4 Tips to Attract the Best Talent

Dave Thomas

February 27, 2017

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Making sure your small business hires and retains the best talent is not as easy as one might think.

In many cases, business owners will make hires that they are quite confident will work out, only to find out down the road that they were wrong.

While some of those new hires simply were not meant to be at a place of business for the long haul (used the employer as a stepping stone to a better job or changed their career goals in flight), others were just bad hires all along.

With that in mind, what are you doing to improve the odds of attracting the best talent possible to your new business?

Although there is no magic formula when it comes to such hires, there are things you can do to improve the odds of making better hires more times than not.

So, are you ready to bring onboard the best talent possible?

Where Do You Start?

For you as a small business owner to get the best talent possible, keep the following four tips in mind:

Your help wanted ad – Whether you make up the help wanted ad or you have someone on your team do it (human resources department etc.), make sure it clearly specifies what you are looking for. Unfortunately, too many ads are vague at best. Be as descriptive as possible, giving you a much better chance of getting truly qualified individuals to show up for interviews. It is also important that candidates read your ad from top to bottom. You can even question them about this when they talk to you during a phone interview or come in for a one-on-one interview;
Salary and benefits – With many people struggling across Canada to make ends meet these days, it is important that you offer competitive salaries. If salaries are any issue for you, you can look to make group employee benefits part of your workplace the main drawing point. Always keep in mind that the importance of making people come and work for you is something you can never take for granted. Remember, many individuals have more than one workplace option in hand, so your pitch to them needs to stand out for all the right reasons.

Are There Growth Opportunities?

Moving up the ladder – Another key component to attracting the best talent possible is making opportunities for company growth a cornerstone of your pitch. Face it; would you want to be stuck in a dead-end job yourself if you were not running your small business? Many workers aspire for the opportunity to take on more responsibility over time, responsibility that oftentimes leads to better salaries and benefits etc. By letting prospective hires know they have a chance at moving on up in your business, you lessen the odds of hiring those individuals who would like just be there for a period of time to keep a seat warm before moving on;
Positive atmosphere – Last but not least, what kind of workplace atmosphere does your business offer? Is it one where workers come in each day knowing it is likely going to be a good day? On the other hand, is it one where most employees are checking the clock every five minutes as to how long to quitting time for the day? While your staff is there to work, you don’t have to make it seem like they’re being kept after school in the principal’s office. Having some fun during the day (and after in some cases) makes for a happier and more productive office more times than not.

As a small business owner, what advice would you have for others in your shoes when it comes to hiring and retaining the best talent?