Where Small Businesses Can Find and Attract Employees
If you own or run a small business, recruitment may be challenging. Larger companies have more openings than small ones, whether they’re growing, downsizing, or experiencing high turnover. It may seem like you’re the underdog when trying to attract employees, but the right candidate will see your size as an advantage if you sell it in the right way. Here are four common benefits that small businesses bring to the table. If any or all of them apply to you, add them to your recruitment playbook to get better results!
Small Businesses Have Less Bureaucracy and Red Tape
If you’re part of a large regional, national, or multinational corporation, there are certain things that must go through “The Home Office,” “Corporate,” “Inc.,” “Downtown,” or “Upstairs.” Depending on the company structure, that may involve approval of expenses, HR best practices, or even pricing of products or services. Talented employees, especially in sales and marketing positions, hate red tape and having to ask for permission. By demonstrating that your small single location has autonomy and calls its own shots, you will become instantly more appealing to attract employees from that talent pool.
Small Businesses Value Broader Skill Sets
If you are a nameless number working in a sea of cubicles in a large corporate office, you are probably expected to do one thing, do it well, and do it repeatedly every day. For some people, that’s fine, but for others, it’s extremely limiting. It may be difficult to tweak a job description to include other talents and skills in a large corporate setting, but in a small business, it’s just the opposite. The more you can do, the better!
Small Businesses Can Offer Flexibility
Corporate HR departments have sets of rules and standards that they must follow to stay fair. That’s important; fairness is a critical attribute for good companies. That said, a small business with a handful of staff members can attract employees and still be fair by adapting things like scheduling to the wants and needs of prospective employees in the name of building the team.
Small Businesses’ Employees Have “Skin in the Game”
Finally, employees at smaller companies may negotiate for a share of profits. Even if not, their continued employment is directly tied to the company’s success, so they are incentivized to contribute to their bottom line.
Recruitment is not an exact science, and it is difficult for small local businesses to compete with national juggernauts. Difficult, but not impossible, especially if you keep these advantages in mind.
