description.

    Related: The Virtual Assistant: A Startup’s Secret Weapon

    Inability to follow instructions

    This is an easy red flag to spot and ties into the communication and unprofessionalism examples given above. If you ask the candidate to complete a task and they do not do it or they do it wrong, this is not a good sign. Of course, everyone is human and makes mistakes. Second chances are always important on both sides. However, if the candidate continues to turn in subpar work that does not follow your company’s standard operating procedures, then that candidate may not be a good fit for obvious reasons.

    A virtual assistant must be able to read instructions and be able to follow through with them. While a person may have good communication skills and appear to be very professional, they still may not be able to follow directions in the manner which your company provides them. It is best to find this out ahead of time by offering a short test project to the most qualified candidates.

    Not asking questions

    If a virtual assistant candidate does not ask questions, this could be of concern. Most people will have questions about their roles and tasks at some point and time. The person that works with your company should feel comfortable asking questions. If not, they may do their tasks incorrectly and cause more problems down the line.

    While there are tips out there urging job candidates to ask questions in interviews, that is not overly important. Sometimes, companies do such a fantastic job explaining the position that candidates may not have anything to ask immediately. What is more important is that the person is able to ask questions when given directions. If something does not make sense, they should feel comfortable reaching out. Once more, giving candidates test projects or tasks before fully hiring them is a great way to see if they will ask questions and how they work with you on projects.

    Related: Should You Hire a Virtual Assistant?

    By keeping an eye out for these red flags, you should be able to better define your job candidate search to find the candidate that works best with your company.

    Lesley Pyle

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  • Co-Founder Reveals the Secret to a Nearly 100% Retention Rate | Entrepreneur

    Co-Founder Reveals the Secret to a Nearly 100% Retention Rate | Entrepreneur

    From the start, Washington, D.C.-based fashion retailer Tuckernuck has done things differently.

    Its co-founders Jocelyn Gailliot, Madeline Grayson and September Votta were tired of buying clothes from cookie-cutter, big brand retailers — the “J. Crews” of the fashion world that seemed to dress everyone “in the same thing from head to toe.” So in 2011, they decided to do something about it.

    “We just wanted to create a brand that was easily shoppable,” Gailliot, who worked in investment banking and private equity before founding Tuckernuck, says. “You could go on the site and discover tons of different brands, small as well as big established ones. And it was a brand that was really aspirational but attainable. It was friendly. It wasn’t a place that was intimidating.”

    Eager to go all in, the trio joined the incubator 500 Startups, now 500 Global. The women moved across the country and shared a bedroom in Mountain View, California for six months. There, donning white denim and blue and white stripes, they stood out as “anomalies” among mostly tech founders.

    But it was the push Tuckernuck needed to get started. The co-founders recruited creative director Sophia Newbold, invested in a camera to shoot their products, gave Shopify a go (“this new website that people hadn’t really used before” at the time) and launched their company with just $500, moving back to D.C. to open their first office above Gailliot and Grayson’s parents’ garage.

    In the years since, Tuckernuck’s team has expanded from its original three to a “small but mighty” 78 as the company continues to grow and put D.C. on the fashion map. Tuckernuck developed an in-house fashion label and transitioned from strictly direct-to-consumer to include a brick-and-mortar store in D.C. — with plans to expand.

    Image credit: Courtesy of Tuckernuck

    But one of Tuckernuck’s most impressive accomplishments to date is something many companies consistently struggle with: retention. Twenty-five percent of Tuckernuck’s employees recently celebrated their fifth anniversary with the company, which has retained nearly 100% of its employees over the past few years. The company saw 100% retention in 2020 and 2021 and 98% retention in 2022.

    That’s no small feat considering how much the pandemic and subsequent Great Resignation have shaken up the workforce. Last year, Gartner predicted that U.S. total annual employee turnover would likely jump by nearly 20% over prepandemic levels — with an expected 37.4 million people quitting.

    Related: This Founder Is Using AI to Solve Fashion’s Biggest Problems

    Entrepreneur sat down with Gailliot to learn how the company kept its employees invested from the beginning — and still does.

    Look for the smart, creative, scrappy hire

    In Tuckernuck’s early days, Gailliot says the company prioritized hires who were smart, creative and “would be okay with working above a garage.”

