Tips for Finding Small Business Employees | Business Unplugged

In this tight labor market, all businesses are struggling to find job applicants and employees, especially small businesses. So, we have asked the knowledgeable CarolRoth.com contributor network of business owners, experts, advisors and entrepreneurs to share their best tips to help small businesses find motivated employees. Their answers are presented below, in no particular order.

You may notice some similar ideas listed, but I kept them separate, as something in the way one is framed may resonate differently with you.

1. Location! Location! Location!

Find talent for your small business by posting the opportunity to city and region-specific boards. Sites like LinkedIn show jobs from all over the world, but the classified page on your local paper’s website has far less noise. Your post will stand out and get higher exposure when used with other job posting sites. Additionally, local job posting avenues connect you with local candidates, which makes networking easier & minimizes the hiccups that come with onboarding, training & team building.

Thanks to: Savannah Bilbo of Superior Honda.

2. Give Them Right Incentives

Offering a competitive salary is a great way for finding employees, but it’s not enough. You should offer incentives and some other benefits to employees. These incentives may include flexible scheduling, remote working, leave loading, holiday benefits, discounted health insurance, or opportunities for career growth. The incentives show that you care about your employees, and in this way, you can attract top-tier talent for your small business.

Thanks to: Angus Chang of iupilon.

3. Partner with Non-profits

There are many non-profit organizations like refugee centers, domestic violence shelters, etc., that help people get back on their feet. They may help you find qualified workers that are willing to work. Non-profits commonly perform background checks on people seeking their help, so you’ll feel more confident knowing that your potential employees have been vetted, at least at the basic level.

Thanks to: John Clark of Yo! Free Samples.

4. Freelance Platforms

I began using freelance platforms like Upwork and Fiverr to find freelancers, but I was so impressed with their effort and motivation that a few ended up as employees.

These platforms are a great way to find people with unique skill sets and experiences who are looking for opportunities.

I highly recommend trying these platforms out to see if you can find motivated, skilled, ambitious employees to work with you!

Thanks to: Lindsey Allard of PlaybookUX.

5. Create Your Own Pipeline

When typical channels run dry, email your opportunity to professors at local universities and ask them to share it with recent graduates and notable alumni. Recent grads are often actively seeking employment, but tend to be overlooked by larger companies for lack of experience. Recent grads are hard workers with modern insights that any savvy organization can benefit from. Plus, professors know which students are ready for employment so you can trust the quality of the applicants sent your way.

Thanks to: Eyona Nelson of Online Optimism.

6. Find Niche Job Sites

When used effectively, niche job boards can open up a world of opportunity for small businesses looking for potential candidates. For starters, there's a lot less competition on these boards so your listing won't be missed. There's also the fact that the candidates who apply will already be well-acquainted with your niche and industry.

Thanks to: Riley Beam of Douglas R. Beam, P.A..

7. Ask Your Network

Finding the right talent can be difficult in a limited job market. But I will ask my network (friends, family, colleagues, and peers) if they know of anyone who has the right skills for what we are hiring for, as well as fits our criteria. This process is a lot easier than using job boards to weed through thousands of potential candidates.

Thanks to: Kristin Marquet of Marquet Media, LLC.

8. Employees as Your Advocates

As in everything else in your business life, referral business is the best form of business. Having people who know, like and trust you tell your story to others is powerful and builds you an audience of those who see value in what you do. SO, why not enable your employees to find your next employees? Tell them exactly the type of person you are looking for, why those skills are important and incentivize them to find you the right people.

Thanks to: Ben Baker of Your Brand Marketing.

9. Restaurants Should Look Local

Restaurants have been posting jobs on social media. They can get better responses by going local: job boards, churches and even grocery stores that let people post.

People may want to work but don’t have access to the internet. Often, these individuals show up on time, work hard and are excited about learning and being trained.

Thanks to: Izzy Kharasch of Hospitalityworks.com.

10. Look Abroad!

If possible, try posting job adverts and/or directing hiring agencies to look abroad, as well as local. This will widen the possible shortlist of candidates massively, while also attracting talent that otherwise wouldn't be viable. If you hire someone from overseas, then you will also save on office space, equipment, and many other areas. You could look to invest this money towards targets, bonuses, or other incentives to improve motivation.

Thanks to: Steve Jones of Bonuses.org.

11. Remote Working Options

Be sure to offer remote working options if you can. Many employees will now expect this as a perk, so being able to offer it will make you more attractive - especially compared with companies who aren't embracing remote working. This flexibility should help to motivate employees, especially if you allow them to work abroad for short periods so they can combine work with a bit of holiday.

Thanks to: Joe Walker of Gamblermaster.com.

12. Power of Word of Mouth

The best way to ensure your company hires loyal and trustworthy people is to rely on word of mouth recommendations. Employees often have acquaintances from college or previous jobs who have expertise in the same field. They will be informed better about job demands and know what to expect, which leads to lower staff turnover. Furthermore, sometimes a good reputation from people can give you access to candidates who seemed out of reach, despite the company not being the biggest fish in the pond.

Thanks to: Dima Suponau of 1800liveperson.

13. Be Your Own PR

With so many job openings, this year would appear to be the opposite of 2020 when many businesses condensed and the labor pool swelled. The market has now given the upper hand to job seekers so it's on recruiters to be their company's PR rep, selling not just the opening and benefits, but truly communicating what makes your organization unique and preferable. Pitch your culture and post it where your dream teammate is likely to be reading. This will take some creative PR, HR, and SMM skills.

Thanks to: Jason Myers of The Content Factory.

14. Define Your Business!

Employees are seeking benefits that are comparable or better than what they’ve received in the past. This includes things like retirement savings plans, and paid time-off. If you’re a smaller company, you may think you can’t compete with big company benefits. However, there are many perks you might be able to offer that bigger companies don’t. Special perks can help set your company apart. Be sure to clearly define these extra benefits and share them with potential employees.

Thanks to: Zondra Wilson of Blu Skin Care, LLC.

15. Use a Referral System

By incentivizing a referral system, your employees will be likely to share the opportunity with their network. That can bring out some of the passive job seekers. Also, since they're coming with a referral, you have peace of mind knowing that your employees will only recommend strong candidates that you can trust.

Thanks to: Jason Brandt of Podopolo.

16. Create a Compelling Experience

My strategy to recruit in this tight labor market has been to highlight what sets us apart from other competitors, and in this order: Company culture, work environment, work-life balance, and growth opportunities. These items are especially important in this job market and truly differentiate us from many other firms. In addition, sharing my personal experience with the aforementioned also helps create a compelling experience that escalates the candidate's interest.

Thanks to: Theresa Santoro of Actualize Consulting.

17. Hire From Your Network

Small business owners should always be networking to find the best employees. Your network is based on trust and allows you to hire faster and with more confidence. Because you never know when you might need to hire someone, and it is better to have trusted contacts than to just pick up the phone book and start looking.

Thanks to: Peter Thaleikis of WhichLogin.

18. Network + Value > Experience

My number one tip for finding excellent small business employees relies on two factors. First, with the super tight labor market right now, look to your network. Find applicants that your connections are willing to recommend. Then, cast aside your requirement for direct experience and focus on soft skills and the right attitude. The right candidate can learn your industry, but it's really tough to teach someone work ethic and that small business mentality.

Thanks to: Devin Ahern of Tampa Pallet Rack.

19. Go 100% Remote

If you can let go of the need to control every little detail, your employees will be more productive and happier. You may lose some control, but in the long run, it's worth it. Perks such as remote work can set your business apart from others. Especially large companies struggle with the change to remote work.

Thanks to: Erin Stone of Greenbuild Australia.

20. Incentives Work Wonders

There's a good chance your current employees are already in touch with a network of talented professionals in the same field. By leveraging this network, you can save on a lot of precious time and resources without having to worry if the potential candidates fit the bill. There are a number of creative incentives that you can offer your team members in return for these referrals, right from gift cards, cash bonuses, or even extended leaves.

Thanks to: Philipp Zeiske of Zeitholz.

21. Offer Flexibility

To give your company the best chance of attracting the top talent, you are going to have to woo them. Candidates have a wide choice of options and you will need to stand out from the competition. Use the job description form to explain how your business stands out from the others, highlight the advantages you can offer which no one else can. Be prepared to mold the role to suit a suitable candidate, offer flexible shifts, remote or hybrid work, or ask them what they would like included.

Thanks to: James Crawford of DealDrop.

22. Hire Slow and Fire Fast

The best tip I can give to a small business owner is: hire slow and fire fast. Hiring employees is different from hiring contractors. With an employee, you are taking on more responsibility. You will have to deal with taxes, benefits, payroll, etc. So it's important to make sure you're ready for the extra work before you hire someone full time. Don't be afraid to let them go if they aren't working out! As soon as you see red flags arise during the trial period, take action.

Thanks to: Ely Fornoville of Diabetic Me.

23. Old School

We are Central New York's largest chocolate maker and our most productive hiring outreach has always been a catchy notice posted on the front door of our retail store and near our checkout counter. Not fancy, flashy or high-tech, but word spreads fast in small-town America. We find that our customers provide the best pool of candidates and referrals. They know us, our products, and they appreciate that we are building our business with local talent. It's our version of Wonka's Golden Ticket.

Thanks to: Ryan Novak of Chocolate Pizza Company.

24. Cultivate Through Culture

The #1 best hiring practice in tight labor markets is having an attractive company culture and presenting it enthusiastically in your job ads and interviews. Most employees are looking for work-life balance, a sense of purpose and belonging, and somewhere they can grow personally and professionally. A company's culture has a huge influence on all of these factors.

Thanks to: Nelson Toni of Oeveo.

25. Use Instagram

Consider Instagram! It's a unique way to find employees. No matter how small or large your following is, posting your job opening to those who follow you can help you find the motivated employee you are looking for. You can create a series of posts, reels, or stories sharing your job opening and talking about your message, values, and who it is you are looking for.

Thanks to: Angela Ficken of Progress Wellness.

26. Referral Incentive Program

I've been able to find highly skilled workers by offering incentives to existing employees for referring suitable applicants.
Your existing workforce is a great source for reaching new talent pools and also ideal for improving worker retention since new hires will already be familiar with the workplace by having at least one person that they know.
Incentives, whether financial or non-financial, can encourage existing workers to refer qualified people within their professional network.

Thanks to: Jessica Lipton of Elevate Delta 8.

27. Connect to Colleges

A great (and often underutilized) way for small businesses to find employees is to connect with any local college or university. You should have company representatives attend student networking events for soon-to-be graduates. You should also consider connecting with alumni groups that may provide more seasoned employees with your information. Connecting to colleges is a great way to not only keep an ongoing network of possible employees, but also to engage with the community as a whole.

Thanks to: Mitch Chailland of Canal HR.

28. Honest Enthusiasm

In my line of business, enthusiasm is of the utmost importance. When you are working in the fashion and beauty industry, it is important to find employees equally enthusiastic about these topics as yourself. During the interview, objectively observe the person. Are they just after the job because they're desperate or are they actually passionate about your proposal and line of work? Someone who is in it with all their heart will be a lot more productive and committed than someone who isn't.

Thanks to: Maria Juvakka of The Chic Persuit.

29. Show Your Culture & Fun Side

With so many employers vying for candidates' attention, it's important to stand out from the pack. Pay, benefits, and the work itself are all important, but a more immediate way to grab users' attention is with a fun culture. For example, we recently got an applicant who applied after seeing a clever TikTok video of ours. Showing people why they'd want to work for you and getting them excited imagining their role at your organization is a major step in recruiting talent right now.

Thanks to: Lauren Walter of Digital Marketing Agency DC.

30. Offer Benefits that Matter

Revising your employee benefits can be a huge contributor in encouraging candidates to work with you. Rather than going with the flow, come up with innovative benefits that employees truly care about. This could be anything from offering flexible work hours, remote working opportunities, or online courses for employees that want to continue learning and excelling in their area of expertise.

Thanks to: Larissa Pickens of Worksion.

31. Founder and CEO

Ask your staff if they know someone who is a good fit for the position and provide a detailed description of the position and its requirements. Your employees will only recommend someone they think is a good fit and with whom they will work well. They don’t want a coworker whom they don’t like or responsibility for a bad hire. My company has brought on several great people this way and rarely selected a bad one.

Thanks to: Linda Abraham of Accepted.

