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It’s pretty well known that freshly minted college graduates often prefer large corporations with a recognizable brand image. If your small company is seeking a new Millennial hire this year, consider these five secrets to success:
Five Secrets for Small Business Recruiting Success
- Identify your company’s unique value proposition. What is special about your company? Look broadly so you can uncover exactly what will appeal to candidates. It can range from the coolness of your product or services to your downtown office location to your work life balance. Brainstorm with employees and make a comprehensive list that you can use in your communications.
- Learn to sell the value of a career in a small business. Your candidates may not fully appreciate this so you actually need to spell it out for them. Explain that each employee has the potential to make a major impact on the company’s progress. Your successful candidate has the opportunity to quickly expand her responsibilities and opportunities. Talent often rises faster in a small organization that is growing. Sell the candidates on the learning, growth, flexibility and opportunity.
- Communicate the value online. Your serious candidates will be scouring your website and social media channels to check out your company. In addition to customer facing content, be sure to have employee and candidate focused content. Create a career page on your website that is optimized for mobile devices. Build a LinkedIn company page and post industry, company and job information. Make sure the people doing the recruiting have “candidate friendly” LinkedIn profiles and Twitter accounts. Every one of your employees is a brand ambassador and can impact your candidate’s and customer’s impressions.
- Leverage key relationships in your recruiting efforts. Your own employees are the first group to engage with regarding recruiting efforts. Get your team excited about finding the best talent. Beyond that, think of your business partners and friends. Develop a relationship with a few local colleges and universities. Find out how each college works with employers because it is likely they each have a process that you can tap into including information sessions, career fairs and online portals. Dig your relationship well deeper at a favorite school by helping professors, speaking on panels, or involving students in a specific project related to a class.
- Consider offering a trial period to make sure you have selected the right candidate. This might be a three month contract position; an extended project or a paid internship. Beyond grades and experience, you will be looking for a great match of values and culture fit. Working with your candidate for a few months will give you a great sense of his or her future potential to rock your small business.
Your laser beam focus on expanding company and employee opportunities will pay off as you recruit for your small business. What other ways can you do this?
