Consider the following... |
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| A lot of small companies don't realize how relatively inexpensive benefits can be. They say, "Oh, we can't afford dental or disability." But when you compare insurance premiums vs. the thousands of dollars you lose when a really good employee leaves, it doesn't really make a lot of sense not to do it |
| A small company can offer a ambitious, bright person the chance to learn a lot. They'll be getting a lot of job responsibility up front and will have the ability to influence directly the company's growth and development. The employee can test new ideas or business practices and work independently |
| Small companies can hire faster. They typically don't have hiring committees and hierarchies of management that have to give approvals. So they can move quickly to secure quality personnel and make them feel valued |
| Access to top management can also be sold as a plus for an employee who wants to get noticed and advance quickly |
| A small business should play up perks such as casual work environments, flexible work schedules, telecommuting, social activities, extra vacation and personal time, or any other supportive or family-friendly policies they offer that larger companies have difficulty supporting |
| It's important to make the workplace fun and encourage social networking so your employees get to know each other across departments and make friends. Retention studies show that people don't like to leave jobs where they have lots of friends |
| Small-business owners need to realize that the physical environment does matter to people. People derive a great deal of their identity from their jobs, and they want to take pride in the place where they work |
| It's key to know the going salary rates for qualified team members and be prepared to match them, if not beat them, to make sure you get the best talent. If you're an emerging company and you want to grow, you're not going to get there with mediocre people. You need the best candidates -- and they're not stupid. |
Small-Business Hiring Secrets
By Karen E. Klein
Small-business owners usually feel at a disadvantage when it comes to hiring talented, qualified employees. While large corporations can provide attractive benefits packages, smaller ones are too often constrained by the cost. But entrepreneurs do have some perks up their sleeves, if only they know what to emphasize, says Daniel Solomons, president and CEO of Hyrian, a recruitment-process outsourcing firm based in Los Angeles. Here are eight tips from Solomons for small-business owners to keep in mind when hiring: