Regardless of the size of your business, your greatest asset will always be your team. A passionate and talented workforce is the key to every business’s success. Exceptional employees are aligned to the values of your business and share in the vision you as an entrepreneur have. The hiring process is absolutely crucial to get the right people on board to grow and scale your business.
Choosing who to hire is no easy decision. Time and resources should be deployed to your hiring process as hiring the wrong people can be disastrous and cost your business time, money and even your reputation. Due diligence needs to be carried out during the assessment of a potential candidate, in addition to testing their skills, work style, personality, competencies and alignment to your company.
In most SMMEs, every single person is critical to the business operating smoothly. They need to be efficient at carrying out their duties, while also working well in the team. As the age-old saying goes, “A chain is only as strong as its weakest link.” With a team that’s self-aware, motivated and self-disciplined, you can rest assured that everyone will pull their weight. However, bad hires do happen sometimes no matter how much due diligence you do.
So how do you attract and retain top talent as a small business when you don’t necessarily have as much to offer in monetary terms like the big corporates might be able to? The secret to attracting the right candidates is to find people that truly believe that the work you do is important and will deliver on their goals.
Here are a few things to consider when you’re looking to fill a gap in the manpower of your organisation:
Get your job listing in front of the right candidates
While going through employment agencies might be a bit costly, especially if you’re looking for someone in a management or senior position, there are other ways to find suitable candidates without breaking the bank. Some ways to get your job posting out there include:
- Using LinkedIn and other social media sites
- Include a job listing on your website
- Recruit within your immediate social and professional networks
- Ask your employees, clients and colleagues for referrals
- Advertise on online job sites
Don’t just hire based on skills
Someone might be the best at their job but still not be a good fit for your company. While it may seem important to hire candidates that have the right skills on paper, the truth is skills can be taught. It’s important that the person you hire has the right attitude and behaviour and will fit into your company culture. Hiring a culture fit is a must for any small business. Chances are, if you’re a start-up business, the people that work for you need to be resilient and able to face the challenges that the startup environment entails. It’s important to include behavioural questions in your interview. You want to get a grasp of how this person will handle the challenges they face in their day-to-day work. Ask questions that will help you get a feel for how a candidate is going to behave in the workplace. Also ask questions that will give you an idea of how they will adapt to working in your team. Hiring people who show up every day with an enthusiasm to grow and be an asset to your business is way more important than any skill.
Consider using freelancers or outsourcing
In a small business, there are lots of benefits in choosing freelance staff as opposed to full-time employees. Oftentimes there isn’t enough day-to-day work in a start-up to justify hiring full-time employees for certain roles. By relying on freelancers on a project basis you’re able to save money and have less of the administration that comes with managing fulltime staff.
Another massive benefit to outsourcing is that you’re able to benefit from people with a wide range of expertise and experience that you won’t have otherwise been able to afford to bring on as fulltime employees. It opens you up to a talent pool that includes some of the best in their respective industries. Thought leaders and experts are now at your fingertips.
At Outsourced Finance, we partner with our clients to create a digital accounting solution that allows them to stay on top of their financials without sacrificing precious time. We are here to provide SMMEs with strategic financial support to help them grow. Top accounting and financial services should be both affordable and effective for startups and now it is. Get in touch with us for all your financial needs.
