Mastering the Art of Hiring: Essential Hacks for SMB’s

Small business owners face a myriad of challenges when it comes to running their companies efficiently while juggling multiple responsibilities. Sourcing talent has never been a simple task, and relying on hiring agencies can strain already tight budgets. In-house hiring efforts can consume up to 30% of your time, diverting your focus from crucial business operations.

To remain competitive in securing top talent, SMB hiring managers must explore unconventional strategies and incorporate innovative methods into their hiring processes. Are you ready to explore fresh ideas? “7 Sourcing Hacks: The How-to Guide to Streamline Your Talent Search” presents seven distinct strategies tailored to enhance your hiring efforts and capture the attention of top-tier candidates. Let’s delve into a few of these hacks to kickstart your search for exceptional talent.

Hack #1: Hyper-Personalize Your Emails

No one likes spam — so why would you send generic emails to potential candidates? If your goal is to create more meaningful connections, attract more candidates, and improve your conversion rates, then you need to customize your communication to a candidate’s specific interests or needs. We call that hyper-personalization, and while it may take more time at the outset, any increase in overall response rates will cut hours off your search down the road.

Pro Tips:

Join the candidate’s conversation. See what candidates are talking about on social media and find something that resonates with you personally, with the opportunity, or with the company culture. Use that as an introduction to engage with them.

Throw in an element of surprise. Break out of the typical template that most candidates expect and craft your emails creatively. Ask yourself: What would grab your attention?

Speak about the opportunity rather than the job. Remember, your search isn’t limited to people who are actively seeking new employment. Employ research shows that at least 50% of people are open to new opportunities even though they’re satisfied with their current positions. If you’re courting a passive candidate with specialized skills, then be sure your emails are tuned to possibilities for development or career growth.

Hack #2: Utilize Social Networks

People want to network, either in-person or online. Think about where your ideal candidate is online. What are they reading? Look at where they are talking to other professionals and join the Conversation.

Pro Tips:

Be helpful first. It’s tempting to immediately yell to everyone in a group that you have an amazing opportunity for them, but that often turns people off. By offering guidance or helpful suggestions on candidates’ issues, you are beginning to build a relationship first. Once even a modest relationship is built, they will be more open to a job pitch.

It helps to be where your candidates are. And if you’re looking for GenZ, they’re on TikTok. So try a new network! Create a company account and see if you can add it to their career section. Again, if you are helpful, candidates will remember you.

Hack #3: Referrals Are the Best Source of Hire

Referral programs are on the rise, according to Employ research. 79% of organizations offer employee referral programs — an eight-percentage point increase over the past year, and 48% are seeing higher participation in employee referral programs. Why? Because they work. Referrals reduce both time-to-hire and cost-of-hire.

Pro Tips:

Control where you want to generate referrals within your organization by creating an internal focus on high-growth and hard-to-fill positions.

Gamify your process. A little friendly competition through leaderboards and recognition will supercharge your results.

Continue to Hack the System

Get the remaining hacks for candidate sourcing in the latest eBook from Employ: 7 Sourcing Hacks: The How-to Guide to Optimize Your Talent Search. Download your free copy today.