Are you interested in learning how to hire employees who will work for your company? Are you having challenges hiring employees for your business? Do you want to have access to a wider pool of workers that others may have overlooked? If so, this article is for you.
A recent survey shows that filling jobs is a major challenge for small-business owners. Problems identified in the survey include a longer hiring cycle, a loss of productivity and hired employees not meeting expectations for the position. As the survey indicates, the increasing war for talent makes it challenging for small-business owners to find and hire the best employees for their business. They work hard to find the right person, but often fall short of hiring good employees.
Conventional wisdom has small-business owners looking for applicants through employment agencies, internet job banks, executive search firms, job fairs and/or internal referrals. These are all valuable, traditional avenues for sourcing applicants, but you may be focused on a narrow niche of the market by using them. There are many other non-traditional ways to find candidates and hire employees. If you're struggling to snatch talented people to join your team, broaden your view and reach out to a wider pool of people to hire employees for your business. Think about hiring good employees who may be overlooked.
Where are these potential employees? They're hiding in plain view—here's how to hire employees from four less conventional sources.
Veterans
The latest report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that the unemployment rate among veterans is at 4.5 percent. That's approximately 500,000 veterans looking for employment. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation runs the Hiring Our Heroes program, a nationwide initiative to help veterans and military spouses find employment opportunities. They have hiring fairs all across the United States. You can also register as a military-friendly employer at the virtual hiring fair. If you're in Canada, you can make opportunities available to Canadian veterans through Veteran Affairs Canada.
Veterans may have ingrained teamwork skills and training in leadership. They may be adept at working under pressure and handling hard work. They're trained to respect structure and procedure. If you're looking for solutions on how to hire employees for your business, hiring a veteran may be a smart move.
Seniors
The Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that by 2022, approximately 26 percent of the workforce will consist of those 55 years and older. Older workers may offer a myriad of advantages to employers. They may have hands-on experience and many skills garnered from being in the workforce for years. They may bring a mature attitude and workplace wisdom to the table. In some cases, hired seniors could possibly act as role models and mentors for younger workers.
If many of your customers are over 55 years of age, hiring mature workers to serve this clientele may improve your customer service. Seniors may also be dependable and less likely to quit and look for greener pastures because they're no longer motivated to grow their careers. Grey hair can be good for business.
There are many organizations that help employers find mature job seekers. One example is the National Older Worker Career Center, a nonprofit organization set up to connect older candidates with employers looking to hire experienced job seekers.
The Disabled
Perhaps one of the most untapped sources of skilled workers are those who are disabled. You may benefit from a wider pool of talent and skills by looking for qualified candidates among the disabled population and hiring them. Research shows that, as recently as 2014, there were roughly one million non-institutionalized people with a disability actively looking for work. Putting labels aside and focusing on the people's abilities rather than disabilities can open up doors to highly skilled individuals who are eager to work. Disabled employees may also have more insight on how to serve customers who have disabilities.
A study from DePaul University also shows that people with disabilities in the hospitality and retail sector were on the job longer than those without disabilities, which may reduce your turnover costs. You may be able to benefit from tax incentives for hiring from this group as well.
There are many nonprofit organizations where an employer can source job applicants with disabilities. The United States Department of Labor lists a variety of avenues for recruiting qualified candidates with disabilities. There's even a LinkedIn group for professionals with disabilities. So, in searching for answers on how to hire employees, consider that you may be missing out on potentially great hires if you're not drawing from this pool.
The Homeless
A report from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) estimates that more than 500,000 people were without a roof over their heads "on a given night" in January 2015. There are many factors that have thrust these unfortunate people to live on the street. In some cases, job loss and resultant foreclosures are some of the causes. Other causes reported are a lack of affordable housing.
Are you interested in hiring people who are in transitory homeless situations and looking for work to resume their normal lives? If so, there's a myriad of organizations you can contact. The Thrive Program and the Job Training program run by The Coalition for the Homeless are just two examples of programs set up to help the homeless get employed.
It's important to point out that hiring employees from these four groups is not a charity initiative. It's a nice thing to do, but it may also be a smart business move. In addition to saving costs, these less conventional sources may also give an employer access to a greater pool of talent and may be good for the individuals hired. Doing well by doing good may just be a winning strategy.
How are you approaching the challenge of how to hire employees?
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