Small Business Hiring Advice

Finding Good Employees

Despite the current unemployment numbers, finding good employees is still a challenge. Here are a few small business hiring tips on how to find good employees.

Need help finding good employees?

Once you have identified the skills needed for the positions you want to fill, there are many sources that can help you recruit good employees.

Fee-Based Searches

Employment agencies specialize in finding industry or skill-specific employees. The primary advantages are the professional screening services provided by such agencies, including background checks and aptitude tests. Employers typically pay a considerable fee to the agency for its services.

Online Job Sites

Online job sites such as Monster.com are still the fastest growing method for employer-employee matchmaking. These specialized sites, along with the online classified sections from major newspapers, often provide the largest pool of prospective employees. However, most online sites do not offer the professional screening services offered by employment agencies. Additionally, businesses advertising on such sites are often inundated with applicants.

Public Services

Each State has an employment service (often called Job Service, Public Employment, Unemployment Bureau, or Employment Security Agency). All are affiliated with the United States Employment Service, and local offices are ready to help businesses recruit employees. The employment service will screen applicants with aptitude tests if they are available for the skills you specify.

Interns

Colleges and universities usually have a distributive education program in which students work for you part-time or volunteer as interns while they learn about your business. Interns typically expect to learn skills or useful information relevant to their chosen field of study. Prior to contacting a school regarding interns, make sure that you have a clear idea of how an intern will benefit from working with you. If you're looking for someone to do clerical work with little or no opportunity for learning on the job, it's generally best to hire low cost help instead.

"Help Wanted"

If you have a traditional storefront and are seeking generalists, one of the oldest and most reliable recruitment tools is a simple sign in your window. The most obvious advantage to this recruitment method is that it is free. There are serious disadvantages, however, including attracting unqualified applicants with a vast variety of skill sets, and the difficulty of talking to prospective applicants while conducting business.

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