32. Use Video to Sell Yourself

When you are looking through a stack of resumes, candidates all seem to blend together: same resume format, similar experience, etc. The same is true when candidates are looking for new positions. Every job posting looks the same except for the name of the business and the salary. So use video to get your posting to stand out. A video will catch their attention, give them a chance to get to know you, and give you a chance to share why your company is special. Stand out with Video!

Thanks to: Devin Miller of Miller IP Law.

33. Targeted, Collaborative!

Use a targeted yet collaborative recruitment process to find the perfect small business employee. In a small company, you want all of your employees to get along and work together. This means that using their input on what kind of employee they would want to work with is super important. Once you have everyone's collaborative ideas and requests, you can then form your targeted pipeline of all of the traits you're looking for in your employee when doing the hiring process!

Thanks to: Judy O’Loughlin of Vari.

34. Post the Job

Don't just put a job description in a job posting. Create an ad. Quality workers hire you as much as you hire them. Betterteam.com provides a detailed post on how to construct a job ad that attracts the best candidates, with photos. Use as many channels as possible to promote your post. You may not be using your social media channels effectively, but there are many venues to post jobs. Advertise your hiring on your career site, job boards, and recruitment agencies.

Thanks to: Chris Taylor of Profit Guru.

35. Finding the Best Salespeople

Your product, industry, and clients determine the nature of your sales team. However, there are some qualities that I find particularly important when hiring sales reps. These qualities are loyalty, commitment, communication skills, a hardworking attitude, smart working, and being coachable. On the flip side, watch out for someone who is all about leading and not about doing. In sales, execution is more important than delegation — especially if they are the first salesperson.

Thanks to: Steve Benson of Badger Maps.

36. Proven Ways to Find Employees

Finding qualified employees is easy thanks to the variety of services available to you. Some of the job sites you can use include Indeed, ZipRecruiter, LinkedIn, and Monster. The job seekers put their reviews online so you can check them out before contacting them. Generally, people with the best reviews are shown first. You may have to give a small fee to the job site, but your challenges in finding employees will be solved.

Thanks to: Janice Wald of Mostly Blogging.

37. Hire Freelancers

As a small business owner in the online space, my company leverages freelancers to staff projects. Freelancers are hired through services like Upwork or FreeUp, where a business can decide who they want to hire, where they want to hire (i.e., locally, nationally or internationally) and how much they want to pay for the employee (per project or per hour). This has allowed us to grow and minimizes risk with bringing on a W2 employee. If it doesn't work out, we move forward with another candidate.

Thanks to: Jeff Romero of Octiv Digital.

38. Go Back to School

I have always found success in finding great hires by sharing job listings with local colleges and universities. I think this is a fantastic way to find employees for all levels in the workplace. Recent graduates make great interns and often excel in entry-level positions. Alums of all ages will often return to these job boards for opportunities, too. They may see your job posting and apply for it — and may be a perfect fit based on their experience and qualifications.

Thanks to: Deborah Sweeney of MyCorporation.

39. Fast Hiring = More Value

My tip to hire employees in a tight labor market is to attempt to have a quick turnaround time between application and hiring. Many people are looking for higher wage work, but they are also finding out that the time between applying for a job and being hired has increased by over 2 work weeks. Small businesses cannot always compete with higher wages, but they can do what they can to make these applicants feel like they are more desired for their skills to start work faster.

Thanks to: Darren Nix of Steadily.

40. Profit Sharing as an Incentive

One reason business owners are having so much trouble finding employees in this labor market is unattractive salaries. Given the hit that many small businesses have taken over the last year, this makes sense, but job seekers will pass jobs up if the pay, bonuses, and benefits don't make sense. One way around this for small businesses is to offer candidates a profit-sharing incentive in place of higher pay or bonuses. If they perform and help grow the business, they get to share in the success.

Thanks to: Trevor Larson of Nectar.

41. Collab or Coworking Spaces

Even if you are a remote company, there's power in looking local. Local employees might better understand your mantra and the way you operate. It could be the right move in pushing your company to the next level!

Local collab spaces and coworking spaces can be great places for professionals to spend their time and you might be able to find people who are looking for a new opportunity.

Take a look, speak to people, and you might get really lucky!

Thanks to: Yeelen Knegtering of Klippa.

42. If They Run, You Hire!

I watched her literally run from behind the customer service desk to help find me the right answer to my question. How often have you seen this happen?

Observe their behavior and attitude. How well do they work with their colleagues and supervisors? What skills do they show? How do they treat their customers? I'd ask if they would consider changing jobs. And if yes, I'd then ask them to connect with me.

She became a star member of our cooking demo team!

Thanks to: Jean Chow of MsBizWiz.

43. Offer Them a Piece of the Pie

As a small business owner, I prefer to reward my employees based on results rather than just the amount of time they work. Putting incentives in place where employees can increase their pay or gain extra paid vacation days by achieving certain goals or milestones can be a great motivator. It gives them more ownership and attracts the kind of employees who want to push themselves to be better and achieve more.

Thanks to: Erik Wright of New Horizon Home Buyers.

44. Global Gatherings

We hire remotely, so we thought we had the pick of the Global talent; not so much.

I use LinkedIn & Indeed.com to advertise jobs.

However, their algorithms choose that most people outside of the UK weren’t shown these job roles unless they were specifically searching for UK jobs.

I started to post the same job across the 7 continents – 2 sep ads for each job. One was remote, one was geolocated to that continent.

The level of talent was noticeably better than we got before!

Thanks to: Brad Cummins of Insurance Geek.

45. Meet and Greet

People spend a third of every day with their work colleagues, so we found it's important to establish a great rapport amongst the team from the start.

Focusing on team building, communication and god forbid - fun at work - are the 3 pillars we show when advertising. Money keeps a roof over your head, good team mates keep your head from exploding.

Thanks to: Jamie Downes of Air conditioning systems.

46. Passionate People!

It’s crucial to find someone who is passionate about taking on a new role. If they’re asking questions & showing that they’re ready to learn/take on any challenge, this makes them a great candidate. Anything can be learned, so even if they don’t have a high level of experience, I believe if they have the right attitude/background, they’re an ideal hire. It’s worth training someone who'll bring long-term success vs. hiring someone with experience but a bad attitude in the short term.

Thanks to: Sanem Ahearn of Colorescience.

47. Demonstrate Your Values

When the labor market is tight, it's critical to distinguish yourself as a favored employer among individuals looking for work. People nowadays have a lot of options. They are no longer willing to take the first job that comes up. As a result, it is critical for businesses to remain competitive and attract the best employees. To do so, companies must be open and upfront about policies and practices that are important to today's workforce, such as diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Thanks to: Eduardo Perez of Musician Authority.

48. Offer Superior Flexibility

One way to outcompete larger employers with deeper pockets right now is to offer candidates better work flexibility. The vast majority of workers who have been working remotely during the pandemic indicate that they are adamant about maintaining at least some of their remote work lives indefinitely. Companies that are reluctant to grant that will see job seekers look elsewhere, which makes flexibility a winning strategy for small businesses.

Thanks to: Sebastian Schaeffer of dofollow.io.

49. W-9 Contractors for the Win!

As a small business, it is difficult sometimes to be able to afford a competitive salary for additional employees. At the same time, you need help to make your business grow. That's why I love working with independent contractors based on each project we are working on at that time. Many employees are opting out of traditional salaried jobs because they like the flexibility of contract work. Employers can benefit from the experience of a great contract worker without paying a full time salary.

Thanks to: Jessica Wright of Dream Team Sheets, LLC.

50. Become the Experience

Most employers prefer prospects with experience, but when the market is tight and you have trouble finding qualified employees, reach out to recent college graduates and individuals whose resumes may not contain the prior job experience you were hoping for.

You can become the experience. You may even end up with a better and more loyal employee because you gave them a chance and could provide training that's ideally suited to what you need.

Don't limit yourself; broaden your criteria.

Thanks to: Melanie Musson of InsuranceProviders.com.

51. Finding the Golden Employees

The answer is simple. Upwork. However, you have to be smart about it. We like to make the application process as difficult as possible on Upwork. This weeds out all the copy and pasters and low-motivation type employees. The ones that apply for the job and go through the entire process successfully are usually super motivated to start and continue long-term work.

Thanks to: Patrick Dhital of InVideo.

52. Set Clear Parameters

My tip to find the right person is based on my personal experience acquired from my love for martial arts. In Karate, we are often taught to focus diligently on our goal and remove obstacles. I applied the same technique when hiring for my business - I went in with a clear goal of hiring writers with specific qualities, and did not let personal affiliations get in the way of that!

So, set clear parameters of the type of employees they want and hit the bull's eye!

Thanks to: Span Chen of The Karate Blog.

53. Be Clear

Write down the qualities that you seek in an ideal employee. For a small business or a startup, the recruit should be flexible, hard-working, and inexpensive. You can use your networks to find a fitting candidate or even look on LinkedIn. However, I would suggest presenting your job opportunity to schools. Students are actively looking for internships and job placements. At the start of their career, they will be likely put in extra effort and make their way to the top, especially in a small biz.

Thanks to: Simon Brisk of Click Intelligence.

54. Money Makes the World Go Round

Will the business environment be a good fit for them? Can the business afford to pay their employees fairly? These are the main questions that run through a potential employee’s mind. Businesses can try setting lower profit margins to ensure employees are paid a fair wage. In the meantime, fostering a warm and friendly workplace environment is also a golden method at bringing (and keeping) employees in!

Thanks to: Patti Naiser of Senior Home Transitions.

55. Be Creative With Perks

As a small business, you may not be able to provide the same benefits that major enterprises can, but you can provide a good substitute. Many large businesses provide on-site health amenities such as a fully equipped gym. You probably won't be able to add one of these on your premises as a small business but you might provide staff with coupons to utilize local gyms or spas. Talk to your neighbors and suppliers to determine if you can take advantage of employee discount schemes they may know of.

Thanks to: Alec Pow of The Pricer.

56. Offer Advancement Opportunites

Small businesses can tap into great employees by offering or promising them advancement opportunities during recruitment. A small business offers more growth opportunities than a big one, as more opportunities open up as it expands. This attracts the best employees, even experienced ones, as they have easier chances of leveling up in small businesses than in big ones.

Thanks to: Thomas Brown of Wigsmaster.

57. Create Exciting Internships

Create an exciting internship program that passionate young potential employees will want to join. Internships are a fantastic way to not only secure small business employees but also offer time to get to know someone who is interested in your industry. Determine what type of employee you are looking for and create a simple internship landing page that speaks to the user. Be transparent about the length of the internship, what is involved and if it is a paid opportunity.

Thanks to: Rob Illidge of Social Republic .

58. A Targeted Recruitment Process

As an HR Manager in a small company like Evopure, I'm advising to reach out to people within your network because it is a proven way to find new talent. Business is all about building relationships. Those partners can help provide referrals and also you can offer incentives to current employees. If an employee recommends someone who ends up being hired, you can offer a cash bonus, gift card, or other reward. That is also a great way to establish a good relationship with your current employees.

Thanks to: Aleksandra Krstevska of Evopure.

59. Think Outside the Box

Ensuring there is diversity in your workforce is key. People who don’t fit the “traditional image” for the job role may still turn out to be the perfect fit. For example, a salesperson who is quieter may still achieve great sales just by listening to the customer and understanding their needs better. Highly-skilled employees may go over-looked because of family obligations. Try to find a candidate with unique skills and potential without being concerned with preconceived misconceptions.

Thanks to: Harvey Coates of Puffin Plastics.

60. Great Job Posting

The best tip is using great job postings. Small businesses often focus on a few key areas when creating job postings, such as compensation and benefits. However, creating a great job post requires more than salary requirements. It should include an in-depth description of what the business has to offer staff, including culture, work environment, and unique features/traits of the business or its clients.

Thanks to: Dr. Austin Dowse of Aimvein.

61. Personal References

My best tip for small businesses to find employees is through personal reference. It is so much easier for people to get hired if someone they know, or anyone familiar with their work can refer them. The small business hires someone who they already know won't be a waste of time or money on a bad hire. Personal references provide the first impression of enthusiasm, personality, and energy. It often guarantees longer employee retention than a traditional hires.

Thanks to: David Wilkerson of Auto Darkening Helmet.

62. Use Your Existing Customers

It is important to create a bond with your employees, especially those who are fond of the products or services you are offering. Value them as a customer until your relationship grows close, and tell them stories of why you started, what your goals are, your struggles in the beginning, and how you conquered them. This is one trick to smoothly dwell into the fact that you're searching for someone who could work for you, and your customer might be the bridge to connect you with others.

