Your small business is growing, and there aren’t enough hours in the day to get everything done yourself. Hard as it is, you learn to loosen the reins and add an extra set of hands and a mind or two. These new employees bring fresh ideas to the table. The only problem, you haven’t hired them yet. It is a different playing field attracting candidates to your small business. Daily happenings are unlike those of larger businesses. There are limited budgets to work with. Employees often take on more than one particular role creating a blended set of responsibilities. So how do you sell the small business culture? Invest in your employer branding, create enticing job descriptions, and highlight why candidates should choose your small business over the large competitors. 

Write Appealing Job Descriptions

It isn’t enough to have the great position you know candidates will love. The right title and an appealing company description have a large impact on whether or not a candidate will continue to read a job description. Inbound Marketing and Social Media Specialist, Jessica Palmeri, gives some tips and tricks to creating an effective job title:

“Use the most searchable job title that the right candidates are most likely to search for. If you have a creative job title for the role, use it within the description instead. It’s OK to give your description some personality with a trendy title - just make sure the job title represents the role and keywords a job seeker would be searching for.”

More importantly, is the accessibility of the job opening to your talent pool. Most candidates - 72% of them - browse job openings through a mobile device. On the other hand, only 20% of companies have a mobile optimized site. This sort of disparity does not lend itself to job opening accessibility. It doesn’t matter if you have the best job opening available if candidates can’t find them.

Promote Opportunities for Advancement

Small organizations have more opportunities for advancement than larger companies - you already have the upper hand. In order for job seekers to see that however, it has to be conveyed through the job description and presentation of company culture. Employees are less likely to be criticized for their opinions in a smaller organization and they are more likely to have their thoughts heard by individuals that have a say. Marketing Content Manager at Zane Benefits, Abby Rosenberger (@RosenbergerAbby) said:

“Sell this opportunity to your potential job candidates. Let them know that working for a small business or startup will give them more opportunities to have their voice heard, make a difference, and most importantly, get promotions more quickly, so long as they prove themselves.”

Invest in High Potentials

In order to seek candidates with the most potential, you have to know exactly what you’re looking for first. Develop a highly specified job description taking into account everything the job requires, functionally and culturally. Only 10% of companies focus this recruiting energy on all critical roles. However, by developing a highly specified job description including the required skill set, personality traits, and necessary experience, small companies can attract competitive candidates as well. The new hires will have a better understanding of what is expected from them in the beginning rather than once they are onboarded.

Small businesses aren’t at a disadvantage when it comes to hiring candidates. They are more competitive in growth and promotion opportunities than their larger counterparts. The difficult part is telling candidates why your company is the one to work for. It all starts with a compelling job description, which we can help you make. Without the right bait you can’t expect to reel in the big fish. An appropriate title and a job description that conveys a sense of duty and culture creates the perfect bait for your big fish. Within the job announcement, or interview for that matter, tell candidates of potential opportunities for advancement. If they know there are more opportunities for growth, they could be more willing to join your team. Take these small steps to invest in your employer branding to see just how big your small business recruitment practices can grow.

Bio: Raj Sheth, CEO/Partner

Raj Sheth is the co-founder of Recruiterbox, an online recruitment software and applicant tracking system designed especially for growing companies. Prior to Recruiterbox, he founded two other web startups -- a classifieds portal and an ecommerce site. He is a graduate of Babson College and spent the first three years of his career as a financial analyst with EMC Corporation in Boston. Learn more about Recruiterbox right now.

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