3 Talent Acquisition Strategies Small Business Owners Can Apply Today
In today’s job market, companies adopt various strategies to acquire experienced, talented workers. Large corporations often offer better salaries, benefits, and perks, presenting a challenge for small businesses in sourcing and attracting qualified people.
If you want to maintain a reliable and well-qualified workforce, the recruitment process is not simply filling open vacancies anymore. A long-term plan should be finding and applying the right talent acquisition strategies for your small business.
What is talent acquisition?
Talent acquisition is the process of acquiring people for a business. It includes many aspects: planning, branding, recruitment, relationship building, hiring, onboarding, analysis, and more.
The difference between talent acquisition and recruitment
Recruitment focuses more on filling vacancies. Once the positions are filled, the process is completed.
Talent acquisition is an ongoing and long-term process in which HRs and employers actively search for candidates who possess specific skills or potential for the positions; then screen, select, hire, onboard, and follow up with them.
That means if a job-seeker is not available at the moment or if they don’t have the right qualifications/skillsets, yet they have the potential for the position, they still have the opportunity to work for a business now or in the future.
Why small businesses need talent acquisition strategies
While recruitment solves staff shortage quickly, business owners may find candidates don’t match the positions or the company. Then the recruitment process may have to restart, which is costly and time-consuming.
Talent acquisition helps small businesses maintain a sustainable pool of candidates, enhance a more reputable brand image, and build good relationships with job-seekers. All these aspects can factor in building a more reliable and consistent workforce.
3 talent acquisition strategies you can apply today
Build and strengthen your company image
To attract talented candidates, you have to make sure they know about you with a positive impression.
To do that, you will need a professional and positive image. You can:
- Create that positive impression wherever you are, from your business website and job posting sites to your social channels and interaction with your audience.
- Make sure your business information and what you present to your audience are accurate and reliable.
- Ask your current employees to share stories and thoughts about your business on their social channels. You can also put those stories on your business website or hiring profile.
Craft appealing job descriptions
Not everyone loves working in large corporations. There are certain benefits of working in a small team and some people will appreciate those benefits.
Whether it’s getting to know each other on a much more personal level or working like a family striving for the same goals, make sure to provide and list those benefits in job descriptions to attract like-minded people.
Build a candidate pool gradually
Business owners can gradually build a pool of quality candidates if they can’t invest a considerable amount of time in recruitment. You can carve out a few hours every week to search for and reach out to talents in the industry.
Most candidates are using social networks such as Facebook or LinkedIn to find opportunities. Don’t forget to search in community forums, seminars, networking events to find bright candidates.
Once established contacts with potential candidates, you need to maintain and strengthen those relationships. Support them when they share something, congratulate them on new achievements, or celebrate their important days on LinkedIn.
Facilitate a seamless hiring and onboarding experience
Talent acquisition not only includes sourcing and attracting candidates, but also hiring and onboarding.
Nothing can destroy a new hire’s experience quicker than a bad onboarding process. You should create a well-prepared onboarding plan to help new employees transition to the position and company.
To assess if the onboarding process is good enough, you can send out surveys or ask for feedback from current employees.
Start applying talent acquisition strategies today
While traditional recruitment helps solve the shortage of personnel quickly, talent acquisition strategies can go a long way in finding the best people for your small business. Not only can you build a better workforce, but you also strengthen your company image during the whole process.
Related: 6 Hiring Methods for Small Businesses You Should Check Out
