Use This Time to Rethink How You Approach Your Business to Attract the Right Employees.
These are still tough times for businesses. Even though restrictions are loosening from the pandemic and businesses are now more fully open for business, getting the right people to come back and work in your business can be tough right now.
Many people took this down time to reassess their job, the stress of their job, and what they want to be doing moving forward beyond just “earning a paycheck”. This is a great time to also re-assess as a business owner; how you want to structure your business, what motivates or dictates your decision making, and what culture you want to provide for your employees.
Many people in general, and millennials in particular, want to work for a company with integrity and purpose. They know they have talents and they want to be in an environment where they can use them. That means owners who operate from values and have a strong and clear purpose and mission are more likely to attract these workers.
This is a great time to move past the mindset of “I provide jobs”, to asking yourself, how do I create the right environment that attracts people here? How do I reconnect with all the reasons I started my business in the first place? Once you find or regain your life’s purpose and mission that your business exists for, then you can create ways to articulate that in any interview with potentially good candidates for hire.
In general here are a few more things to consider and pay attention to.
1. Change how you interview. Ask more questions that help you learn more about the person you are interviewing. What do they get excited about? What is their personal mission or purpose in their life and work? How do they see working for your business or company could help them accomplish those goals?
2. Create Events that can help potential candidates see and experience first hand what your business is about. By inviting people that could be interested in working for you, you provide a hands on experiential event that allows them to see your mission coming alive.
3. Introduce prospective candidates to those workers who are excited about your Mission and Purpose. Who do you currently have on staff that loves working for you?
Ensure early on in the process that a candidate for hire gets to meet and talk with them.
4. Ensure you are talking about your Mission and Purpose in Social Media. As you are interviewing candidates, it is likely that they are scoping you out too. Be sure your messaging on social media is clear, concise and consistent. Let people know how you are serving your customers or clients.
5. Ask your current happy staff for referrals. Reach out, especially to engaged employees, to ask who else they might know that would be the right fit for your organization. If they enjoy working for you, they will be happy to enquire if anyone in their circle is actively looking and wants a great company and boss to work for. Can’t find a content engaged employee? You have some work to do to turn that around.
This is not a time to do business as usual. What worked 12 or 24 months ago will likely not work now. This is a different employee climate than what was. It is also filled with opportunity!
With the challenges of finding the right staff, come opportunities to grow, gain clarity and find the right people that can help your business thrive.
Want to connect to continue this conversation? Meet us in the Business Forum on the Live Well Kitsap site.