SMBs: Best practices to access your personal network for new hires
Kristina: There is an old adage that people should never mix business with personal – you disagree somewhat. Why?
John Swanciger, CEO, Manta: There is immense potential in tapping into personal connections. Think about it — you have more insight into a friend or family member’s personality, work style, and strengths than a random “job candidate.” Hiring an individual who embraces your business culture may make the transition easier.
It may be viewed as taboo to mix business with personal, but if handled properly, it provides a wider (and highly vetted) talent pool to pull from. That being said, there should be guidelines in place to help differentiate between suggesting a qualified candidate and helping out a friend in need of a job. As long as both parties understand that business comes first, this old adage can be proven wrong.
Kristina: How can SMB owners better access their personal networks for their business?
John: There are several tools small business owners can use to find and reach out to personal contacts. The obvious example is social media. Sharing job postings to your own personal LinkedIn account will reach many of your business connections. Going one step further, posting and networking on LinkedIn allows you to message contacts, that are qualified, directly informing them of the new opportunity. But small business owners shouldn’t overlook meeting in-person at networking events. Whether at a Chamber of Commerce outing or professional group happy hour, bringing up opportunities in conversation never hurts.
Kristina: What are your 4 best practices for SMBs in looking at their social networks to make hires?
John: Build relationships. Constant outreach will provide you with a pipeline of candidates when it comes time to hire. Keeping in touch with qualified individuals who you already know are interested in the company will make filling positions much less time consuming.
Be honest. Attempting to draw in candidates by misrepresenting your company will serve to benefit neither the employee nor your business. Explain the position and company culture as accurately as possible to ensure the right fit.
Pay attention. Knowing which soft recruiting tactics are successful can save you a great deal of time. Certain phrases or keywords may garner the attention of better candidates or one specific platform could generate more responses. Using this information to better structure your job postings and outreach will only help in the long run.
What you see is what you get. Candidates with a strong presence on LinkedIn can indicate a potential applicant who is actively looking for a new position. When searching for potential contenders on LinkedIn, don’t dwell on those that haven’t filled out their work history or basic information. Trust that you will find another worthy candidate who is enthusiastically seeking a new position.
