Unconventional Ways to Find Employees

Every company on planet earth is looking for employees right now. And every blogger on earth advises you to increase wages to attract them. That can work, but here are a few unconventional, and potentially more affordable, ways to find quality employees in a competitive job market:

Promote From Within

I'm sure you've already considered this but perhaps it's time to reconsider: the best available candidate for your opening might already work for you. Hiring from within means you'll have another job to fill, true, but it's usually easier to fill a low level position than a higher one. Plus, promoting from within is quicker, has lower hiring & training costs, and is a great way to boost team morale. This last point is especially important today because low morale can easily result in job openings, and you certainly don't want to go backwards.

Think Like a Job Hunter

Close your eyes and imagine your ideal employee. Where is this person right now and how can you get their attention? What do they want besides money? Authority, flexibility, prestige, perks, something else? The answers will vary, but I believe the thought process of putting yourself in the candidates shoes will help any employer focus their search and improve the chances of finding a quality candidate.

Be Social

Social media is a great tool for finding employees because it's relatively easy, affordable, and has great reach. But you already know that, or should, so I want to address being real-world social. You know, the old-fashioned way.

In our technology driven society we spend less and less time with other people. As a result, we know fewer people and less about them. The same is true in reverse - fewer people know us and know less about us. This is bad for life and bad for business. Thankfully the fix is easy. Talk to strangers. Say hi to people. Get involved in your community. Volunteer. Attend local events. Smile. The rest will happen naturally. Obviously this is no quick fix but it does pay off in the long run, and it's fun!

Incentive Pay

Offering more money is probably the fastest way to fill a position but it's simply unaffordable for many companies, especially small ones. If you're stuck with no other options, perhaps you can offer employees more money in a way that benefits you both.

Incentive pay arrangements can take on many forms: bonuses, profit sharing, commissions, and so on but the overall concept is the same: employee compensation is tied to employee/department/company profitability. At least it should be! Doing so has many benefits compared to a blanket raise but they all boil down to one concept: productivity. People respond to incentives so the trick is making sure you're incentivizing the proper activities. For example, a profit sharing plan should be based on profits, not revenue. Sounds simple, but you'd be surprised how many businesses get this wrong.

Conclusion

The 2021 job market was great for employees but not-so-great for employers. 2022 might be worse. If your traditional methods of hiring aren't working, maybe one of these ideas will help you think outside the box.