How do you find good staff?

For decades, the employment section of the newspaper was traditionally the way job seekers got connected with employers…but that doesn’t work anymore! Job seekers, especially young ones, just don’t bother looking there.

The job-hunting space has been taken over by web-based employment agencies such as Seek and myriad jobs boards in niche industries, colleges and universities. Social media in all its forms also offers opportunities for employers seeking staff. With some exceptions, 21st century technology has seen the demise of newspaper classifieds as the conduit between a job seeker and their next job.

On the upside, internet-based employee hunting is proving a cheaper and more efficient way of finding that ‘ideal’ person.

On the downside, it can mean that employers will receive a large number of applications from people who do not have the required skills or experience. Reducing the deluge of applications to a short list takes a lot of time and resources.

An alternative is the recruitment company. They have extensive databases of ‘good fit’ potential candidates which enables them to provide suitable applicants at short notice. Recruitment agencies can be costly, however, a benefit is the ‘suitability guarantee’ that usually comes with the successful candidate.

Another difficulty for employers, especially in very small businesses (2 to 5 staff), is the many hats that an employee in a small firm needs to wear. The ability to multi-task with reasonable efficiency is not everyone’s idea of a perfect job. Fortunately, there are many individuals who thrive on the stimulation of job variety rather than the fixed, clearly defined job role description that starts ‘here’ and ends ‘there’.

Generally, people who are comfortable multi-tasking and working across different roles, are the diamonds that small business is looking for to provide the necessary flexibility, so essential in small business.