    “Those early stages were very vulnerable,” Gailliot explains, “so in the beginning, you’re just looking for people who believe in your vision and in you as a leadership team and just want to be a part of it. And a lot of times, that’s your friends.”

    One of Tuckernuck’s earliest hires, Emily Hayes, was a friend of Gailliot and Grayson’s younger brother; she was “willing to babysit [Gailliot’s] newborn” and tackle a range of office and customer experience essentials — and now runs all operations for the company.

    “Every person we brought on was because they were a great culture fit,” Gailliot says. “They believed in the vision, and they were scrappy. That entrepreneurial spirit is core to our business.”

    Today, Gailliot considers all of Tuckernuck’s employees “100% family.”

    “We’ve all become so close,” she says. “Our creative director married my brother’s business partner; that hire Emily Hayes married my sister’s brother-in-law. We’ve all grown up together, and to this day, we’re very conscientious when we make those hires: Is this someone who will stay up late with us and [be willing to] hit the road and go on trunk shows and carry things around?“

    Related: What Is ‘Quiet Hiring’? And How You Can Use It To Your Advantage.

    Get serious about professional development

    Tuckernuck wants its employees to grow and excel professionally, Gailliot says.

    The retail industry is interesting because it touches “every part of business,” Gailliot explains — from marketing to operations, logistics, product design, digital technology, digital customer positions and more. As a result, every employee should recognize how crucial he or she is to the company’s success.

    Being “very transparent” with numbers and statistics is an essential part of that, ensuring everyone is on the same page. “We believe that everyone, from the new hire to the more executive hire, should know all about what these sales targets, goals and metrics are, and they need to know the bigger picture so that they can be better professionally,” Gailliot says.

    Accordingly, Gailliot and her co-founders believe that the benefits of so much transparency outweigh any potential pitfalls.

    “I know at times it could be a risk to provide that much information to everyone on the team,” she admits, “but we think that it’s also what keeps everyone feeling motivated and feeling like whether it’s a small or a big role they play, it’s an important role — always.”

    Related: 5 Ways to Build a Culture of Transparency | Entrepreneur

    Keep lines of communication open — and listen to the people you hire

    Tuckernuck’s leaders strive to be mentors to their employees — and don’t ever want them to feel like they’re “hiding in a glass tower.”

    “We really are all about being a team,” Gailliot says. “We’re really collaborative, and they see the dirty things behind the scenes.”

    And a lot has unfolded behind the scenes since the company’s founding; Gailliot has become a mother of five, and Grayson and Votta have five children between them too. Balancing work and motherhood isn’t “always pretty,” Gailliot says, but she and her co-founders are proud to model that dynamic — to prove it’s possible to have a fulfilling personal and professional life.

    On the other side of the coin, Tuckernuck wants to learn from its employees as well. One sure way to do that? Making sure to listen to them.

    “We constantly ask questions,” Gailliot explains. “I’ve been in industries before where it’s very much: ‘This is the role you play at these different hierarchical levels.’ And for us, it’s always been: ‘You’re on the team — you have amazing ideas to contribute, and we want to hear them.’ And we really do.”

    Related: The Most Successful People in the World Ask Questions Constantly

    Find the fun

    Alongside its commitment to hiring for culture fit, prioritizing professional development and emphasizing open communication, Tuckernuck has a motto that keeps its employees coming back for more: “Find the fun.”

    Finding that fun was especially important to Gailliot, who “didn’t take a vacation for two years” during her time in finance. “We want to make sure that what we’re doing is fun,” Gailliot explains. “It’s hard work; everyone puts in a lot of hours, but it’s really fulfilling, and we try to always be able to laugh at things.”

    Related: Want to Be Successful? Have Fun. Seriously. | Entrepreneur

    That levity is woven into a culture of honesty, opportunity and kindness, Gailliot says, which often surprises people who join the company — whether they have a background in fashion or not. “We have a lot of people coming to us because they’re leaving other industries where they may not be feeling as excited,” Gailliot explains. “And when they’re leaving, this is one of the industries or one of the brands that they’re feeling a connection with and wanting to be a part of.”

