Why small businesses should always be hiringeven when they dont think they need to

Why small businesses should always be hiringeven when they dont think they need toWhy small businesses should always be hiring- even when they dont think they need toWhy small businesses should always be hiring- even when they dont think they need toSmall businesses cant afford to be caught off guard with a hiring gap or shortage. The smaller a business is, the bigger the impact when you dont have someone to do key tasks.This is particularly true in industries that are binnenseeing talent shortages, such as manufacturing and even financial and business services,according to Korn Ferry. For businesses that need skilled workers, an open sttte can mean a weeks- or even months-long vacancy while a company locates and screens candidates.What happens is that if they have turnover, or if they want to expand, they find themselves scrambling to figure out how to hire talent, says Jill Johns, who runs a professional service provider consulting business outside of Savannah, GA. What they end up doing is grabbing whomever seems to fit on the surface, but they dont really have a strategy.For that kind of business, always-on hiring can help in several ways.Why its helpful to be always-on hiringYou wont be forced to make poor hiring decisionsIn a pinch, if you need a worker and you cant find a great one, you may end up plugging the spot with someone mediocre or- worse- problematic. This happened to a client of Johns, when one of their skilled technicians left with no notice. She was just, overnight, gone, Johns says. It took three rounds of interviewing, screening, hiring and firing to finally be able to find a qualified candidate to fill her shoes. And each one of those is time and money.You can be uber responsiveIf your product or service is a function of people doing something, having a backup stack of people who can step in is crucial to your ability to perform. You absolutely have to have a bench for every time you scale and to not disrupt your delivery cycle or whatever it is that your people do for you, says Antara Dutta, a SCORE mentor in Delaware and founder of healthcare startup Ayuvia Galaxy. If someone quits or is sick or unavailable, you wont be in a tight spot to find hands.You might find someone you needIf youre only placing help wanted ads when you have vacancies, you could miss out on that candidate whos exactly what you want- but theyre not actively looking when youre actively seeking. If youre accepting resumes all the time, youll be able to find the great people and flag them for the time when you really need them.You might find someone you never knew you wantedAs a small business, you might not realize you need a person that does X and Y- until you meet them. Then you might find yourself creating a position to accommodate them. You never know whos going to come across your desk, says Johns, who is also a mentee of SCORE. Small businesses in particular are extremely agile, and they can shift and change depending on whats available to them.How to make it work for youUse subscription-based job postingsPutting your postings on a subscription service, likeMonsters flexible job ad options, allow you to be an always-hiring employer, with ads that attract qualified candidates during all hiring cycles. These solutions can be flexible and reasonably priced, allowing you to turn your attention to other aspects of your business.Do whatever takes the longest- in advanceIf you have a process that requires candidates to be vetted before they can be hired, do it before you need to hire them. Lets say a position requires some kind of background check, Dutta says. I would probably have them not only interviewed but also security background check cleared. Its like pre-cooking a meal- how much can a chef do ahead of time?Find flexible candidatesIf youre constantly interviewing so youll have a bench full of talent, but you arent equipped to hire people right away, youll need to look for candidates who are content to work on your t imeline. Where I see it works is where there are a lot of independent contractors or mothers re-entering the workforce, Dutta says. Thats where youd find people who are flexible on timing and starting.Attend job eventsEven when you arent looking for hires, take advantage of local job fairs to meet people and take resumes. This is particularly true if youre near any colleges or universities, because youll have access to a fresh and enthusiastic talent pool.