Thanks to: Sofie Parker of Inboard Skate.

63. Know the Rates for Position

When creating a position, small enterprises frequently make the error of basing the wage on their budget rather than market reality. This just makes it more difficult to acquire personnel in the first place, let alone high-quality ones. Why would someone take your $8.75 an hour position if the beginning compensation for a retail salesperson in your location is generally $10 an hour?

Thanks to: Robert Johansson of imgkits.

64. Offer an Employee Benefit Prog

Employee benefits programs are viewed as a necessity, not a bonus, by employees, and positions that provide benefits will always outperform those that do not. Furthermore, to attract high-quality personnel, your company must provide high-quality benefits, which must include at the very least life, medical, and dental coverage. If your small business lacks an employee benefits program, speak with your insurance provider about establishing one.

Thanks to: Daniel Carter of IVA ADVICE.

65. Use Your Network

Reaching out to people in your network is a tried and true technique to locate new talent while also saving time when assessing possible candidates. A referral might help you minimize doubt during your search because business is all about developing relationships. Referrals might also come from vendors and business partners.

Thanks to: Anthony Mixides of Bond Media.

66. Institute Profit-sharing Prog

There's a no better approach to give employees a stake in the company's success than to give them a share in the company's success. Profit-sharing schemes can be a tremendous incentive for individuals to come work for you instead of for someone else, especially for businesses that appear to be on the rise. While it may not be appropriate for every firm, you may be able to find ways to allow your employees to share in the profits while also making them feel like valued members of the team.

Thanks to: Erick Riddle of Driven Wheels.

67. Sweeten the Pot

When there's a lot of rivalry for employees, a simple signing bonus can be all you need to get the high-quality employee you want and keep them from going to the competition. If you decide to go ahead with it, keep two things in mind. The signing bonus must be substantial enough to be worthwhile, and it must be conditioned on a particular period of service. Otherwise, you'll have a revolving door of people signing up, taking the money, and then leaving.

Thanks to: Herman Hibbert of Leaf Gutter Guards.

68. Hire for Potential & Train

It's true, you might not be able to find the perfect candidate in today's tight labor market. Times are tough and there's not an abundance of specialized people waiting at the door to be hired at the moment.

Instead, try and hire for potential. You could post an entry-level position and interview the applicants to get a feel for how they might fit into your company. After finding someone you like, you train them to become the employee you want and need!

Hire, train, success!

Thanks to: Verl Allen of Claravine.

69. Talent Magnet

From my experience, finding the greatest staff might sometimes come down to the reputation your company has built through time. It won't matter how much money you're willing to spend on the top employees if your company is renowned for having a terrible workplace culture where harassment thrives. The majority of people will decline your offers. Concentrate on transforming your company into a place where people want to work.

Thanks to: Bradley Bonnen of iFlooded Restoration.

70. Pay and Benefits

Pay and benefits should be aggressive.

While larger organizations may appear to have an advantage when it comes to acquiring people because of their ability to provide slick benefits packages and competitive salaries, there are small company options available. Offering financial wellness and savings programs is one-way businesses, even small business owners can stay competitive. Offering meaningful perks reflects your company's vision and beliefs as well.

Thanks to: Tanya Zhang of Nimble Made.

71. Look for Integrity

Look for integrity and a strong work ethic.

Hire people who are trustworthy and have a high level of integrity. Years of hard work to establish a good reputation for a company may be ruined in an instant by a dishonest or unethical employee, especially in the age of internet reviews. Employees should also have a strong work ethic that can influence and improve others' work ethic. In the workplace, honesty and a strong work ethic go hand in hand.

Thanks to: Amber Morland of WinCope.

72. Offer a Competitive Salary

You should set the salaries for new hires based not on your budget but the market realities. In a candidate’s market, job applicants can be picky about what jobs they select. A low salary is one of the most common reasons why candidates reject job offers. If you want to attract talented workers, you need to offer them competitive compensation.

Thanks to: Tom Myers of Your Trusted Home Buyer.

73. Emphasize the Benefits

For businesses with limited resources, it’s not always possible to compete with salaries offered by larger companies. But you’ll make your offer more appealing to top-performing workers if you focus on non-traditional benefits. Flexible scheduling, remote work options, generous sick time, and vacation days can be your selling points. They can make your business especially appealing to millennials and younger workers who value work-life balance.

Thanks to: Brandyn Schwalm of The Local House Buyers.

74. Start a Referral Program

Asking your current employees to spread the word can widen your reach if you are looking for new hires. This method may work if you have a great company culture and your employees enjoy working at your company. You can ask your employees if they know anyone who might be a good fit for the position and offer them a referral bonus. A referral from a trusted employee will give you a level of security, knowing that a new applicant can do good work.

Thanks to: Charles Cridland of YourParkingSpace.

75. Hire a Professional Recruiter

One tip for a small business to find employees in this tough labor market is recruiting potential applicants in a variety of ways. There are recruiters that specialize in certain industries and they might know where your best talent pools are or who can provide specialized services and training, so consider using them as part of your recruiting process.

If you're not outsourcing your hiring needs to a third party, consider reaching out to other small and medium-sized companies for referrals.

Thanks to: Jamie Hickey of Jamie Hickey.

76. Trainability, Not Experience

Hire for trainability and initiative. Do not look for the folks that have "been there, done that.” The best small business talent has a strong ability to learn new things and wear multiple hats. Consider assessments that measure one’s ability to learn new skills, resourcefulness and grit. Strengthen your training programs and quit looking for someone to step into a role with little to no training because they "already have it." The average employee lasts about 12-18 months in a role.

Thanks to: Nikki Ryberg of Ryberg Group, LLC.

77. Go After Your Customers!

We are a small jewelry business and sometimes have trouble hiring employees. One of our most successful ways of hiring new associates has been through emailing our customer list with the job opening. Our last two employees were customers of ours, which is great, because they already know about our business and have a passion for what we sell.

Thanks to: Jeff Moriarty of Moriarty's Gem Art.

78. Be Fair and Flexible!

Fairness and flexibility! Many qualified people are looking for "side hustles" or "side gigs" to make ends meet. Hire them as a contractor but be fair in what you offer them as pay. Don't take advantage of someone's situation. And, since they'll be a contractor, you need to be flexible with their schedule and your expectations. Make it a win-win partnership for both of you.

Thanks to: Kelli Komondor of K2 Creative, LLC.

79. Write a Clear Job Description

To attract the best talent, your job ad must be as descriptive as it can be. If you don't specify what kind of qualifications and expertise you wish to see in an applicant, unqualified candidates will flood through. This creates a heavy burden on your hiring managers, and the right person for the job might get lost amongst the crowd. This is certainly not a risk worth taking. Be clear about who you're looking for - that way, your open role will appeal to only the most qualified applicants.

Thanks to: Vincent D’Eletto of WordAgents.

80. Tailor the Experience

Think outside the box if you want to cater to a prospect who does the same. Create a recruiting campaign tailored to the experience. As an agency that facilitates brand growth, we would not only be incorporating the selling point of the compensation and benefits we offer, but additionally, we would advertise the growth and personal branding one can expect while working at our firm. The greater the role, the more appealing you should make your culture appear to stand out from the herd.

Thanks to: Nick Shackelford of Structured Agency.

81. Focus on Growth Potential

My number one tip to find employees during this tight labor market is to focus on a candidate's growth potential rather than their specific background or experience. While relevant experience is important for any role, in a hot job market, overly qualified people will be near impossible to find. Instead, search for people who have a keen interest in your role and the desire to learn and grow quickly within your organization, even if they may not have the most relevant background.

Thanks to: Evan Tarver of Selling Signals.

82. Contact Your Clients

One of the simplest strategies to find employees is to contact the same clients. Check your inbox on social media, your emails, and your google reviews. Find those people who love your brand, who have left excellent reviews, or who have sent you messages expressing their enthusiasm for your product or service. It is likely that people who identify with your brand will become your best employees since they will be motivated while also pleased to work for a company they already know and like.

Thanks to: David Adler of The Travel Secret.

83. Finding Fit With One Question

Our secret to finding motivated employees has been to differentiate ourselves through company culture. We do this by asking one question: "how you feel about weed and trap music?". No joke. The answer to this question lets us evaluate the candidate against our core values: brutal honesty, team, creativity, freedom, and excellence. For the ones who are a good fit, candidates find it easy to accept our offer and say no to competing offers.

Thanks to: Robin Copernicus of Robin Copernicus, LLC.

84. Use Automations

My best advice is to use automation to empower your hiring. You can post ads, review applications, schedule interviews and more all using pre-built workflows that do the rote work for you. All that's left is to evaluate the top percentage of candidates who really know their stuff and have passed muster of the criteria you set yourself. These automation tools are inexpensive and are low-code, meaning business owners themselves can often implement them on their own.

Thanks to: Daniel Cooper of Lolly.

85. Promote Your Company Culture

Create content about your company culture and work environment. A lot of small businesses focus exclusively on promoting their open positions on job boards. However, it's also helpful to understand that recruiting is a two-way street. Candidates are evaluating if your company is a good fit for them. That's why creating content on your website and social media profiles about what it's like working at your company can be a great way to attract qualified candidates who will fit in with your team.

Thanks to: Jonathan Gleave of Hawx Pest Control.

86. Why Competitive Pay is a Lie

There's a new level of making a job attractive to potential job seekers, and the standard "competitive salary" doesn't really cut it anymore. When you work on a real estate team, your commission is really reduced because you're paying not just your broker, but your team leader as well, or a mentor. Someone that usually hands you a client to call or follow up, or just assigns leads they get with their paid advertising. By making those commissions a little higher, it shows that I value my staff.

Thanks to: Nicky Taveras of DNTHome Buyers.

87. Build Relationships

Taking the time to create relationships with candidates is critical in a tight labor market. Relationships are strengthened by small gestures like replying to emails, answering inquiries, and providing job seekers with advice and feedback that make interviewing easier. These applicants may later become part of your future candidate pipeline. Because they received something of value and were treated properly, they are also a networking source for future referrals.

Thanks to: Brian Dean of Exploding Topics.

88. Retention Bonuses

Paying retention incentives has been a hot topic recently, and it can be an important element of an effective hiring strategy in today's climate. The incentive should be calculated based on the length of time they have worked for the company, such as 90 days. If the organization can use some of the techniques suggested, the employee will be trained and ready to stay with the company by the end of three months.

Thanks to: Gerrid Smith of Joy Organics.

89. Good Employee Referral Program

Creating and implementing a robust employee referral program will encourage your current employees to actively seek out and refer quality job candidates to you. Your current employees are most likely in extensive networks of qualified professionals. You can tap into these networks by offering your employees paid time off, cash vouchers, bonuses, and gift cards for every job candidate they refer, and are successfully hired. Ensure the program incentives are motivating enough for your employees.

Thanks to: Sai Blackbyrn of CoachFoundation.

90. Globalization is Your Friend

Whether your business operates remotely or in-person, there is no reason to limit your recruiting efforts to your local talent pool. In a global world with ever greater mobility and so many skillful and talented job seekers around the world, why choose to only advertise in your small area? Try international job boards instead. You’ll have to deal with piles of paperwork. But talented and qualified people deserve it, along with the chance to start a new life if that’s what they want.

Thanks to: Sam Price of Heatable.

91. Get to Know Each Other

Having a comprehensive interview process where the candidate and key members from the company can really get to know each other has been a game-changer. Multiple interviews and assessments allow for both sides to get a great feel about whether it's a great fit or not. This has been confirmed by candidates not being surprised about their true roles after going through training.

Thanks to: Brian Lim of iHeartRaves.

92. Utilize a Talent Pool

Talent isn't easy to find and it takes so much time and effort. I recommend using talent pools as a source for pre-vetted candidates. One such resource is MarketerHire which has a network of marketers who have been screened for their industry niche prowess. This allows small to medium businesses with time-sensitive marketing needs the ability to find the right people on demand.

Thanks to: Darren Litt of Hiya Health.

93. Small Is an Advantage

The fact that most businesses are small is a plus point, they don't take advantage of. Avoid the trap of thinking, "We can't because we don't have enough money for high salaries, extensive benefits plans, etc." Instead, concentrate on what you have to offer and how you can leverage that to attract top prospects.

Thanks to: Jacob Villa of Education Platform School Authority.