    Over the past year alone, Tuckernuck’s employee base has more than doubled, and though the smaller, close-knit team that could “finish each other’s sentences” has grown considerably, the company’s stellar retention rate speaks to its strategic hiring and consistent values.

    Amanda Breen

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  • How Small Businesses Can Beat the Big Companies to Top Talent

    How Small Businesses Can Beat the Big Companies to Top Talent

    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    Finding the perfect job candidate can take a lot of work for a small business or startup. With the current competitive market, small businesses find it harder to attract top talent than larger, more established companies. In a survey of small business owners by NFIB Research Foundation, 44% of respondents said that they had few or no qualified applicants for open jobs.

    Small businesses might struggle to find top talent for plenty of reasons, such as increased competition, social media inactivity or failure to connect with recruits on a personal level. If you want to attract top employees, your company must have a clear and unique identity and be able to demonstrate its differentiators and core values.

    Here’s how savvy small business owners can start being strategic about attracting qualified employees.

    Related: How Small-Business Leaders Can Recruit Like the World’s Top Companies

    1. Focus on flexibility

    People care deeply about flexibility at work. The ADP Research Institute conducted a survey that found 67% of employees feel more empowered to work in flexible arrangements since the start of the pandemic. Successful companies, including American Express, the largest credit card company in the U.S., have followed this advice by offering flexible hours, working arrangements and contracts.

    Consider being flexible with policies and practices that affect work-life balance. This approach demonstrates that you care about your employees’ overall well-being and helps attract talent who might not have predictable schedules or work arrangements.

    2. Foster a community

    Creating a sense of connection is crucial for small businesses that want to attract competitive talent. An ideal workplace is built on a shared purpose, mutual trust and care for the community around it. It’s not just about the money for employees; it’s about finding fulfillment in their work and enriching their lives.

    One way to set yourself apart when building your community is to look to the local, larger community at hand. Small businesses are known for fortifying communities all over the country, connecting people through shared experiences and helping regional economies thrive. By creating a sense of community within your business that’s connected to the one outside of it, you capitalize on local talent while providing a fulfilling work environment that retains employees.

    Related: 4 Ways to Level the Playing Field of Small Business Recruitment

    3. Make a good first impression

    Small business teams might find it hard to set aside the time necessary to write detailed job descriptions because of the pressure to complete other tasks. However, the first step in attracting skilled workers that fit your precise needs is writing an accurate job description. A job posting, description included, is often the first impression a new job seeker has of your business. So, make it a good one.

    Not only does an effective job description include a list of required skills and expectations for the role, but it also gives the reader an insight into your company culture. Do you care about work-life balance? Is your compensation competitive, and does it include the preferred benefits? Do you understand the nuances of employees’ lives? A good job description will communicate those answers when crafted with the seeker in mind.

    4. Nurture company culture

    A company’s culture establishes expectations for how employees interact and collaborate. Whether you build your culture through concrete practices or relaxed camaraderie, a strong company ethos can serve as a way to break down the barriers between teams that are siloed and provide guidance for decision-makers.

    Warby Parker is a great example of building a solid company culture that retains employees. The whole team is involved in a new employee’s onboarding and training, fostering stronger relationships and increasing a new hire’s sense of belonging and support.

    For a small business, even little things such as flex time, a casual dress code or pet-friendly offices can impact staff morale and loyalty. Creating the right company culture will help spread the word about your business and why top talent should want to work for you.

    Related: How Small-Business Owners Can Build a Strong Corporate Culture

    5. Offer real benefits

    Although there is no federal law mandating that small businesses (i.e. those with 50 or fewer employees) offer health insurance or paid leave, regulations on employee benefits can vary from state to state. Plus, creating a more comprehensive benefits package is a great way to attract the best workers. Employee benefits improve your worker’s productivity, health, well-being and job satisfaction.

    Almost half of the employees surveyed by SHRM said that health insurance was either the top deciding factor or a positive influence when choosing their current job. What’s more, 29% of employees said that their overall benefits package was a significant factor when deciding to look for work elsewhere. Benefits matter to your employees, so they should matter to you.

