Companies live and die on the quality of their new hires. That's why so many companies fine-tune their recruiting and hiring strategies. If you have a small business, it's even more important that your company finds the right employee the first time.

Why Is Recruitment a Challenge for Small Businesses?

Smaller businesses need to search for more specific skill sets, and personality is just as important as technical know-how. But, smaller businesses have less exposure, are less sought after, and often can't afford premium recruitment tools. This makes it hard to find a "good enough" fit, let alone a great fit. If your current hiring and recruiting practices aren't getting results, change them before you hire the wrong person. Try any (or all) of these strategies.

Hire Someone With Talent-Management Experience

When your business is small, setting up the foundation for an internal HR team might be the last thing on your to-do list. But if your company is expanding, start the right way. Talent management is just as complex as IT management. You need someone who knows recruiters, knows the right hiring systems, and can find qualified applicants.

If you're not going to hire an external recruiting service, then hiring an HR expert should definitely be a priority. Small but expanding companies need to keep track of benefits, employment laws, and fair hiring practices. Someone with talent-management and HR experience can help build a standardized hiring process that keeps your company safe from liability and discrimination lawsuits later.

Use a Tracking System That's Customized for Small Businesses

There's a SaaS platform to handle every business administration task you can think of. Small and medium-sized businesses are continuing to focus on specialization. This is facilitated by a strong trend toward outsourcing administrative tasks such as accounting and social media marketing. 

When tasks aren't outsourced, they're simplified through a subscription-based portal that helps even novices track complex systems. Find an Applicant Tracking System with smart features that can recommend courses of action or help pinpoint likely candidates that you might have overlooked. Talent-management systems can also help you measure employee performance and look for internal hires.

Drill Down on the Specific Qualities You Need

Unfortunately, the star employee you have in mind might be out of your company's budget. Instead of imagining a candidate with every quality you want, focus on the qualities you need. If you need someone with JavaScript experience, they might not be leadership material. If you need a self-starter that's hungry to learn key skills, they might be a college graduate without much experience. While it's important to not settle, it's just as important to flesh out the role and the exact qualifications you need. Being specific also helps your team set their expectations so no one wastes time looking for the perfect imaginary applicant.

Competing with other businesses for good employees is tough. But standardizing your process with an experienced manager, a system, and specific goals will streamline the process. When you can hire faster and consistently find great workers, applicants can find you more easily.