94. Students Make Great Employees

We go to local colleges/universities and post a "Help Wanted" ad on community boards in the hallways. We target students studying agriculture in the ad since they are much more inclined to have a job in the landscaping industry. Since they are still in school, it provides great work experience for them. It's a true win-win situation because we end up having employees work for us that love what they do. Naturally, it spills over into the quality of service that they provide for our clients.

Thanks to: Noah James of Liberty Lawn Maintenance.

95. Staff Referral Bonus

Your existing network of staff is all you need to find new employees. How? By offering your staff a referral bonus. Just ask them to put you in touch with someone that suits the role you're hiring for. Then, if you hire that individual, the staff member gets a worthwhile reward, such as half the first month's salary of the new hire. This approach engages your current staff, shows them you appreciate their work, and speeds up the employee-search process. It's a win-win for everyone!

Thanks to: Robert Colville of The Lazy Trader.

96. Talent of Reddit

There are actually a lot of talented folks on Reddit who are either interested to either work full time or on a project basis. We would put up a question on a relevant subreddit (like r/bigseo for us) and get some good answers. After starting a private conversation, we would ask if they would be interested in coming onboard. If they are not interested, they would usually know someone else who is. Good talent knows other good talents! And there is always r/forhire too.

Thanks to: Calvin Ling of Ling Group.

97. Business Employee Recruitment

Finding employees for your small business can be a challenge, especially if you don’t have a lot of startup capital. You’ll have to be creative and strategic.
Here are some things to consider:
Do you have a network of people?
Are you looking for someone with a skill that you don’t have?
Do you want someone flexible and adaptable to new challenges?
Do you want someone hardworking and diligent?
If you have a strong network of people, you can ask them to help you find employees.

Thanks to: Joshua Francia of Tirehungry.

98. Ask Your Current Employees

One of the best sources of new employees, contractors, freelancers, etc. tends to be referrals from existing employees. There's a reason why big corporations pay referral fees for people to bring in new talent.

When making a referral, your current employee is putting his or her reputation on the line, which drastically reduces the chance of a bad hire.

Thanks to: James Pollard of The Advisor Coach LLC.

99. Let Your Work Speak For You

Our best tip for fellow small businesses who want to attract motivated employees is to showcase your best work on your website and social media. A well-curated portfolio is not only impressive, but it helps show employees in a concrete way the kind of work they would be doing. When your work causes potential employees to say “I could do that!” there is a good match between your expectations and their talent. Thus, showing off your best work attracts the right type of candidates.

Thanks to: Amanda McCrea of Washington DC Web Design.

100. Mission-Minded Matters

By staying 100% true to our mission we find the talent we need to keep growing. Our mission of better-for-you food and beverages and fighting waste throughout the supply chain attracts like minded people to our team, which is exactly what we want!

That attitude of caring trickles down within our culture: we treat people well and in that way can really retain these people who care about our larger mission. Corny but true: caring matters!

Thanks to: Hector Gutierrez of JOI.

101. Think Outside the Box

Depending on your needs, you may be able to fill open positions with people who are outside of the “traditional” workforce. Consider people who are retired but are still interested in part time work, veterans, people with certain disabilities, etc. These people can be just as skilled and hardworking as traditional employees, and sometimes even more so. Don’t limit yourself when it comes to hiring by overlooking non-traditional workers.

Thanks to: Eymel Daniel of ForChics.

102. Utilize Your Employee Network

You likely already have great employees on staff, so why not utilize them to find new talent? Communicate with your employees when you’ve got a new position to fill and ask if they have anyone that might be a good fit for the role. They might know someone who isn’t entirely happy in their current position, and would be interested in applying.

Thanks to: Benjamin Smith of Disco.

103. Run an Internship Program

If you can manage it, run an internship program to help find budding new talent. This allows you to find eager young candidates who are chomping at the bit to get their foot in the door somewhere. Ideally, they will do an excellent job during their internship and be hired on.

Thanks to: Courtney Buhler of SugarLash Pro.

104. Get On Social Media

Now more than ever, people use social media to shop, make industry connections, and even find jobs. Making sure your business has an active presence on websites like Twitter, TikTok, Instagram, LinkedIn, and others not only keeps your brand recognition strong, but it can come in handy when you’re reaching out to find new employees. As a marketing and web design company, we want individuals who are tech-savvy, and where better to find them than the internet?

Thanks to: Kirsten Reneau of Optimistic Atlanta Web Design.

105. Finding Employees for SMEs

The best place to look for hires is recent high school graduates. There are a few reasons this works well. Firstly, most graduates are already technologically literate and require little in the way of training for various systems. Next, and more importantly, graduates have no work experience and often struggle to find work without it. This means that they're open to a position they would otherwise not have considered.

While it may not be their first choice, it often works out for the best.

Thanks to: Faisal Nasim of Exam Paper Plus.

106. Use Referrals

One of the best ways to find outstanding employees for a small business is to use referrals. Good employees are likely to refer other reliable workers; they know a previous colleague or friend can do good work, and they know what the job entails and whether their referee would be a good fit. You can also reach out to members of your network. Using referrals offers a higher level of security and requires minimal effort. It is one of the best strategies for a small business to find employees.

Thanks to: Dr. Bernard Salameh of Salameh Plastic Surgery & Skin Care.

107. Create a Referral Program

To find employees in a tough labor market, create an incentive-laden employee referral program. Perhaps the most difficult task is to not merely find workers, but also find individuals you can trust. With a referral program, the vetting process is expedited, while traits such as hard work, loyalty, and trust are assumed. To provide preexisting employees with the best incentive possible, consider rewards such as a monetary bonus, extra PTO, or an expensed night out with the entire team.

Thanks to: Gerald Lombardo of The Word Counter.

108. Stand Out With Detailed JD

It pays off to precisely define the scope of activities and the features of the role. Instead of using generic phrases such as advanced Excel skills or analytical mind, you may relate it to the specific responsibilities. For instance, you may instead mention that the role involves producing regular and ad hoc sales reports for a leading pharmaceutical client using Power Pivots in Excel and cloud databases. This will make your firm stand out and will attract better-suited candidates.

Thanks to: Michael Sena of Senacea.

109. Look to the Past

It’s common to keep the resumes of past interviewees for future reference. But how often do you actually go back and look at them? If you’re hiring, especially for a specialized position, reaching out to those former finalists is a great way to creatively hire. Acknowledge that it’s been a while since you last engaged and scope out their interest. They may feel flattered by the offer, and it can be a much faster process since they already bypassed the original hiring hoops.

Thanks to: Will Haynie of Pelicoin.

110. Referrals Grow Companies

The best way to find talent in this work drought is to ask for references from your current employees. If this doesn't work, the next best thing is to network on Linkedin. Make posts about people you are looking for and that type of content will reach people that are actively searching for a job like yours.

Thanks to: Douglas Liantonio of Gravy Solutions.

111. Use Agencies to Find Staff

Staffing companies are tried and proven solutions for employers looking for employees they can trust. These companies are also known as search businesses, recruiting agencies, or hiring services, and they differ from one another. Some companies supply temporary workers who can be hired on a trial basis by the company. Some are specialized in clerical and unskilled work, while others are focused on a single profession or industry.

Thanks to: Bram Jansen of vpnAlert.

112. Blogging and Content Marketing

Managers may search talent pools for specific positions on LinkedIn and other social media platforms without having to make formal contact. Prospective hires in this setting aren't necessarily seeking work, but they may be a great match for the position. Without needing a formal application and interview, social networking allows searchers to get a feel of a prospect's fitness.

Thanks to: Alex Claro of Credit Donkey.

113. Use Online Recruitment Tools

With the introduction of the internet, job searchers discovered a method to get their resumes seen without having to send out hundreds of them each week. Businesses seeking capable and trustworthy employees may now publish full job descriptions, as well as links to their corporate websites. Because prospects essentially fill out applications and upload resumes online, site administrators set up algorithms to ensure that each application is complete before it is given to the company.

Thanks to: Ansh Gupta of Empire Crafter.

114. Dig Deep into Your Network

The one tip I always give small business owners looking to find a good employee in today's tight labor market is to use as many outlets as possible to post their job offer, but giving particular emphasis to their network. Although you could attract superb candidates through regular channels such as careers sites, job boards, and recruitment firms, I believe taking advantage of your network when looking for a new employee is much more rewarding and time-saving.

Thanks to: Stefan Smulders of Expandi.

115. Helping Healthcare Students

Social networking sites like Student Doctors Network and Doctors Hangout enable student doctors and nurses to receive advice and assistance through all phases of their studies. And for healthcare professionals in private practice, these sites provide opportunities to mentor future workers. Mentoring helps attract the best and the brightest talent. And it also allows you to identify top talent you may want to recruit in the future.

Thanks to: Zachary Okhah of PH-1 Miami.

116. Social Media

Thanks to: Burak Ozdemir of Online Alarm Clock.

117. Create Value for Employees

My tip for small businesses to find motivated employees is to create value for your potential employees. Show them how you value your team and what an important part of the company they are. Creating that connection helps to motivate people to do their best and be a part of a team that works together. That value may be looking at the possibility of remote working days or unlimited vacation time.

Thanks to: Leeann Schudel of Compliant.io.

118. Start Asking for Referrals

With 8+ years of hiring experience, I’ve found some of the best candidates come from referrals from current employees. There are a lot of factors that influence these referrals, including company culture, job satisfaction and others. However, the one most important factor is asking for the referral. If your employees are generally happy, and believe that a friend or acquaintance could be a good fit for the role, then they will likely be happy to make the suggestion.

Thanks to: Michael Alexis of TeamBuilding.

119. Smart Ways for Recruitment

Using Social media platforms like Linkedin can get you a lot of leads regarding your Employment opportunities, also you can host paid campaigns to get more results.

Collaborate with local colleges about your opportunities to get interns, freshers for your job.

You can also reach the offline audience through print media advertisements.

An additional tip I want to give you is that you can hire freelancers on contracts, hence your work is done without spending lots of resources.

Thanks to: Navaneeth Krishnan of Teseract.

120. Emphasize Career Growth

Valuable employees don't work for the money; they'll work for you because they know that what you're offering is suitable for their career growth and that in a few years ahead, they'll have the chance to escalate and keep growing within the company. Worthwhile employees won't accept a job where they know they'll be doing the same tasks over and over again for many years to come; that's why small businesses should emphasize offering new employees the chance to develop their career in-house.

Thanks to: Emma Miles of PawsomeAdvice.

121. Have a Vision and Story

Small businesses have a way to stand out with their vision and story. The more it resonates with the prospective employees, customers, suppliers, and within the company, the easier it is to build and grow a community, even if the companies' product is not part of it. A community, which identifies with the overall vision, allows candidates to identify with it and thus incentivizes them to accept the job. A strong community also often means opportunities for visibility for candidates.

Thanks to: Kevin Korte of Univention.

122. Build Aspiring Relationships

You'll want to keep in touch with top candidates for potential opportunities, especially for a small business. For qualified talent you don't want to lose, consider meeting with them informally every so often. Then, once you do have open positions for these prospective applicants, they'll remember the effort you put into building the relationship and be more interested in applying. By thinking creatively with your hiring efforts, you can set your team up for success now and in the future.

Thanks to: Connor MacDonald of The Ridge Wallet.

123. Do You Have a Personal Brand?

The war for talent is back on! Instead of hunting for employees and investing in low ROI ads, wouldn't you want top talent to come to you? It's time you scale your visibility on social media platforms. The personal brand of the Founder is what attracts people's attention! Elon Musk has double the Twitter following of SpaceX & Tesla, combined! Sara Blakely has 1M+ followers on LinkedIn VS the under 50k of her brand Spanx. Top talent is looking to work for top leaders. Position yourself as one!

Thanks to: Marina Byezhanova of Brand of a Leader.

124. Reasonable Compensation

Provide reasonable compensation. Nowadays, people’s needs are increasing, making them look for a job that can support their needs. When you offer good remuneration, people will apply to you, and when they get hired, you can be assured that they will be the most motivated and hardworking employees. However, you have to ensure that you also give the same compensation to your current employees to avoid having issues between the old and the new ones.

Thanks to: Tyler Garns of Box Out Marketing.

125. Be Detailed

Create detailed job descriptions. Active job seekers read numerous job postings each day, which may be tiresome, so you must create succinct and compelling job descriptions to get them to apply. Avoid using terms like "rockstar" or "wizard" since they don't adequately describe what's required for the job and its purpose.