    6. Consider hiring remote workers and freelancers

    A small business can employ forward-thinking strategies faster and more responsively than most established enterprises. Keep an open mind when looking for a “specific” kind of employee: independent contractors and remote workers are becoming more common these days.

    Many skilled and talented people are available for hire as freelancers or contract workers. Even among traditional employees, it is important to consider allowing people to work from home as more people expect this option from employers. Remote work can be one of the key benefits of working at a small company.

    Related: 3 Powerful Techniques to Effectively Manage Your Remote Team

    7. Drive home what makes a small company unique

    A great advantage for small businesses is the ability to respond to creativity with agility. Big companies can be hesitant to make significant changes, but small businesses can take bigger risks while affecting fewer people. This can make employees and job seekers more excited to work for your business. According to Gallup, when a worker perceives their company as agile, they’re likelier to believe that the organization is a good fit for customers, ahead of competitors, financially secure and prosperous.

    The ability to be agile encourages new ideas and helps businesses adapt to new innovative solutions quickly. A company’s ability to quickly and effectively adapt to its changing needs is key to its success, especially when adding new employees to the mix.

    It’s more critical than ever to find the right people with the right skills for the job. So, you need a solid small business recruitment strategy when seeking new talent. A group of skilled and enthusiastic employees will flock to a company that appreciates and nurtures their talents. In return, they’ll bring new skills and energy to your business and ensure you can compete in today’s market.

    Sarah Mayer

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  • Ready to Hire? Here are the Best Recruiting Platforms.

    Ready to Hire? Here are the Best Recruiting Platforms.

    Disclosure: Our goal is to feature products and services that we think you’ll find interesting and useful. If you purchase them, Entrepreneur may get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our commerce partners.

    Employers of all sizes turn to popular job sites to recruit top talent. Posting a position on a job search site allows you to reach a large pool of candidates all at once, rather than having to search for and contact candidates individually.

    But with so many to choose from, which are the best recruiting platforms? Many job search sites offer free job postings or have options for paid sponsored job postings that are more prominently displayed.

    If you’re ready to hire new employees, choosing the best job search site can make a big difference in the success of your hiring efforts. Here are some of the best recruiting platforms to consider.

    Best Overall: ZipRecruiter

    Four out of five employers who post on ZipRecruiter get a quality candidate within the first day. This popular job site makes it easy for companies to scale their business with quality hires.

    Rated as the #1 job site in the U.S.1, ZipRecruiter allows you to post job openings and receive applications from relevant candidates. It also offers a resume database and applicant tracking tools to help you manage the hiring process. It’s no wonder why ZipRecruiter is among the best recruiting platforms.

    LinkedIn

    LinkedIn can be a valuable platform for recruiting professionals and is particularly effective for finding candidates in the business, finance, and technology sectors. It offers a variety of features, such as job postings, resume searches and applicant tracking, to help you find and hire top talent in and outside your network.

    Indeed

    Indeed is one of the largest job search websites and can be an excellent resource for finding a wide range of candidates for all positions. It offers free job postings and allows you to search for candidates based on their location, experience, and skills. Indeed also provides rates for sponsored listings that prioritize your openings in the search results.

    Glassdoor

    Glassdoor is a platform that allows you to find job opportunities and read reviews about different companies. Glassdoor also provides information about company culture and employee satisfaction, which can help attract candidates to your open positions.

    Workable

    Workable is a recruiting platform that offers a variety of features, including job postings, applicant tracking and candidate sourcing. It can be particularly effective for small- and medium-size businesses looking to streamline their hiring process.

    1 Based on G2 satisfaction ratings as of January 1, 2022

    Entrepreneur Deals

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  • 3 Ways I Attracted The Best Generation Z Applicants

    3 Ways I Attracted The Best Generation Z Applicants

    Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

    Just when you think you’ve figured out the generational differences in your team, a new generation exits the classroom and into the workplace. For the first time in history, there are five generations in the workplace. They are traditionalists (born 1925 to 1945), baby boomers (born 1946 to 1964), Generation X (born 1965 to 1980), millennials (born 1981 to 2000) and Generation Z (born 2001 to 2020. And trust me, navigating these differences is no easy feat. I found this out the hard way.

