Small Business Recruitment Strategies that Fill Talent Gaps

Small Business Recruitment Strategies that Fill Talent GapsSmall Business Recruitment Strategies that Fill Talent GapsSmall Business Recruitment Strategies that Fill Talent GapsIn an era when a single job posting pulls in a ream of resumes to review, its hard to believe that none of those applicants is an ideal match. But when small-business owners recruit for a position that requires skills in high demand, they often find that economic volatility hasnt made hiring any easier.To mount a successful candidate search, small businesses must deploy a broader array of recruitment strategies than ever before.Small Business Recruitment SolutionsThis years recruitment processis exacerbated by the fact that while many corporate giants are reporting record profits, entrepreneurial enterprises must run leaner than ever.Small businesses face a challenge in remaining competitive in pay and perks, says Joleen Dorsey, a regional director of small-business strategy for staffing firm Manpower.As a sma ll business, its always challenging to find the right people, says Peter Marquez, senior partner for sales and marketing at eCube Systems, an enterprise software maker headquartered in Montgomery, Texas.Right now we are in the process of hiring a technical software engineer, someone who can do head-down programming but also is comfortable consulting and solving problems on the fly, adds Marquez. Indeed, its not easy to source a candidate who wields a range of technical skills and also knows how to sit down and talk with clients.Some job requirements are intrinsically difficult to meet. Just ask Brian Moloney. Were looking for at least one full-time programmer, with experience and skill in the Django web framework, which is rare but growing significantly, says Moloney, managing director at Imaginary Landscape, a web plan and development firm in Chicago.Whats the overarching theme of small-business recruitment strategies when it comes to rare combinations of skills? The most successfu l small businesses take a one-size-fits-one approach, says Dorsey.So lets look at a few ways that small employers can adapt to reel in the in-demand talent that can help take their business to the next level.Flexible Work Arrangements Are a Strong DrawWhen top talent comes to work for a small employer, a big draw can be workplace flexibility in the time and place the work gets done. Were seeing more employers becoming more accommodating on work-life balance for professionals with in-demand skills, says Dorsey.Some of our programmers have enjoyed flexible schedules and the ability to work remotely, says Marquez. Still, for a company that emphasizes client service, its a challenge to offer flexibility to someone who wears multiple hats, as is typical at small firms.A small business may be able to draw outsize attention to its employer brand by a radical-sounding perk that, in practice, is quite manageable. We now have no preset limit on paid time off, which makes us attractive, says M oloney. Our research and experience show that employees behavior doesnt change much, under the unrestricted PTO policy.Contract Work May Lead to Permanent HiresProfessionals whose services are in great demand whether business consultants or software savants often prefer to remain independent contractors who enjoy the freedom and variety that their high hourly rates enable. They may fill a small firms talent gap temporarily, or consider a permanent position if the company turns out to be a good fit.Its almost a matter of course that we hire software engineers on contract at first, says Marquez. eCube can try out contract programmers on different projects and see where they do best, eventually offering some of them full-time work, he says.Some businesses, compelled by a skills shortage to use contract labor, make a virtue of the practice by keeping the size of their workforce flexible. I prefer onsite, full-time employees, but I have to get the work done, says Moloney. So beyond the 14 on staff, we have four programmers on contract who work with us on a regular basis, and that can go up to six or seven.Skills that Dont Match May Still Be TransferrableEspecially in their recruitment strategies for senior-level professionals, small business owners would do well to consider whether they must find exact matches for all the skill-and-experience bullets on their job postings.If we cant find a perfect match then we look for someone with skills and experience that are transferrable, says Patty Barry, a principal at Matter Communications, a public relations firm based in Newburyport, Mass. That might mean we consider people with experience in sales and marketing rather than public relations, for example.Small Firms Let Employees Roll Up Sleeves with ClientsFinally, small-business owners can proudly sell hard-to-find candidates on the professional advantages of working in a small organization.What we offer and large PR agencies lack is the opportunity to work with clien ts in depth, says Barry. We dont bill by the hour, and were committed to spending a lot of time with clients, sitting together to work and learn. Big agencies that bill at $400 per hour cant do that, because many clients cant afford it.