Thanks to: Stacey Kane of EasyMerchant.

126. Perks Attract Great Workers

Finding employees is like finding consumers: target whom you are looking for--and add great perks to attract them.

Looking for an English major for your bookstore?

Offer free books or a chance to start up a book review.

Do you want an ourdoorsy type for your bike shop? Offer to foot the bill for a paid monthly cycling day trip, and throw in lunch.

Especially when hiring millennials or Gen Z-ers, appeal to their personal passions, and they'll want to be on your team.

Thanks to: Michael Jankie of The Natural Patch Company.

127. Ask Employees to Share Job

One of the best ways to recruit top talent is to ask current employees to share job openings on LinkedIn. LinkedIn's algorithm is set up in a way where if several people share a job opening, it will have a reach way beyond if we just posted it from our company's LinkedIn. Because of this, we kindly ask that our current employees share new job openings so that more eyes are on our open position.

Thanks to: Cliff Auerswald of All Reverse Mortgage.

128. Work With a Recruiter

Hiring is a resource-intensive process, and unfortunately, it eats up what you can't get back - time. That's why it helps to hand off this task to recruiters. They work full-time to weed out the underqualified candidates and vet talent so you don't spend days upon days sifting through applications. Work with a recruiter so you can focus on your business.

Thanks to: Joseph Giranda of CFR Rinkens.

129. Boost Employer Branding

My tip is to build up your business branding as an employer. Share videos and give people an idea about what it's like to work for your business. This can both help people become more familiar with your business so that your business will become "top of mind" as a great place to work. It filters out people who might not want to work for you based on certain things they find out from the video. It can be fairly cheap to simply promote these branding content on your social media or paid ads.

Thanks to: Shawn Plummer of The Annuity Expert.

130. Tips for Small Businesses

By lowering the credentials and college requirements for the employees you are looking for, you can begin to lower the credentials and college requirements needed during the hiring process. As a small business owner, you can look for integrity, work experience, and passion for the work instead.

Thanks to: Edward Shaw of Leeline Sourcing.

131. Put Up Posters!

This approach may sound crazy, but it works: put up hiring posters. At this point, people have seen thousands of job posts online. We develop a bit of a blindness to these posts, similar to the way we do so for ads. Instead, you need to find new ways of reaching people. You can put up posters where your ideal employees are likely to be, like a college campus or a building message board. This approach won't get you hundreds of candidates, but sometimes you only need one.

Thanks to: Melissa Kelly of The Virtual Team Building Company.

132. Offering Double Referral Bonus

The best way we find employees in this tight labor market is by offering a double referral bonus. Here is how it works – a current employee and their new recruit will each receive a cash bonus after the recruit works for us for six months. This system gets our own employees recruiting for us, plus the six-month period helps retain them long term and seek out quality candidates.

Thanks to: Bowen Khong of ForexToStocks.

133. Meet & Greet Top Candidates

We all know that going to local, national, and international trade events will significantly expand one's network and lead to new business prospects. But industry events are also opportunities to recruit employees. By striking up conversations and interacting on a social level, you can prospect qualified candidates and start building relationships. As you get to know them, you'll better identify who is a good fit for your business and your team.

Thanks to: Harris Rabin of R3SET.

134. Utilize Your Personal Network

Business is all about building relationships, so every time you need to find a new relationship, use the people and the contacts you already have to find them. Asking a business partner for referrals, for example, can help you find someone who has already built a good impression with a person you already trust.

Thanks to: Jesse David Thé of Tauria.

135. Contractors Matter

My best tip for small businesses to find employees is to take advantage of contract work. Specifically, in the age of "The Great Resignation," more and more individuals are putting their skills to work by becoming freelancers.

As such, if you are on a shoestring budget but still need one-off tasks done, consider websites such as Fiverr. You can filter based on specific job, and find a subject matter expert in no time.

Thanks to: Jordan Duran of 6 Ice.

136. Hiring and Small Business!

As per studies, managers spend half of their working time on motivating employees. If the employees were self-motivated, the manager would have up to three more days every week.

Here's a trick you can use to determine if a candidate is self-motivated. During the interview, ask the candidate to give an example of a challenge they faced while working on a project. What was the challenge? How did the candidate overcome it? These questions will help you assess how motivated the applicant is.

Thanks to: Amanda Smith of HireCream.

137. You Care

To find great employees, show them that you care. How? Start with a decent salary. Listen to their inputs and opinion. Provide opportunities to grow as a professional. Give perks like profit-sharing schemes so that they get motivated. Whatever you do, put your whole heart into it. Eventually, it will translate into a great job description that would entice a lot of prospects. Your employees will talk about how great you are and bring in friends with the same skills and qualities.

Thanks to: Brian Dordevic of Alpha Efficiency.

138. Hang Out in Online Communities

Social media is a great tool to connect with candidates. But if you limit only on the most popular platforms (LinkedIn, Facebook), then you lose many interesting opportunities. Try to be active more in communities like:
- Stack Overflow or Github if you need to find qualified tech employees;
- Avnet if you are looking for engineers;
- Quora if you are looking for professionals in different industries.
These are places where professionals gather and are a great source to find candidates.

Thanks to: Giacomo Verde of HROne.

139. Creative Ways to Find Talent

Use engaging storytelling and fun language when crafting job roles. Most of the time, job descriptions focus on the needs and the employer and the list of criteria that has to be met. Stand out from the rest by putting emphasis on the benefits your company can offer-- whether it’s the good working culture, the flexibility, and the opportunities for growth.

Thanks to: Annti Alatalo of SmartWatches 4U.

140. Embrace Social Media!

The best thing small businesses can do to recruit employees is to embrace social media promotion and get their brand out there. Let your company be known through the internet.

Most young professionals these days tend to dig deeper through various websites before submitting their job applications. If they can see that your company has established a relatively popular following with a stand-out social media engagement, then that may encourage them to join your team.

Thanks to: Derek Gallimore of Outsource Accelerator.

141. Meet Them at Gym

OK, so you don't necessarily have to meet them at the gym, but that's where I do quite a lot of my networking (since I own a fitness blog). If you're looking for new employees, find them in the circles that you hang out in.

I've found that finding people who share the passion that drives your business forward are the ones that you want on your team, and you'll find them enjoying the same things that you do!

Thanks to: Steph Boll of Spikes and Heels.

142. Globalization is Your Friend

Thanks to: Sam Price of Heatable.

143. Word of Mouth

In my experience, word of mouth is more effective than any other brand promotional tool. Moreover, the image that your organization portrays plays a big role in attracting and retaining the right talent. Think of your current team members as the perfect brand ambassadors for your business. Find ways that showcase your vibrant work culture and how excited your employees are to be a part of your organization. Ultimately, the right people who share in your vision will find their way to you.

Thanks to: Harry Morton of Lower Street.

144. Don’t Delay in Hiring

If you find a great candidate, make them an offer now since they will probably have two other offers.

To find employees in a tight labor market, staffing agencies, referrals, and networking with colleagues in the industry are the best resources for small businesses. You can also reach out to former employees that left on good terms as they may know someone looking for work and can give you insight on what qualities work best in the office.

Thanks to: Julie Lindgren of Whitman Associates, Inc.

145. Use Indeed's Tools

Hiring can be so difficult for a small business, partially because the amount of time that it takes to sort through the applications with unrealistic expectations. One way to cut down on the amount of time needed involves hiring on Indeed, be overly specific about what you can pay and offer. etc. But, also use their skill assessments, especially the underused verbal interview. Instead of having an initial phone screen, have every applicant answer those questions when applying using their mic!

Thanks to: Mark Aselstine of Wine Club Reviews.

146. Prove Your Worth

When it's all said and done, the best employees want to learn and grow. They want to know that if they come to work for you, that they'll end up in a better position. So prove your worth! Make sure potential employees not only know about openings but also know about opportunities for advancement. Promote the fact that employees can move up and get raises. Show that management is a possibility. Demonstrate ways your company has grown. By showing them opportunities, they'll be attracted early on.

Thanks to: Vickie Pierre of InsuranceProviders.com.

147. Use Job Search Websites

Finding employees as a small business owner can be a challenge. The easiest way is to use job search websites such as Indeed. You can also network on sites like LinkedIn. Leaning into existing employees' networks can also help.

Thanks to: Aiden Cole of Tatbrow.

148. Let Your Team Spread the Word

As a small business owner, it's not easy to find the perfect person for the job. And if your job listing isn't perfectly optimized, you'll usually have hundreds or even thousands of applicants to wade through. This can take a serious amount of time, and pulls you away from the things that matter most within your company. Instead of undertaking such a heavy burden, reach out to your existing workforce and encourage them to share your job vacancies with others. This widens your reach at no cost.

Thanks to: Paul Sherman of Olive.

149. Pivot the Search

If you are having trouble finding employees, see if there are any positions you can pivot to add things that may appeal to others looking for more experience. Do you need a social media person as well? Maybe someone could be hired for that and another task you need, which makes the original job more interesting for people. Find a niche that people like to build skills on and offer those opportunities to potential employees.

Thanks to: Annabel Love of Nori.

150. Offer Retention Bonuses

In the current marketplace, providing bonus payments can be a part of a successful hiring strategy. The incentive should be calculated based on the length of time they have worked for the company. I would suggest you create a referral bonus program for referred and retained employees in good standing. Workers look for financial and non-financial benefits; hence they will choose you over other firms.

Thanks to: Aqsa Tabassam of Ray PCB.

151. Increase Wages

Small companies will have to improve their job offerings to entice potential employees in such a competitive environment. This may be more challenging for small firms on a limited budget, but it may be profitable in the long run term. Money acts as an incentive and motivates people to make certain decisions. Hence, if you offer higher wages, there are increased chances of getting skilled labor.

Thanks to: Liam Mills of Value Hunta.

152. Events Attract Talent

Online and offline events are great to network and meet prospective employees. Start by looking to see if they have a “look who’s coming/see who’s registered” link on the website so you can look up who is attending and conduct due diligence on them through Google/LinkedIn. Scan the list to look for people with relevant interests/geographies/overlapping industries. Drop an e-mail if you have contact info prior to event to introduce yourself, note overlaps in interests and connections.

Thanks to: Paige Arnof-Fenn of Mavens & Moguls.

153. Recruiting Never Stops

Developer Meetups (or your industry's equivalent) are the best way to meet and stay in touch with local talent. A regularly attending developer typically has a passion for coding and learning, which is what I look for in candidates.

Regular Meetups allow me to get to know many people over time on a professional and personal level. These people often connect me with other developers they know, adding to my pool of candidates worth interviewing, which is great in a tight labor market.

Thanks to: Joe Bergevin of Nozzle.

154. A Unique Method for Hiring

Finding and hiring great employees has been a difficult task for my company.
We've tried everything from recruiting companies to job platforms to job fairs. It's a time consuming and often frustrating part of business. After almost a decade of being in business, some of our best hires have been partnering with schools. We've partnered with over a dozen local schools near our offices, and we have consistently been introduced to creative, driven, and hardworking individuals.

Thanks to: Gil Pocker of Scout Financial.

155. Take Advantage of Social Media

Be active on social media. Join career groups and actively post your job openings. In this way, potential candidates will notice your company and see your job hiring. That being the case, they will be the ones who will reach out to you, and it would be easier for you to assess whether they are a fit or not.

Thanks to: Dan Belcher of Mortgage Relief.

156. Son-in-Law or Daughter-in-Law

A one-time but highly effective tip:
the Son-in-Law (or Daughter-in-Law).

It is highly quoted in Japan that “You can't choose your sons, but you can choose your sons-in-law”.
And we noticed that the sons-in-law and daughters-in-law played an important role in many companies, either contributing a lot in daily business, or as future leaders for the company.

Advantages:
Introducing external variants into the system.
Respect other members in the company.
Mutual and core interests.

Thanks to: Zhe Song of Haimen Aibende Co. Ltd.

157. Best Tip to Find Top Talent

Offer an opportunity for growth. Any prospective employee, especially the younger ones, will find it enticing to see further progress and potential success in their future.

Thanks to: Jack Miller of How I Get Rid of.

158. Attracting the Right Employees

Accentuate the benefits your small business offers:

To attract the potential employees, make your company more attractive to them. Consider offering work from home options with flexible working hours.

You can also provide them various employee program benefits which can be hard for them to refuse.

