How Do You Approach Hiring for Small Business?

How Do You Approach Hiring for Small Business?

Navigating the hiring landscape can be a complex task for small business owners, so we've gathered insights from seven seasoned professionals, including CEOs and Founders. They share their experiences, from prioritizing cultural fit to ensuring both parties have aligned vision, offering a glimpse into successful hiring practices that have propelled their businesses forward.

• Prioritize Cultural Fit and Potential
• Implement an Apprenticeship Program
• Conduct Personalized Outreach
• Involve Team in Hiring Process
• Incorporate Sample Working Projects
• Emphasize Character Over Experience
• Ensure Goal Alignment for Both Parties

Prioritize Cultural Fit and Potential

Being the founder of one of the largest four-day workweek recruitment platforms, I prioritize a unique approach to hiring. We focus on cultural fit and potential over experience. This means we look for candidates who align with our values and show a willingness to learn and grow. For instance, during our hiring process, we include a “day-in-the-life” experience where candidates spend a day with our team. This helps us assess their fit and gives them a real sense of our work environment as well.

One successful practice we’ve implemented is the use of structured interviews combined with practical tasks. Instead of relying solely on traditional interviews, we ask candidates to complete tasks that mirror the actual work they would be doing. This approach has significantly improved our hiring success rate, as it allows us to see candidates’ skills in action and how they handle real-world scenarios.

Additionally, we emphasize continuous feedback and development. New hires receive regular feedback sessions to help them integrate smoothly and identify areas for improvement. This practice has fostered a supportive environment where employees feel valued and motivated to contribute their best. By focusing on cultural fit, practical assessments, and continuous development, we’ve built a strong, cohesive team that drives our company’s success.

Implement an Apprenticeship Program

I view hiring as one of the most important aspects of building a successful and sustainable business. We focus on blending hands-on experience with structured training, which has proven to be highly effective.

One of our most successful hiring practices is our apprenticeship program. We actively seek out enthusiastic individuals straight out of high school or college and offer them the opportunity to join our team as apprentices. This program is designed not only to provide them with valuable industry skills but also to align them with our company’s values and culture from the ground up.

I dedicate a few hours each week to train our new apprentices, sharing my extensive knowledge and practical experience. This has helped our apprentices receive personalized guidance and support, helping them to quickly adapt to the demands of the job. One of our recent apprentices joined us with a basic understanding of electrical systems but lacked hands-on experience. Through my mentorship and our structured training program, he gained the skills needed to excel. Within a few years, he became a lead technician, demonstrating how effective our approach is in developing talent from within.

Conduct Personalized Outreach

Personalized outreach has made a lot of difference for me in terms of hiring for my small business. During the early part of my venture, I discovered that generic job ads brought equally generic responses. Consequently, I had to change my approach to finding candidates who really match our culture.

A few years ago, we needed our first content marketing manager—an important position. Instead of just posting the job online, I studied the work of professionals I admired. I sent them personalized emails, talking about specific projects they'd overseen that were aligned with our mission. One such candidate, who wasn't even looking for a new job, was intrigued by what I wrote to her personally. We began a conversation, and eventually, she joined us, leading very successful campaigns that increased our expansion.

This works because it lets candidates know they're important, and we sincerely want their unique skills. It's not just about filling the position fast but finding someone who is passionate about what we do. Through personalized outreach, we have always found excellent hires who don't simply become employees but serve as key contributors to our mission.

If you are struggling with obtaining suitable people, then perhaps you might want to look at other ways than the common hiring process. Instead, take time out and think about who you would like on your team before contacting them directly. This is a small step that can make a huge difference in terms of quality hires.

Involve Team in Hiring Process

In my small business, we involve our team in the hiring process. This approach allows us to gather diverse opinions and ensures that new hires mesh well with the existing team from the start.

For instance, during interviews, team members from various departments participate, providing insights from different angles. This strategy not only helps in selecting the right candidate but also makes new employees feel connected right from their first day, streamlining their integration into our company culture.

Incorporate Sample Working Projects

One hiring practice that I've always had success with is having a sample working project as part of the hiring process.

Whether we're bringing someone into a part-time or full-time role, we always start the hiring process with a project that the person has to complete. Then I/the team review it with the candidate. The goal is to dive into how the person thinks and operates, and ultimately, whether they work.

It's almost impossible to hide behind a lack of relevant experience and good work when you need to build out an entire process, explain it, and dive into the depths of how you approached it.

The other reason why it's an effective hiring process is that when you're just talking and interviewing people, one of two things usually occurs.

First, people oversell their skills or oversell their contributions to specific projects. Giving someone a practical example in a project is a great way to weed out the overselling.

Second, on the flip side, sometimes you meet people who do not interview well and who are not great at presenting but may do incredible work and be great teammates.

Depending on the role, if the technical skills and the work are more important, finding out what skills they have and what they can do well is significantly more effective than trying to get a proxy for whether you like them and whether you think they'd be a strong hire through an interview alone.

Now, I recommend combining the project with the traditional interview process so that you get to know the person better, see if they're a good fit for the company, and help them understand what their potential role will be.

Adding the project helps you answer the question, “Can they do this job effectively?” In the end, that may be what matters most.

Emphasize Character Over Experience

We really focus on finding individuals who align with our company values and have the potential to thrive in a customer-focused environment.

One of the most successful hiring practices we’ve implemented is our emphasis on character over experience. While technical skills are important, we’ve learned that hiring individuals with strong work ethics, a positive attitude, and a willingness to learn often leads to the best long-term outcomes. This approach has allowed us to build a team that is not only skilled but also deeply committed to providing excellent service.

For example, a few years ago, we faced a challenge with high turnover and difficulty finding the right talent. We decided to shift our focus and start hiring based on character traits such as reliability, integrity, and enthusiasm. This change led us to bring on board a few individuals who, although they had limited experience in HVAC, demonstrated a strong desire to grow and contribute to our team.

One of our new hires came to us with a background in customer service but no formal HVAC training. We provided her with comprehensive on-the-job training and mentorship from our experienced technicians. Her positive attitude and quick learning ability made her an invaluable asset to our team. Within a year, she became one of our top technicians, praised by both customers and colleagues for her professionalism and expertise.

Ensure Goal Alignment for Both Parties

I have helped hire over a thousand employees. The first approach I take is to ensure that the individual we are looking to recruit has the same vision and objectives in life as the business. For example, when working with a marketing agency, I make sure to collect the future vision of the founder and ensure that it aligns with that of the new recruit. If the founder's vision is to have only five employees working from home and the potential hire wants to be a part of a constantly growing and improving company, we will have a misalignment that will only hurt both parties in the future.