8 Tips to Help Find Employees During Low Unemployment

Pull out all the stops when searching for candidates in this tight labor market.

A shortage of skilled labor continues to plague the remodeling industry. In time like these, it’s more important than ever to reach out to potential employees instead of waiting for them to come to you. Below are eight strategies you can use to help find employees for your small business. Keep in mind that a qualified candidate you’re considering could be interviewing with several other companies. So if you find someone you like, don’t hesitate to make them an offer. Waiting too long could cause you to lose out to the competition.

1. Sweeten the deal.
You could make it easier to find and hire new employees by offering them more than the competition. If you can’t afford to increase pay, consider other ways to make the job more attractive. Employees tend to appreciate other things in addition to money—things like a casual dress code, flexible schedules, employee discounts, fun team-building activities, vacation days, etc.

2. Encourage employee referrals.
Word of mouth is powerful advertising. Establish a referral program that gives bonuses to employees who find new hires. This can give you instant access to a larger talent pool. Plus, since your employees are already familiar with the company culture, they’ll be better able to tell others about it.

3. Share company culture on social media.
More and more people are researching companies and getting hired via social media. Platforms like LinkedIn, Instagram, and Facebook are all simple, inexpensive ways to promote your company and its culture, and to connect with potential employees. Instead of focusing on business-related content only, encourage your team to share the entertaining parts of their work. Posting videos on Tik Tok or YouTube can also be a fun way to show your company’s uniqueness. And to spread the word about job openings, you could ask your team to re-post your employment ad on their personal social media pages.

Keep in mind, it’s important to have a good social media policy in place to ensure all posts are professional and reflect positively on your business. All social posts should be in good taste, not offensive, and should not reveal confidential information.

4. Improve your website.
Many job seekers research potential employers online. That’s why in addition to your social media presence, it can be helpful to have a professional-looking website that positively reflects your company and its culture.

5. Always be networking.
Networking is an essential year-round activity, not just when you’re looking to hire. To be effective, you should always be looking for potential new hires and building relationships that can pay off down the road. You never know when you’ll need to tap into your network, so it’s important to always be cultivating it.

6. Online recruiting websites.
While it’s possible to fill positions using only social media and your company website, you can improve your chances of filling a role by posting to a job recruitment website. Some popular ones include: Indeed, Google for Jobs, CareerBuilder, Monster, and ZipRecruiter. These websites may charge a small fee.

7. Hire a staffing agency.
If you can afford it, hiring a staffing agency can save you time and make the process of finding job candidates easier. In addition, many staffing agencies specialize in certain industries, so they may be able to bring in the specific type of employee you need.

8. Keep an eye on the competition.
With so many businesses going after the same employees, it’s important to make sure your job descriptions and salary are competitive. To see what other companies in your industry are offering, search online resources like Indeed, Glassdoor, LinkedIn, and Salary.com.