To attract employees at our company, we have provided employees with the benefit of taking power naps of around 10-20 minutes during the office hours, even while working remotely.

Thanks to: Josefin Bjorklund of Topp Casino Bonus.

159. An Employee Referral Program

Networking is an extremely powerful thing. Even if you only have one employee or partner on board besides you, tell them about the incentives you can provide for inviting someone to apply for a job with your company. Set aside some finances for the referral program, plan how you will implement it, and trust the process - everybody knows great people who are looking for jobs.

Thanks to: Tytus Golas of Tidio.

160. Leave it to Your Employees

A quick and easy strategy to find staff for your company is to ask your present employees to spread the word. Yes, you can run your Facebook ads, but you won't be able to persuade everyone. You have to be convincing and broaden your reach with the help of your present employees. Not just on social media but also through outlets you may not have considered. You may incentivize the process by rewarding a current employee who brings in a new employee. It's a win-win situation for everyone involved.

Thanks to: Abby Draw of Cloom Enterprise.

161. Partner With Local Schools

To find employees in a tight labor market, you have to look where others aren't looking. Most employers don’t look at local schools because graduates don’t have work experience and schools do a poor job of equipping them with job-relevant skills (e.g. communication and customer service skills).

But I see high school/trade school/college graduates as blank slates that don’t have pre-existing biases about how to do their work and are excited about absorbing as much knowledge as possible.

Thanks to: Zach Reece of Colony Roofers LLC.

162. Ask Existing Employees

For me, the most effective way to find workers in a tough labor market is to put the word out with our existing workforce, to ask their family or friends if they know someone.

This also helps us to learn a little bit about potential recruits before they come for an interview, and often, people who find a role through someone putting them forwards will be really conscientious even over and above any other new hire, as they don’t want to let the person down who got them in the door.

Thanks to: John Moss of English Blinds.

163. Where to Find Great Employees

Embracing diversity and inclusivity is always a good idea. Not only will you have a lot more applicants to choose from, you'll potentially have more innovative and creative people on your team.

Be creative in your search. Have your job posts on other platforms, including geo-specific platforms. Sometimes, even just sharing a link to your job post on a specific Facebook groups would get the attention of several worthy applicants.

Thanks to: Ian Sells of RebateKey.

164. Target Your Ideal Candidate

My one top tip would be to select one targeted channel to advertise your job. Just like deciding on a target market, decide on a target applicant: where do they spend their time online. This is why we only advertise our jobs on Facebook as opposed to Indeed, etc. By advertising the role on Facebook we know we’ll only get young applicants who are new to work and have a great deal of energy to learn and pull their weight, as well as an open mind with no bad habits from previous employment.

Thanks to: Nathan Smith of Falconer Removals & Storage.

165. Expand Your Current Network

Look at your current network and see if there are any friends or family members who are looking for work, even if it’s part time. Work with those people and find ways to fit their schedule with your business, until you can find more employees who can work more full time. Some businesses can get away with hiring high school students or college students, in which case, feel free to take advantage of that, as they can gain experience, and you can gain some employees.

Thanks to: Jeff Goodwin of Orgain.

166. Offer Opportunities for Growth

The best candidates aren’t looking for jobs where they’ll be stuck in the same place for the next ten years. They’re looking for positions that offer opportunities for growth. Can you offer the chance to learn new skills? Is there a natural progression to higher positions with more responsibilities? Will the salary increase with experience? Whatever you’re offering, be sure to include it in your job description.

Thanks to: Brad Touesnard of SpinupWP.

167. Meeting in the Middle

If you can find a way to make a job remote, that may offer bigger incentives to those who may prefer to work from home, and can open you up to more potential employees. For many, the pandemic has shifted priorities for people, especially when it came to their careers. This includes having jobs that also work with their schedule, not their schedules working with their jobs. While this can seem like a problem to employers, find a way to meet in the middle, if applicable.

Thanks to: Michael Fischer of Elite HRT.

168. Target the Underrepresented

We optimize job descriptions, and our marketing and outreach efforts to target traditionally underrepresented and underemployed groups such as veterans, the differently-abled, women, and people of color. These workers are often as qualified and as talented. This approach expands our talent pool threefold, allowing us to find and hire amazing people who stay with us for quite a while.

Thanks to: Ben Lamarche of Lock Search Group.

169. Getting Creative

Small businesses will have to get creative to find new employees, as there are many people who are looking for work, it’s just knowing where to find people. Job boards, such as Indeed and LinkedIn are great places to start, but people also need to make sure their posting is listed high in search results for potential employees to see. Optimizing posts with different keywords that relate to your business and providing benefits to employees, such as sign-on bonuses, can go a long way.

Thanks to: Matthew Mundt of Hug Sleep.

170. Find Your Niche

Small businesses need to find their niche and take advantage of that when promoting their opportunities. It’s not just about the job itself, but where the job can take you and the experience it can give you. When those aspects start to be focused on, people tend to see where they want to head in the future in your business and are more willing to apply and join your team.

Thanks to: Nancy Belcher of Winona.

171. Does it Have to Be Full Time?

As we were dealing with the renovation boom during Covid, I had an aging candidate for employment tell me that he would love to come to work, but his body could only handle 3 days per week. I slept on it, and decided to hire him. We needed every person we could get at the time, and his experience has really benefited the newer employees.
I realized that we may be missing out by only searching for full time. Offering part time employment let us find more workers when we needed them most.

Thanks to: Ralph Severson of Flooring Masters.

172. Offer a Profit-Sharing Program

When you offer a potential high-caliber employee a stake in your small business’s success, there’s no way he’ll turn down your offer, especially when the labor market is tight. A profit-sharing program is not only a surefire way of letting your employees take part in ensuring that the business will be run properly but will make them feel like an indispensable part of the team as well. Who on earth would say no to an extra financial gain aside from the salary they’re getting? I bet none.

Thanks to: Michael Miller of VPN Online.

173. Connect With Local Colleges

We’ve connected with local colleges and universities in this scarce labor market, utilizing their career centers, job boards, and email lists to promote our employment opportunities for recent graduates and experienced alumni.

These job boards get our open roles looked at by thousands of well-educated eyes - we’ve successfully hired from them several times.

Thanks to: John Li of Fig Loans.

174. Tap on Your Existing Network

Why tire yourself undergoing a series of recruitment processes just to find the right employee when you can tap on your existing network? Often, high-caliber workers are just hiding among the folks that you already have a strong relationship. All you need to do is reach out and let them know you need someone to be a part of your team. By simply posting an update on your social media accounts like LinkedIn or Facebook about your hiring needs, you’re already pulling out those hidden talents.

Thanks to: Adam Wright of LifeHacker Guy.

175. Go to People You Know

We rely 99% on professional and personal referrals. This eliminates a lot of headaches as it basically gives us an immediate reference and some context to jump off from. We find that this also brings us people who are specifically interested and experienced in what we do, not just thinking that it seems like something cool to try.

Thanks to: Seb Evans of Banquist.

176. Inspire Them With a Mission

The easiest way to snag employees in today’s job market is simple: inspire them with you and your company’s mission. Employees that are invested in the work they do for more than just a paycheck are the ones that are going to be the most motivated and productive. Show potential employees your passion and the effects of the work you do, and you’re guaranteed to find dedicated and dependable employees.

Thanks to: Valerie Winfrey of frey boutique.

177. Go Out and Meet People

The best people for your business may not know that you're looking for workers. When you approach people with your business plan and what they can gain from working with you, you'll get more offers.

Thanks to: Jim Pendergast of altLINE Sobanco.

178. Targeted Recruitment Process

To find employees for your small business in a tight labor market, a targeted recruitment process will be your best shot. And creating an ideal persona of your target employee will be the key. Once you’ve identified what kind of employee you need, you can then tailor all of your recruitment strategies to find that employee. And make sure to ditch doing online job postings as you’ll only waste your time in vetting. Instead, use your network and social media to locate top-notch candidates.

Thanks to: Jeff Walker of Best VPN Canada.

179. Record a Video Snippet

As a small company that offers remote personal training programs, it isn't always easy to find the right candidate to join our team.

However, one of the ways we've been trying to find suitable personal trainers is by asking them to record a snippet from a workout session. This helps us get an idea on their experience, qualifications, how well they perform the exercise, focus on correct posture and also get an understanding on their style, charisma and how suitable they'll be for Kickoff.

Thanks to: John Gardner of Kickoff.

180. Analyze Your Market

Analyze your market and find what benefits your target employees are looking for. Benefits can make the difference between a happy employee and one who rejects your job offers. If you are offering a physically demanding job, offer health care advantages or paid time off for physical therapy.

Thanks to: Jarret Austin of Bankruptcy Canada.

181. Personalized Job Description

To stand out in the tight labor market today, your best shot is to craft a job description that highlights something unique only at your brand. Paid time off and remote work are the best perks to showcase. Being a small business means your brand is not yet established. And it only implies that you’re the least priority, especially when you’re competing with large brands. But when you let them see the exciting benefits they can get with working with you, they’ll surely think twice.

Thanks to: Ryan Patel of Lottery Sambad.

182. Optimize the Options

My best tip for small businesses to find employees in this tight labor market is to optimize the options. Let employees know that the job has growth potential. This pandemic has made employees realize that they have choices when it comes to their professions. They are now empowered to go after what they want instead of what’s being offered. If small businesses make it clear that employees have opportunities for advancement, the employees will be more likely to come on board and stay.

Thanks to: Erma Williams of The Pomade Shop.

183. Jazz Up Your Job Description

To find the right employees for your small business, it would help to jazz up your job description and make it detailed. This way, prospective applicants can determine if the job is right for them. This will save you time for sorting out applications and attract those applicants that your small business need. Also, include a description of what your company culture is like and stress opportunities for career development.

Thanks to: Lauri Kinkar of Messente.

184. Provide Internships

Offer internship programs in your company. This will help you develop budding talents within your company. This will also serve as a trial period, where you can train, develop and help them grow. At the end of the internship, you already have someone trained about the company workflow - someone who is already ready to officially join the team.

Thanks to: Tobias Rawcliffe of ST Saver.

185. Post in Niche Job Boards

Prioritize posting on niche job boards. By posting on job boards, you can reach out to a large number of job seekers. But with the niche job boards, you won’t be swamped with many unqualified and irrelevant applications. This will also increase the chance of finding the best candidates that match your standards and have the experience for the job.

Thanks to: Sam Dolbel of SINC Workforce.

186. Post Competitive Wages & Perks

When hiring, offer a competitive salary range and benefits. People will not overlook job postings when the numbers and perks are enticing. Almost all skilled workers are aware of their worth, particularly in their field of expertise. This makes your job postings stand out. The most you can do is post these to draw attention and let them know that your offers will ensure that they are commensurate with their skills.

Thanks to: Liam Johnson of TheHitchStore.com.

187. Connect With Schools

Building partnerships with universities and colleges will raise your chances of potential talents entering your company. They usually hold career fairs for businesses to relate with the students. They can also help you publicize your company and give options for graduates to enter your team.

Thanks to: Neil Grant of Dalvey.

188. Provide an Employee Lounge

Provide relaxation areas in the office. This doesn’t necessarily mean encouraging them to laze in these areas, but employees prefer having a place to relax and chat with colleagues. This could be offering them coffee stalls and snacks. This can help increase the reputation of your business in the area of employee satisfaction, which will encourage potential applicants.

Thanks to: Dexter Grima of VitaBright.

189. Ask for Referrals

Ask for recommendations from current workers and clients. They’ll be the ones who can help you find new workers. They know a lot about how the business works, so they can help you locate qualified applicants by referring you to their colleagues and acquaintances who specialize in the field and are a good fit for the position and the company culture.

Thanks to: Matthew Roberts of My Choice.

190. Employer Branding

A coherent and positive image of the employer is a factor influencing the interest in the company. A readable website, presence in social media, participation in industry events, involvement in social projects, and customer and employee opinions are the elements that encourage candidates to apply for a given position. The candidate forms an opinion about the employer based on information found on the Internet, even before deciding to participate in the recruitment process.

Thanks to: Bartek Boniecki of Passport Photo Online.

191. Tailor Your Job Ad

When we look for a new, valuable employee, we need to prepare the job offer well. Excessive requirements, extreme detail, and a general description do not encourage submitting a resume. It is often said that finding a good employee starts with identifying who you are looking for, not with a job description.
Tailor your job offer to the industry - job advertisements for production, financial sector, and creative professions, which encourage the best to respond, should look different.

