Finding the Right Employee for Your Business | Thursday January 29th, 2004 | |
Summary: Management and Technical Assistance: There exist numerous traditional and non-conventional resources for finding employees. Identify and select the best resources for your business.
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Hiring employees can be a very time consuming process. So before you start searching, consider how one of your own employees may be able to successfully fill a vacant position. In this case you are already familiar with the employees capabilities, work habits, productivity, and contributions to your business. Promoting internal candidates is also a good opportunity to demonstrate the opportunities for advancement in your company.
When searching for job candidates don't limit yourself to just one approach. Couple the methods so that you attract the right employee for your business and make sure the cost and value are in line with your company's recruiting goals.
Temporary Employment Agencies
These agencies can provide you with a wide range of employees with various professional to administrative skill sets. Temporary employees are hired on a short-term basis, however, based on their performance you may decide to offer them a permanent position. Check to see how much the temporary employment agency will charge if you do decide to hire one of their temps full-time.
Headhunters
Many companies increasingly rely on executive search firms, or headhunters, to locate good candidates for important posts. The two types of executive recruiters include: Contingency Firms- generally appropriate for entry-level or mid-level management positions with clearly defined requirements. They are paid if and when they fill a position.
Retained Firms- good choice for top-level general management and board of director recruiting. They are paid regardless of the outcome of a particular search. Standard practice in the executive search industry is to charge a percentage of the new executive's first-year compensation. For contingency firms, the usual range is 20 to 25 percent or higher. For retained firms, the usual range is 33 to 35 percent.
Contract Recruiters These recruiters are paid to act as a consultant to your company and can hire every type of employee your company needs. Any time a company is trying to hire more than a handful of people at one time, a contract recruiter can lead the process of sourcing, scheduling, screening resumes and communicating with candidates. Company Web site
Advertising job positions on your company Web site is a good and cost-efficient way to publicize upcoming job opportunities and allow the user to obtain information on your company. Having an information rich company web site, will ensure that anyone who applies for a job listed on your web site will be knowledgeable of your company's vision, services and operations.
Want Ads
Placing want ads in local and regional newspapers, trade magazines, and weekly publications offer a typical means of announcing job opportunities to a wide audience of potential employees. Writing a strong want ad gives you a better idea of who you're looking for and offers potential candidates a better idea of whether the position is right for them. Be as specific as possible about your needs and the precise level of the open position (i.e. job title, position description, and salary range), and make sure you include the minimum requirements of the job (i.e. education, experience, and equipment/software knowledge).
The Internet
Millions of job seekers surf the Web each week, post their resumes, fill out online applications and even conduct email interviews. The Internet makes huge numbers of job seekers available to any firm with access to the Web. Read the fine print and be aware that significant fees may be required to join.
Industry Trade Journals/Trade Associations
If you're looking to fill specialized positions you may want to post job listings in member communications. This is an inexpensive way to directly connect with people who understand your industry.
Area Technical Schools or Colleges
Many schools provide job listings in the form of a newsletter or an online job board. Choosing the right schools can help you zero in on a targeted pool of high potential candidates. Contact the alumnae office and ask for the posting requirements. Often these ads are free and you may even be able to hire interns who will work for free in exchange for the experience.
Bounty Rewards
Inform your employees about job openings at your firm and encourage them to refer top-notch candidates; offer cash bonuses or "bounty" rewards to any employee within that firm that successfully recruits someone to work for the company as long as they stay longer than three months. These bounties can range from a few hundred to a thousand dollars, depending on how difficult it is to find employees to fill the position.
Word-of-Mouth
Often the best prospective employees are the people you hear about from trusted friends or associates. Get the word out about your business and demonstrate to each candidate how a job at your firm fits with their career goals. Go to trade shows, community activities, local association meetings, and other events where you can meet potential employees and promote your company. Outline your company's vision, highlight the team spirit, speak candidly about your firm's challenges, and present information about yourself clearly and in an exciting way.
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