How to find employees for your small business

Your small business is growing and you need to bring new people on board, a task that’s equally exciting and daunting. And if you get recruitment right, you’ll have a competent team that’ll ease your workload and move your business forward. 
But rushing into hiring without a process in place might land you with confused, ill-equipped, and even burnt out employees who leave before you even realize there’s a problem. 
And since labor costs make up a large part of small business spending, making the best use of your resources by finding, hiring, and training the right candidates is essential. That’s why you need a hiring and onboarding strategy that works for your business . In this article, we explore how to find employees step-by-step, from the first job post to the first day.
Step 1: Define your hiring needs
As your need for extra help becomes more urgent, your first instinct may be to panic-write a few job descriptions and post them online as quickly as possible. And that’s understandable, especially considering 91% of small businesses are labor hoarding, which is when employers avoid layoffs during an economic downturn. 
However, it’s crucial to define your hiring needs before you take action so you don’t bring too many or too few people on board. What’s more, being specific about your expectations and goals helps you find fully qualified team members who understand your business mission and values.
Determine necessary qualifications and responsibilities
Do a job analysis before you write your first job description. And rather than simply considering the tasks you need new hires to perform — talk to someone already employing individuals for that position. They might reveal aspects of the job you hadn’t considered before, which will make your description more accurate, thorough, and attractive to new candidates. 
When writing a job description, you should also:

Research similar postings :  Ask small business owners you know to share their past job descriptions, or simply browse through a popular job posting site to see what qualifications and responsibilities they include. Additionally, you can review some top resume examples to pinpoint what traits your ideal candidate would possess.
Think about results: Focus on outcomes when outlining job responsibilities. Rather than vague descriptions like “manages restaurant inventory,” it’s better to say, “creates an inventory management system that reduces waste and minimizes food and beverage costs.”
Use inclusive language: 67% of job seekers consider a diverse workplace important. Knowing that, make sure your description is gender-neutral and doesn’t include specific references to age, race, religion, or ability level, which are all protected under the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC). 

Specify how many employees you need
Hiring new employees is a balancing act. Hire too few, and you may not be able to reach your business goals as quickly as you’d like. Hire too many, and there may not be enough shifts to go around. The number of new team members you need also depends on your industry, goals, labor forecasting, and the type of work you need to accomplish. So, you should:

Think about your plans for growth: For example, are you hoping to increase profit margins from 10% to 12% in the next year? How will new employees help you get there?
Take a look at your sales data : In general, it’s best not to go above 30% of gross sales in labor spending. 
Consider your budget: If your business’s current finances don’t allow you to pay competitive wages, you may not be able to hire as many people. As a result, you might have to scale back your growth targets.
Take workload into account: On average, how long does it take to accomplish the tasks you need people to complete every day? The answer should help you figure out how many full-time or part-time employees you should bring on board.

Don’t forget your business culture and values 
A candidate’s qualifications matter, but they aren’t everything. And in many cases, it’s easier to help employees develop certain skills than persuade them to embrace company values. That’s why you should emphasize culture in your job description and during the hiring process.
Some ways to bring culture into your job description include:

Highlighting your most important core values: Describe your commitment to building a team that values collaboration, innovation, or taking initiative. 


Giving concrete examples of how you live out your values: For example, people who embody the value of innovation aren’t afraid to share ideas about how to improve processes or procedures.


Being transparent and straightforward: Let job seekers know how important culture is to you and that you’ll prioritize candidates who are a better cultural fit.

Step 2: Establish your hiring and recruitment process
If you want your job openings to reach as many people as possible, you need to advertise them widely. But you also need to get them in front of the right candidates, which is where your recruitment strategy comes in: 
Write your job description
Now that you have a sense of your hiring needs, it’s time to write your job post. We recommend following this structure:

About the business: Briefly talk about your business’s history, mission, and values.


Job title: Make sure it’s specific and includes all the necessary information. An example of a detailed, informative job title would be: “Part-time store manager needed, customer service experience required.”


Job summary: Explain what makes the position an exciting, worthwhile opportunity. For example, if part of the job involves posting on social media, you can mention that the role gives team members a chance to gain graphic design and marketing experience.


Responsibilities: Get as specific as possible. Don’t expect job seekers to know what you mean by “help customers” or “handle orders.” Instead, it’s better to say, “Handle orders using X inventory management software.”


Skills and experience: Highlight the experience or qualifications applicants should have to be eligible for the role. Also, mention the soft skills candidates need, like strong communication, problem-solving, and collaboration. 


Wages, benefits, and perks: Transparency matters to job seekers, which is why you should include wage ranges in your job descriptions. You can also increase your post’s appeal by talking about the benefits and extras you offer, like free early access to pay , extended medical coverage, or generous paid time off (PTO) policies. 

Decide how you’ll publish job openings
47% of small business owners say they have open positions they can’t fill, which is why you shouldn’t limit promotional efforts to one channel. You have options, including:

Creating a careers page on your website: A careers page means you can share your company history, get into detail about your values, and even embed an introductory video to put a face to your business. It’s important that your external job posts always link back to your careers page, so they can do the heavy lifting of promoting your business as a great place to work.
Posting to job boards:  Upload your job postings to sites like Indeed, Glassdoor, ZipRecruiter, or Google Jobs. Or, use Homebase hiring to do that for you.