Thanks to: Tomasz Młodzki of PhotoAiD.

192. Perks and Benefits

It’s actually pretty easy - give people the perks and benefits they want and you’ll have no problems attracting new employees. Instead of gym memberships and fancy foosball tables in the office, offer remote work, flexible hours, unlimited paid time off, parental leave, good health insurance - these are all great starting points. Anyone can offer a good salary, but offering these benefits will actually get people’s interest to apply with you and you’ll stand out as an employer who cares.

Thanks to: Adam Hempenstall of Better Proposals.

193. Integrity & Strong Work Ethics

Hire people who are trustworthy and have a high level of integrity. Years of hard work to establish a good reputation for a company may be ruined in an instant by a dishonest or unethical employee, especially in the age of online reviews. Employees should also have a strong work ethic that can influence and improve others' work ethic. In the workplace, honesty and a strong work ethic go hand in hand.

Thanks to: Alejandro Uriarte of 1-800 Injured.

194. Hire Motivated People

Employees should be driven to do their best work beyond obtaining a paycheck. They should be motivated, have a passion for the job and the organization, and be willing to go above and beyond their job responsibilities. You can use a variety of strategies to encourage employees, but each one must have a specific level of motivation.

Thanks to: Mike Dragan of Oveit.

195. Use Specific Job Platforms

My tip is to focus your efforts on specific platforms, like posting on Facebook groups. There are Facebook groups meant to help people find a job in almost any field. Qualified foreigners when arriving in a new country use this channel a lot.
Target platforms specific to the niche you’re in. For example, Problogger and Upwork allow to post offers revolving around content creation and digital marketing.
Consider asking universities to pass on your offers. They're happy to help their students.

Thanks to: Ludovic Chung-Sao of Zen Soundproof.

196. Head to Social Ads

Harness the power of social media and its incredibly efficient targeting system. Facebook has the power of so much user data that you can build Facebook Ads not just to sell products but to sell your job openings. Use their demographic options to target your ads at people based on their skills, location, and interests.

Facebook Ads are relatively inexpensive to run compared to traditional recruiting processes - you can run ads for as low as $5 a day to fit any small business budget.

Thanks to: Brian Dechesare of Breaking Into Wall Street.

197. Use Your Niche Skills

For small businesses, having a team of like-minded and passionate employees is critical, so why not create a networking opportunity to help build that team? Use your knowledge and produce a free online lecture about your industry where you can meet prospective hires, or offer free Q&As to schools, online groups, or other businesses. By creating your own opportunities to network, you can find employees who are interested in your industry, while also helping your business gain traction and grow!

Thanks to: Jeanine Duval of Edelwyn.

198. Seek Beyond the Current Field

Because our focus is on providing technical expertise from people actually working in the field, it allows us to look beyond our niche to find employees. As a content marketing agency, you’d think we hire writers first, but that’s not true. We look for practicing professionals first.

This can apply to any small business. Just because you're in retail, or sales, it doesn’t mean you have to pull from that field. You can find a lot of talent in fields with waning opportunities, especially.

Thanks to: Karl Hughes of Draft.dev.

199. Two-way Street

The one best tip for small businesses like mine in finding motivated employees is to know what you as an employer are looking for and be prepared to give the best that you can in order to have an employee who not only is a perfect fit for your business, but who is also motivated enough to help you take the business to the next level. It should always be a two-way street. Be honest and transparent enough in regard to what you need and what you can offer in exchange.

Thanks to: Vida de Oliver of VIDART & LIFE.

200. LinkedIn

LinkedIn is an excellent place that can help with a number of things, from marketing to networking, and helpful articles to recruiting. Yes, LinkedIn can be an excellent place to find new hires and post open positions.

Just by making a post on your personal or company feed, you can reach an entirely new audience compared to posting something on general job boards. Once your post picks up steam and is shared by others, you could end up finding the perfect recruit!

Thanks to: Alexander Kuznetsov of ADCI Solutions.

201. Hire Friends? Absolutely!

As a manufacturer of residential metal roofing, we got tired of hiring people who "didn't work out." Going against the advice of those who said to never hire a friend, we now hire only people we know. We know their work ethic and values and they join us wanting to make it work as much as we do. Our average tenure is 17.5 years. Our faith is part of this as well with our daily prayer of "Lord, please bring us the people we need when we need them and give us the wisdom to recognize them."

Thanks to: Todd Miller of Isaiah Industries, Inc.

202. Flexibility is the Key

Many applicants may be tired of the usual 9-5 40-hour a week lifestyle. Offering flexibility in work hours and settings can help employees find a better arrangement for their personal life to become more productive, such as remote and hybrid setups and more vacations. Despite the limited budget, small businesses can also offer unusual benefits to boost employees' morale and productivity, like encouraging a nap hour and helping with babysitting and petsitting by partnering with local businesses.

Thanks to: Tim Sutton of CoffeeGeek TV.

203. Try LinkedIn

One of the best ways to find small business employees is on LinkedIn. So many job seekers are on LinkedIn.
It’s important for us to use LinkedIn as a marketing tool because our product is science-proven and we continue to establish credibility by using the business-professional site. Although posting the same high-level content on our website is necessary, we reach a broader audience on LinkedIn when company employees engage with our posts which increases our reach to potential employees.

Thanks to: Shaun Price of MitoQ.

204. Consider Untapped Populations

To find motivated employees, consider prospects who have a criminal record. There are over 75 million people with a criminal record who need a second chance. Most are loyal, motivated to do well and stay at your company a long time. These types of candidates can bring different ideas and perspectives to the business and diversify your workforce. In addition, hiring an individual with a criminal record may get your business partial or full tax credits.

Thanks to: Jennifer Barnes of Optima Office.

205. Tips for Small Business

Place an ad looking for new employees on Facebook and Instagram as sponsored content. If you target your sponsored content or ad well, thousands of people will see your company searching for an employee.

These social networks have quite sophisticated methods of tracking their users and their interests, so the probability that your ad will be seen by the right audience - people who are in the required industry or have already shown interest in similar jobs, is very high.

Thanks to: Mike Sheety of That Shirt.

206. Look for integrity

Thanks to: Edward Mellet of Wikijob.uk.

207. Know the Employees You Need:

If you've ever made a poor hiring decision, it wasn't always because they were incompetent. It's most likely because they weren't the right match for your company. Knowing what kind of employee you need makes the difference between a good hire and a terrible hire. Don't only think about the academic and professional credentials they'll need. Examine their professional abilities as well as their personal characteristics. Collaborative hiring is excellent to ensure the new hire is suitable.

Thanks to: Dean Scaduto of Kitchen Infinity.

208. Offer Flexibility and Agency

Be flexible and give new hires as much agency as you reasonably can over their workplace. For most small businesses, it’s impossible to out-compete larger competitors on factors like salary, health benefits, etc., you just can’t match the resources. This makes it crucial to provide a desirable work environment, and giving your employees a voice in what that looks like helps make sure you’re providing the perks job seekers actually want.

Thanks to: Michael Moran of Green Lion Search Group.

209. Highlight Company Culture

Now more than ever, company culture can be the deciding factor in where an employee chooses to work. Showcase the ways you live your company culture to show potential employees that your core values and mission statement are more than just words on paper. One way to do this is through videos and social media posts that feature real employees talking about what it’s like to work at your company and why they enjoy working there.

Thanks to: Will Ward of Translation Equipment HQ.

210. Offer a Signing Bonus

When the competition is tight, you need to sweeten the pot to stand out. And a plain old sign-on bonus will be your best price in attracting both high-quality and motivated people. We’re in a very tight labor market now where job seekers are juggling between offers. And a signing bonus can surely go a long way in convincing them to accept your offer. Just make sure that it's contingent upon a specific employment length to avoid people from just signing up to take the money and then run.

Thanks to: Rengie Wisper of Indoor Champ.

211. Trust Personal Recommendations

My simple tip is to never hire from job boards. Ask business owners you know, team members or people you worked with. This isn't a perfect method but it allows you to get a background on someone and the quality of their work before you even ask them to come in for an interview. What happens naturally now is that when someone knows a great person that’s looking for a new job, they recommend them to me even if I’m not looking and I’m building a talent pool of great people on autopilot.

Thanks to: Carsten Schaefer of Trust.

212. Offer a Referral Bonus

One of the best ways to get good and motivated employees for your small business is to offer referral bonuses to your current employees. If your employees like their workplace and have incentive to bring over friends or old co-workers who would be a good fit, you incentivize them to do your headhunting for you, allowing you to grow your pool of employees with minimal effort, while letting your current employees feel like their opinions are being valued.

Thanks to: Mark Daoust of Quiet Light.

213. Incentivize Employee Referral

I recommend that your business encourages employee referrals. This means you suggest a reward for every person an employee brings in. For example, you can offer a bonus if the recommended hire stays for a certain period of time. This process encourages your employees to find people they think could bring value to the company.

Thanks to: Deepak Shukla of Pearl Lemon.

214. Don't Fear the Underdog

When you’re looking for new people to hire, it’s not always in your best interest to search for the top guns of the business world. It’s important to find employees with relevant experience, but don’t rule them out if they’re missing a learnable skill or a simple certification. As a small business owner, it’s more valuable to bring on employees who are ready to take on any challenge and learn, versus someone who just wants a paycheck.

Thanks to: Riley White of Vapor.

215. Get Creative

When a tight labor market makes finding talent difficult, get creative and check avenues you may not have otherwise visited. Connecting with local vendors, hosting in-office networking events, and teaming up with a volunteer and nonprofit opportunities are all great and unorthodox ways to find employees for your business. Networking is always helpful and these are a few unique ways to do just that when ZipRecruiter, LinkedIn, and job fairs don't bring about the candidates you need.

Thanks to: Allison Harrison of GoodBee Plumbing & Drains.

216. Job-Fit Doesn't Mean Team-Fit

When looking for a new employee, remember that you’re looking for the right person to fit the job, the company culture, and the manager! Too often, we settle for Job-Fit only and miss out on the person who clicks with their manager and is passionate about the culture too and will be more engaged, efficient and effective.
Take your time, interview plenty of people, and get educated on assessments like DISC so you can leverage them in your hiring & managing to ensure a great fit!

Thanks to: Stephanie Scheller of Grow Disrupt.

217. Tap into Your Network

My top tip for small business owners is to use your network to find talent. They can either provide direct referrals or point you in the direction of where they found talent. You should also ask your current employees for referrals, which can help you find candidates who will be the right fit for the company.

Thanks to: Wesley Exon of Best Value Schools.

218. Pay Attention to Language

A good way to find quality talent is to update the language used on the job application. It’s important that the job application uses inclusive language, talks about the advantages of working for your company, and puts an emphasis on company culture. These are all things that are important to today’s job seekers, so having that information on the application will help you attract the right candidates.

Thanks to: Zachary Hoffman of DigitalPR.

219. Cast a Sensible Net

Cast a sensible, not necessarily wide, net.

One of the most popular methods for small business owners to locate staff is through networking. Make sure your friends, coworkers, business associates, and even clients are aware of the job you're looking to fill. This improves the quality of possible employees because most people you know would not recommend someone they wouldn't trust.

Thanks to: Dusan Stanar of VSS Monitoring.

220. Recruiting Through Technology

Recruiting can be made easier with the use of technology.

The hiring and recruitment process may be time-consuming and laborious, especially for small firms that may not have the resources to dedicate full-time to the task. Fortunately, there are several tools available to assist. For example, Artificial Intelligence (AI) and recruiting technologies are increasingly being employed in the hiring process, from candidate sourcing to screening and interviewing.

Thanks to: Matt Weidle of Buyer's Guide.

221. Demonstrate Your Values

Demonstrate your values to become a preferred employer.

When the labor market is tight, it's critical to distinguish yourself as a favored employer among individuals looking for work. People nowadays have a lot of options. They are no longer willing to take the first job that comes up. It is critical for businesses to remain competitive and attract the best employees. To do so, companies must be open and upfront about policies and practices that are important to today's workforce.

Thanks to: Eduardo Perez of Musician Authority.

222. Utilize Your Network

Use your network to find out if you have any connections who may know of a good candidate for a role at your company. Small businesses usually have a modest amount of employees who communicate a lot with one another every day of the work week, as opposed to bigger companies where not everyone knows each other. Therefore, it’s important to consider hiring people whom you’ve already heard good things about in order to ensure that they will be enjoyable to interact with on a daily basis.

