When you only have 1 to 15 employees, the people you hire are especially critical for your success. As you grow, you’ll need to standardize your hiring process and onboarding to welcome all of your new employees. From finding the right talent to employee retention, your hiring process plays a major role in how successful you are. 

How To Build a Hiring Process That Drives Your Company’s Future Growth

During a recent Mission to Grow interview on “HR Roadmap for Growth Series: Getting Hiring & Payroll Right for 1-15 Employees,” Scott Petersen, HireClick’s vice president and general manager, discussed how small business owners need to update their hiring processes. “The expectations of all small business owners should be aligned to [the idea that] hiring quality workers is difficult. It’s challenging. You need to be prepared, and you need to approach it much like selling or marketing. You really need to look at it like hiring is very, very much a selling or marketing function as much as it is an HR function.”

The people you hire today will determine where your company is in a decade. By marketing your employer brand effectively, incorporating the best technology, and knowing how to target the right workers, you can reach out to the top employees for your organization’s needs.

Use Hiring Software to Punch Above Your Weight

Originally, applicant tracking systems (ATSs) were developed as a way to help businesses sift out the best prospects from a pile of applications. However, today’s hiring systems are faced with a drastically different need. Before, workers had to compete for jobs. Thanks to a 4.1% unemployment rate, employers are currently facing a war for talented workers. 

Because of this, it’s incredibly important to use all the tools at your disposal. The best hiring software for small business includes more than just an ATS. It also allows you to instantly list your job on hundreds of platforms and ensures each listing looks professional. Instead of seeming like a five-employee shop, you can create listings that appeal to your targeted workers.

“By using technology and sort of thinking through that process before you get in it, it allows you to compete with really any employer of any size in the market. How often as a 10-person medical clinic could you compete head-to-head with a hospital in the same town for that same employee?” Petersen says.

Brainstorm What Makes Your Employer Brand Unique

When you create a job listing, you need to know what makes your company stand out to potential applicants. Sometimes, brainstorming is simple because you have a clear list of benefits, pay, and job opportunities that might appeal to prospects. However, many small businesses struggle to afford the higher salaries and benefits that normally entice workers.

Fortunately, there are alternative ways to bring in potential applicants. Start by reviewing your company culture. For example, you may be a family-oriented organization that offers family-friendly policies. Alternatively, you may have an upbeat, fast-paced environment that appeals to young professionals who are just starting out. 

In both cases, advertising these qualities will help you attract the right candidates. Job applicants who wouldn’t fit in with your company culture will self-select, which will gradually improve your retention rates.

Align Your Job Listings With Your Company Culture

Once you know what type of culture you have, you can design your job listings. You never want to use a basic, cookie-cutter listing. 

In fact, Mary Simmons, Asure’s vice president of HR compliance, discussed why job listings are so important during the same Mission to Grow interview. Previously, Simmons worked with a client who had an exceptionally high turnover rate. She immediately jumped in and took a look at how they were attracting different candidates. “They definitely had that ‘help wanted’ mentality, right? It was a very bland ad and obviously no employment branding, but also there were no clear expectations,” Simmons says.

As a result, people were getting hired and then realizing that the job didn’t meet their expectations. Unsurprisingly, the company had a high turnover rate. By rethinking the hiring process and creating customized job advertisements, the business was able to improve its retention rates. 

When you design a listing, you need to focus on setting expectations. You also need to think about your culture and give workers a clear reason why they would want to work with you.

Highlight Your Unique Benefits

As you create your job listings, focus on your organization’s unique benefits. For instance, you may have an unlimited PTO policy, a family-friendly environment, or a reputation as an incubator for future Fortune 500 employees. 

Your organization’s benefits are a reflection of your company’s culture, and they help to sell your employer brand to prospective recruits. Additionally, benefits and culture serve as a filtering mechanism. Besides attracting workers who will fit in with your organizational culture, the benefits and features in your job ads will also deter employees who wouldn’t be a good match.

Simplify Your Job Listings With AI

You can make your hiring process much easier through the strategic use of AI. For instance, HireClick, an Asure company, has AI tools that are designed to create comprehensive job listings using very little input.

Besides writing job ads, the right AI can help you automatically post to hundreds of job boards. Plus, there are hiring software programs that can help you automatically schedule interviews and sort candidates. With the right technology, you can make scaling your business easier by reducing the cost and time spent hiring people. 

Understand What You Can and Can’t Say in Interviews

Even if you only have a single employee, you can still be sued for violating state and federal labor laws. There are actually people who go on interviews with the goal of seeing if the organization will ask them prohibited questions. Unfortunately, there are also many lawyers who will take these cases for free.

Because of this, you need to be incredibly proactive about your HR compliance. When in doubt, there are outsourced HR options you can use to read up on the latest anti-discrimination rules for interviews and get advice about the best practices for hiring new workers.

Why Your Hiring Process Matters

Whether you dream of eventually becoming a 20-person or 1,000-person company, your small business is going to need a better hiring process. Most small businesses start out with a shoestring budget and a handle of multi-talented ninjas who can take on multiple roles at the organization.

While this works well during the early stages when the founder can personally interact with each worker on a daily basis, you’ll need to upgrade your hiring process as your company grows. Eventually, you will need a standardized hiring process that is automatically designed to attract the type of worker who will fit in well at your organization. 

Your hiring process matters because of a few key reasons.

• Hiring the right workers lowers your turnover rate. 
• Employees who match your company culture are more likely to be engaged at work.
• More effective processes allow you to spend less on hiring and recruitment.
• Tailored listings and job ads let you access top-quality candidates.
• Good HR practices prevent compliance issues, legal penalties, and fines.

Use Your Hiring Process to Market Your Brand

Ultimately, a better hiring process ensures your small business can keep growing. With changing demographics, the war for talent is only going to continue for the foreseeable future. As your business takes the next step in growing past its startup stage, you need to find talented workers who will fuel your long-term growth. 

If you’re ready to incorporate HR technology, AI tools, and the latest compliance rules into your hiring process, we’re here to help. To take the next step in your company’s growth, reach out to our team of small business HR and payroll experts today.