Reaching out locally: Partner with local high schools, colleges, universities, and career centers and ask them to send interested candidates your way. You can also visit the National Careers Fair site to find out about local job fairs for your industry.
Taking advantage of social media: Social media gives employers a direct connection with job seekers, and it helps attract candidates with more brand awareness. It’s also a perfect place to share job opportunities and send followers to your careers page. 

Step 3: Find great candidates
You’ve done some of the hardest work already, and now it’s time to hit submit on your job posts, sort through applicants, and get your new hire paperwork ready so you’re prepared when it’s time to start interviewing. 
Publish your job posting

Homebase makes writing a job description quick and easy. You can draft your own or select a pre-written template and edit it to your liking. Our platform also lets you add wages and specify shifts to communicate transparently and avoid wasting time continuously answering the same questions. After that, simply verify your business and submit your post.
Homebase hiring will automatically submit your opening to top job sites, as well as provide you with:

A custom Now Hiring sign to display in your storefront
A job post link you can share on social media platforms like Facebook or LinkedIn or via email

Organize your paperwork
You don’t want a lack of preparation to slow you down once you’ve found a great candidate. So, have your paperwork ready to send new hires once you’ve offered them a job. These documents include:

Form I-9 : This lets you verify your new employee is eligible to work in the United States.
Form W-4 : This form lets you know how much tax to withhold from employee paychecks.
Form W-2 : You’ll have to prepare and submit this employee wage and tax statement to the Social Security Administration (SSA). Staff won’t need to fill W-2s out when you hire them — you’ll have to fill them out yourself with their social security numbers.
Your employee handbook : This is an essential tool for onboarding and lets you communicate policies, procedures, expectations, and employee rights to new hires.
An offer letter: This welcomes new team members and provides basic information about pay schedule , job description, and start date.
An employee contract: Your state may not require new staff to sign contracts, but they help clarify rights and obligations for both employees and employers, protecting you from future legal issues.
Background check paperwork: Background checks are legally required for employees in certain industries like health care and child care, and you may be surprised to learn 83% of employers run them for new hires, according to a survey from the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM).
A direct deposit form: Many people prefer direct deposits over paper checks, so you should have the form ready for new employees to fill out.
An emergency contact form: You need to know who to contact in case an emergency or health issue happens at work.




Homebase can help you keep all your new hire paperwork in order. You can easily upload documents and send them to team members with Homebase mobile app . And once employees fill them out, you can store the digital paperwork directly in the Homebase platform for up to four years. Staying on top of compliance with state and local document storage laws has never been simpler.
Step 4: Screen, interview, and hire candidates
As you communicate with and interview top applicants, you don’t want anyone to get lost in the shuffle. Let’s look at how you can make the screening and interviewing process more organized and streamlined. 
Use tools to help with screening  
If you prefer using a low-tech system for screening, a spreadsheet may be enough to keep your candidates in order. But you’ll have to update it on your own, which can become a task in itself. 
Homebase hiring lets you set up pre-employment screening questions to make sure applicants are a great fit for your business, such as,

Are you able to work during [x] hours?
If hired, when can you start work?
Are you open to working evenings and weekends?


If applicants choose to respond, their answers will appear automatically on the Manage Applicants page, where you can also group people based on who you’ve declined, favorited, and chosen to interview. You can also filter candidates by role, business location, and where they live, making it simpler to zero in on ideal applicants.
Follow interview best practices
Interviews are your moment to create a great first impression and pitch your company as an excellent place to work. When talking to promising candidates, keep these tips in mind:

Take notes or record interviews: Don’t expect to remember everything you learn in interviews. Taking notes or recording interviews makes it easier to review what candidates said after the fact and organize applicants based on their responses.


Be careful not to ask unacceptable questions: Did you know some interview questions are illegal ? For example, you can’t ask someone where they were born or whether they’re married because it could appear that you’re discriminating based on nationality or marital status. 


Allow for questions: The right person for your open position will prepare for the interview thoughtfully and demonstrate enthusiasm by asking questions about your daily operations and culture. Bearing that in mind, make sure you leave plenty of time at the end of your session for discussion. 

Bring new employees on board
If a job interview establishes a first impression, then the onboarding process sets the tone for someone’s whole experience with your business. Make sure you don’t miss anything by:

Sending new hire paperwork before the first day: Getting basic employee documents out of the way before they start work means you can spend more time on the onboarding and orientation tasks that matter. If you use Homebase onboarding , you can send new team members welcome packets and documents along with their job offers. 


Following the 4 Cs: Effective onboarding should have these four components, which are:




Compliance: The administrative aspects of orientation.






Clarification: The responsibilities and expectations that are associated with your business’s roles.






Culture: How your culture and values influence everything that happens within your business.






Connection: Introduce new hires to their teammates and foster a collaborative spirit in your workplace.   



Simplify hiring and onboarding with Homebase
You’ve put a lot of effort into making your business what it is today, which is why the idea of expanding may feel both appealing and daunting. A well-chosen team can help you reach your goals, but only as long as you have the strategy and tools you need to hire effectively.
Homebase can help you streamline the entire hiring and onboarding process. Our free hiring tools let you automate writing and posting open jobs, screening applications, and booking interviews with candidates. And once you send out job offers and gather new hire paperwork and information with our app, Homebase also makes communication easier with our free messaging app . 
And what’s more, we have other features that make it simple to manage almost every aspect of your small business:

Free employee scheduling and time tracking
Payroll
HR and Compliance 

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