Thanks to: Mike Pasley of Famous IRL.

223. Those Who Know Your Products

If your business sells a certain product, try to find people who have used this product or a similar one before successfully and with enjoyment. Regardless of whether they're already good sales representatives or skilled in business, it also helps if your employees already feel attached to the product you're selling because they'll be able incorporate this passion into their duties.

Thanks to: Chris Caouette of Gorilla Bow.

224. LinkedIn is Your Go-To

Use LinkedIn as your main sourcing. They are able to filter your business and tailor it to the correct candidates. Add as much detail as possible to the description and what you're looking for with your small business in mind. The algorithm will work in your favor to find the right people/fits.

Thanks to: Anthony Santomo of Gourmet Growth.

225. Employee Referrals Work Best

Selecting the perfect staff for your business through worker referral is a tried-and-true method of increasing productivity. A referred employee will remain at their position longer than a non-referred recruit, indicating better quality. Referrals are less costly than other sourcing channels since they do not need expensive advertising on numerous job boards. As a recruiter or business owner, you will save a significant amount of time vetting prospects since your workforce has already done so.

Thanks to: Kane Swerner of Memento Memorabilia.

226. Incentive Employee Referrals

You can use incentive employee referrals to help entice potential employees. Your current employees will be motivated to find these experienced professionals when there’s a referral bonus they can earn for each time they deliver referrals that are hired on. Therefore, when your employees refer your business to their close contacts, they can promote all the positive aspects of your business.

Thanks to: Ben Reynolds of Sure Dividend.

227. Offer the Right Incentives

It seems that every business these days is offering sign-on bonuses and other incentives for working a pre-determined amount of time, once hired. However, it's not always enough to offer an incentive - but to ensure that you offer the "right" incentive. If you "award" a large sum within 90 days, that may not do a lot for your employee retention. Instead, consider a number for a bonus that represents that particular role, and then provide it in increments, rather than in one lump sum.

Thanks to: Lauren Kleinman of The Quality Edit.

228. Advertise in the Right Places

When you're hoping to fill one or more roles within your company, it can be tricky during these times. However, the first step is to decide how exactly you'll get the word out there. When considering where to post your job, think about the target demographic that this role will appeal to, and then take that into consideration. Plus, the wording of your job description should also reflect this, as well.

Thanks to: Dylan Fox of AssemblyAI.

229. Look for Potential

In a better hiring market, you may have very particular notions about what skill sets you'd like to see in your new team member. However, this may also be a good time to broaden your scope, and actually consider applicants who may have a few things to learn, but show great potential. Look for buzzwords like "fast learner" and "opportunities for growth" during your interview. These applicants are probably worthy of a second interview.

Thanks to: Travis Killian of Everlasting Comfort.

230. Ask for Referrals

If you haven't already, set up a referral program for your existing team members to refer friends or other colleagues they may have had in the past. To really be successful, actively remind your team about the program, and offer incentives for successful new hires who remain with the company for a set amount of time. You'll not only gain new employees, but you'll also see higher retention.

Thanks to: Lindsay McCormick of Bite.

231. Go With Your Gut

Too often, when sorting through a stack of applications, we tend to notice people who "look good on paper." However, with such a tight job market, it may be the perfect time to start going with your gut a little bit more. Take a chance on interviewing some applicants who could be a good fit, but may not have such a sound resume or a long work history in your specific niche. Remember - it's just an interview!

Thanks to: Marc Atiyeh of Pawp.

232. Share Your Company Culture

At Bonusly, our mission is to help people connect with their work and each other in meaningful ways. We fulfill that mission by cultivating extraordinary culture. That’s why our number one tip is to share behind-the-scenes details about the culture at your company with applicants. One way we do this is by linking our unique, open-source Un-Handbook(https://github.com/bonusly/un-handbook)on all of our job descriptions where we list specifics on company values and our flexible time-off policy.

Thanks to: Laura Saracho of Bonusly.

233. Appeal to Modern Values

To hire the best employees in 2021, you need a job description that appeals to the values of the modern workforce and sells the benefits of working for your company. Workers today are wary of businesses taking advantage of them, so it’s important to show that your company has not only strong values, but a culture of employee empowerment.

It's much easier to attract top employees when you start by demonstrating a company culture of inclusion, flexibility, and values in the job description.

Thanks to: Mason Hipp of Slides With Friends.

234. Be Specific With Your Job Post

When you're looking for highly motivated individuals to join your team, your best bet is - just to say so. Create a job posting that not only details the skills needed, but the personality as well. It's important that everyone on your team is always willing to learn and grow, so that's a good place to start when you're looking for the right attributes to include.

Thanks to: Ryan Rottman of OSDB Sports.

235. Offer Opportunities for Growth

It's never too soon to let potential candidates know that your company regularly offers opportunities for growth. In fact, it's actually a nice incentive to list in your advertisement. Remember that most applicants are looking for a career - not a job. So, knowing right away that there's room to grow can definitely cause the right people to apply.

Thanks to: Chris Riley of USA Rx.

236. Tips on Finding SMB Employees

Get referrals.

Referral hires are a great way to find the best employees because they're already pre-vetted by their colleagues and friends. Building critical support from your staff can be one of the most important things you do for your business. A referral program allows people to help achieve this goal by telling you who they think would make a good hire. It's much better and more effective than simply posting an open position on job boards or writing in classifieds.

Thanks to: Will Henry of Bike Smarts.

237. Maintain a Good Reputation

Invest in creating and maintaining your internet employer image. Pay attention to what people are talking about your firm on social media since the next generation of workers will research your organization as much as you investigate them. You may help by encouraging retiring employees to consider posting about their experiences with the brand and helping to spread the message online, similar to how you receive favorable evaluations for your business.

Thanks to: Jeremy Ellis of LaunchPad.

238. Combine Social Media and Video

Making a short and authentic video can help provide an inside look at what it’s actually like to work for your company through your employees' eyes. This can allow job seekers to picture if your work culture suits them. However, you have plenty of social media platforms to choose from, so you can reach more talent by posting these videos on more than one platform.

Thanks to: Mika Kujapelto of LaptopUnboxed.

239. Lots of Experience

While having a lot of experience in a particular job may look nice on a CV, it could indicate that the person isn't motivated because they've been in the same position for so long. It is not a good sign for a company that needs to be agile and flexible. I would advise avoiding must-have job requirements and avoiding unduly rigid preconditions in favor of a more open-minded approach to hiring.

Thanks to: Elizabeth Hicks of ParentingNerd.

240. Use Promotional Techniques

You want to hire the most incredible person for the job, and that person could be jobless, employed but seeking work, or working but not looking for work. You'll need promotional techniques that attract each group. Direct recruitment by hiring managers, combined with resources that convey a compelling story to people unfamiliar with your organization, can pique the curiosity of currently employed individuals not constantly searching.

Thanks to: Aqsa Tabassam of Mladen Garment.

241. Define the Role Clearly

When you're hoping to add an innovative, talented person to your team, it's important to define the role for which they're applying as clearly as possible. To ensure that the person is qualified and ready to get to work as soon as possible, be sure to outline all of your expectations - both in your job posting and in the initial interview. That way, there are no surprises along the way.

Thanks to: Andrea Loubier of Mailbird.

242. Take a Tip From Your Team

With such a tight labor market, finding the right person to join your existing team has become more difficult than ever. However, one way to be sure that you focus on all the right places is to look back at how you put together your team. Were any of them referrals? Did they respond to job listings? If so, from where? This data can be instrumental as you begin filling new roles now.

Thanks to: Alexandra Zamolo of Beekeeper.

243. Promote From Within

If you're having a difficult time filling important roles in this difficult business environment, then look at promoting from within for those roles requiring a more in-depth skill set. Then, it may be easier to fill those entry-level positions. Plus, it's a great way to boost employee engagement!

Thanks to: Carrie McKeegan of Greenback Expat Tax Services.

244. Make Use of LinkedIn

Some people feel that LinkedIn isn't that beneficial anymore, but that's absolutely not the case. In fact, it can be a real game-changer when it comes to filling a position within your company. It's an excellent place to post job listings, and you can even vet your applicants by simply looking at their LinkedIn profiles.

Thanks to: Greg Kozera of ELM Learning.

245. Check in With Colleagues

If one thing is certain, the world is a much smaller place when it comes to working in particular niches. That's why word travels quickly, and many colleagues collaborate and keep in touch often. So, when you're looking for a special person to add to your team, ask around. Chances are that a partner or other business person with whom you communicate with may know of a few names to toss into the hat!

Thanks to: Viola Eva of Flow SEO.

246. Small Employment Agencies

Small employment agencies are great resources for small businesses and some larger companies, as well. They recruit, review resumes, interview, and hire employees that meet the companies needs. These agencies are designed to help find the perfect candidate in a very short amount of time. And by working with an agency, you'll not only get a well-qualified candidate, but you will also be able to count on the agency to pay your employee and handle all payroll paperwork and taxes.

Thanks to: Cindy Walker of Moms Coupon Affair.

247. Use the Assessment Tools

The assessment tools like personality tests, cognitive ability tests, etc., will help you find successful profiles that have good behavioral traits. These assessments can be administered in person, or online tests will be more suitable to find the right candidate for the key position.

Thanks to: Eve Cabanel of Organic Beauty Recipes.

248. Mine Your Friend Base

An employee you know you can count on is better than a qualified person you know nothing about.
In other words, oftentimes, it's better to hire a friend for a position than a complete stranger.

This holds true even if you know your friend is clueless about what you'll have them do.

They don't need to know anything. They do need to have a curious mind, a solid ability to learn and follow instructions, and be a team player.

If you have such a friend, choose them over picking a stranger.

Thanks to: Nikola Roza of SEO for the Poor and Determined.

249. Save Time By Automating Hiring

Small businesses need to do the most with limited staff. They normally have one person handling all HR functions. VidCruiter makes hiring simple by automating the hiring process, like posting and filtering applications. It also provides on-demand video interviews by recording candidates in an automated interview that HR teams can watch at their convenience. VidCruiter can manage this all seamlessly, meaning that the one HR person in a small business can spend their time supporting the company.

Thanks to: Phil Strazzulla of SelectSoftware Reviews.

250. Share Your Long-term Vision

One of the ways to attract employees is by sharing your long-term vision and showing people how they can be a part of it. This plan should include opportunities for growth and development. The job market is very competitive nowadays and chances are you won’t have the best benefits package to offer. However, you can stand out from the rest by having a unique growth strategy and allowing people to be an integral part of it.

Thanks to: Mohamed Sehwail of Full Session.

251. Flexible Work Culture

You can introduce a flexible work culture. This is such a catch that most small firms are known for giving employees more creative flexibility than larger corporations. You should embrace a more flexible work culture, including remote work, flextime, and even a dress code that is more informal.

Thanks to: Gastone Zullo of Nootropics Frontline.

252. Respect First

For us it’s easy: respect. We treat our team members with respect so that they are motivated to bring people they know in to work with us later. It’s really simple and effective. It helps us grow quicker and create the family dynamic we want in our company. If people don’t feel confident and happy enough in their work to brag to others about working here and bring them aboard, we are doing something wrong!

Thanks to: Raul Porto of Porto's Bakery.

253. Recruiting and Staffing

Many recruiting and staffing agencies help small businesses find their ideal employees. They start by suggesting the qualities to look for and various mediums that one can start with.

Along the lines, they can also aid in gathering a pool of candidates that are suitable for the vacancy. They help you filter the perfect person for the job. Such agencies also have tie-ups with universities that can put you in touch with freshers who can be quite creative and have a lot of new ideas for your biz.

Thanks to: Erin LaCkore of LaCkore Couture.

254. Hire the Right People

Hire the right people for the job, and make sure that you have a good plan in place for both training and support. For example, if you are looking to hire someone to run your social media accounts, make sure they know how to do it well before they start - don't just hand them the login info without any training. And make sure you have a system in place so that when they need help, you can step in and provide it quickly.

Thanks to: Antonella Galiano of Petzyo.

255. Pack a Good Attitude

Travel goods retailers were especially hard hit by the pandemic. A hiring tip to consider is looking for employees who have good customer service skills coupled with a pleasant attitude. A love for travel is a plus. Training is important, but attitude rocks!

Thanks to: Ron Levine of United Luggage Dealers Associates.

As always, many thanks to everyone that contributed to this article!

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