Having a successful business long-term often comes down to the quality of the people handling the day-to-day tasks. Workforce quality is important to a company of any size. For small businesses that employ fewer employees the impact of those employees is often large and therefore critical to the overall success of the organization.

Human capital management experts agree that today’s job market is in favor of candidates as unemployment rates continue to shrink and competition for talent increases. Additionally they expect the continued positive trends in hiring to continue as the unemployment rate has held steady for the most part at between 4.2 and 4.7 percent and federal interest rate hikes signal a strengthening economy. A solid economy while good for businesses is also good for job candidates.

Applicant Expectations

What also might make it a little tougher for small businesses is that job seekers today expect a fast and easy application process. If there are multiple job openings, a candidate might pass up a company that is taking too long to respond and simply apply elsewhere.

For many small businesses, job recruiting is just one of their many responsibilities. However, talent acquisition today requires understanding that the candidate experience starts with the job application process. They need to make it as engaging and simple as possible with the means and resources they have available.

Proactive Approach Required

Additionally, small businesses specifically need to be able to identify their hiring requirements ahead of time. Furthermore, this type of economy requires owners or supervisors to be proactive in their search and not simply be reactive when a vacancy occurs. They need too not only identify, but recruit potential future employees. This can be accomplished through partnerships with local colleges or technical educators or by partnering with a qualified staffing company, who is interviewing all the time to meet clients’ various business needs.

Companies clearly need to take a strategic approach to recruiting talent. Creating your company’s employment brand can be an important first step in attracting top talent. Candidates will be researching your company before applying and need to see consistent messaging that reflects your company’s culture and values.

Reaching potential candidates and being able to accurately convey your employment brand in your postings and to potential candidates are the next crucial steps.

Staffing experts suggest small businesses follow these six tips to increase workforce quality and leverage their advantages to succeed.

1. Identify the job landscape specific to where you are hiring and what your company’s needs are.
2. Make sure your company’s website clearly reflect your mission, core values and vision. List job openings and benefits clearly and make applying from your site easy.
3. Make the whole process as digital as possible from the search, to the resume to the interview since the future of hiring will soon all be digital.
4. Use social media platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter for a minimal expense to convey the benefits of working at your company.
5. Utilize traditional tools like job posting sites and don’t forget to look at your Glassdoor reviews.
6. Develop a hiring and onboarding plan that addresses factors such as the number of interviews that will be conducted, who will conduct them, what background checks will be completed, etc.

Recruiting and retaining talent will remain a top challenge for businesses both big and small over the next several years. Actively approaching staffing from a strategic perspective will position smaller companies to grow and continue to meet their business needs.

Source: Inc.com. Finding Your Next Great Employees. May 30, 2017.