    When I first started my own business, I lived out the old adage, “If it isn’t broken, don’t fix it.” I figured the same recruiting and retention practices that had worked for my own generation would easily translate to Gen Z. But I was wrong. Very wrong.

    In fact, I had to relearn everything before I could create a business that attracted top-level Generation Z applicants. But it was well worth the effort. So, how did I do it?

    Here are a few things that helped me in my own journey:

    1. Rethink your office space

    The “always on” mentality really started to take hold as the internet revolutionized how we communicate and interact. The first generation of employees expected to be “on” 24/7 were millennials. The workplace was no longer separate from your life — in many ways, it became your life.

    Generation Z recognized this. They saw the mental health struggles and burnout that came with being “always on” from the generation before them. This is why when they left the classroom and entered the boardroom, they valued, above all else, a work-life balance. They want flexibility. They want privacy. They want boundaries.

    That’s why, when I first started my company, I made sure to cut the cereal bar out of the budget and offer employees the ability to work from anywhere and at any time. How do I do this?

    Well, I meet with my team once a week via Zoom and we cover our weekly, quarterly and annual goals. Then, I’m able to break them down into manageable projects that can be done from anywhere. Once they’re done with the task that week, they can either take the rest of the week off or use that time to work ahead on the next week’s project.

    Now, I realize that this format doesn’t work for all types of businesses. But, if you have the capability of being entirely remote, giving your team the freedom to work from anywhere will go a long way in attracting top-level Generation Z applicants.

    Related: Gen Z Brings a Whole New Dynamic to the Workforce

    2. Let them lead the conversation

    One of the worst mistakes that I did early on was trying to lead with answers instead of questions. Well, let’s just say that didn’t go over too well. In fact, it completely flopped. And for good reason.

    You see, I was terrified of looking like a fool in front of my team. So, I didn’t give them a chance to catch me off guard. I lead with confidence, masked my fear and hoped that I could get through the day without falling flat on my face. However, my facade came at a high price. I almost lost the respect of my employees in the process.

    My team was frustrated because they felt like I was trying to control the conversation instead of letting them have a voice. They were done with the top-down management style and desperately wanted a leader who would listen to their needs.

    I knew I needed to change — and fast. This is why I started hosting weekly one-on-one conversations via Zoom.

    During these conversations, I asked my team about their work-style preferences, what motivates them, and how I could better support them. I even asked about how they like to socialize and what their favorite type of team-building activity is. And you know what? These conversations completely changed the way I ran my business –– for the better.

    My Gen Z employees are now some of my most valued team members because they feel heard and appreciated. Because once they knew that I was willing to listen, they were willing to open up and share their ideas — which has led to some pretty amazing results for my business.

    Related: 5 Ways Businesses Can Reach ‘Generation Z’

    3. Focus on their development, not placement

    The great Mark Twain once said, “The two most important days in your life are the day you are born and the day you find out why.” Now, I’m sure Twain wasn’t thinking about Generation Z when he made this statement, but it couldn’t be more relevant for today’s young workers. And I’ll tell you why.

    I learned the hard way that if you want to retain Generation Z workers, you need to focus on their development, not placement. For instance, when I brought on my first intern, I eagerly looked at my needs and then placed her in the department where I thought she would excel the most.

    But, after a few weeks, it became clear that she was miserable. She wanted to be doing something completely different — and she’s not the only one.

    According to Deloitte, “Most Gen Z professionals prefer a multidisciplinary and global focus to their work, with the expectation that this can create opportunities for mobility and a rich set of experiences.”

    For Gen Z, A plus B equals growth. This is why offering them the chance to cross-train is so important.

    My intern didn’t want to be boxed in by her past experience or education. She wanted an opportunity to grow. And, once I gave her that chance, I grew as a leader, too. I stopped focusing on placing my employees in specific roles and started focusing on giving them the freedom to grow within the company.

    Working with Generation Z can be a challenge, but I can guarantee you that it’ll be worth it in the end. In my experience, I’ve found you need to offer them these three things:

    • The ability to work from anywhere.
    • The chance to lead the conversation.
    • An opportunity to grow.

    If you start with that, you’re well on your way to attracting and retaining top Gen Z talent — and becoming a better leader in the process.

    Dr. Colleen Batchelder

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