Whether you’re selling your services or attracting job candidates, you need to focus on your organization’s positives. Being a smaller, newer company can be an advantage to those seeking a new business partner or employer. You need to acknowledge your limitations but stress the benefits of employment at your firm.
Not everyone wants to work for a large, established company because they have their own downsides. Employees may be pigeon-holed into specific tasks or areas. The opportunities to learn different things and advance may be limited. Job seekers may not just be looking for a salary and benefits, but the chance to make a difference.
In a newer, smaller company, employees may need to take on different roles because you can’t afford for them to hyper-specialize. This may appeal to less experienced candidates because they can learn what they like and do better by doing different things. It will help them better focus their career plans. It can also be attractive to a more established job seeker looking for a change. He or she may have the experience to excel at one task and the desire and potential to do others well.
Ideally, your company is small, new, and growing. A job candidate might appreciate that if the company does well, there could be more and better future opportunities. Instead of trying to climb the corporate ladder and cope with all the office politics that entails, they’re on the “ground floor” of an organization moving up, taking employees with them.
Smart employees and organizations have mentor-mentee relationships. If you’re the owner or CEO, given your experience and knowledge not just in the service you provide, but running a business, offering to mentor employees could be highly attractive to job seekers who understand the value of learning to their careers. But if, because of your lack of resources, you lack the time or energy to mentor others, don’t promise this to job seekers and not follow through. They may quickly leave and you’ll be back to trying to fill open jobs again.
Does your company work as a team? Are all employees, no matter their role, valued and respected? In our society, traditional relationships are breaking down. People are much more mobile than in the past. Families are smaller and members often live far apart. Fewer people belong to organized religions, which can foster a sense of community. If your company provides an opportunity for employees to genuinely feel they belong as part of a team, it may be very attractive to those who would rather not feel like a number at a large employer.
Do you seek, welcome, and (when appropriate) use the suggestions and proposals of employees to improve your service or organization? Someone working at a smaller, “bottom-up not top-down” company whose management is receptive to employee feedback could have much more impact than someone with their “nose to the grindstone” at a bigger company. That potential to have even a little bit of power and the ability to have an impact can be a big selling point.
Whether you run a small company and need help filling job openings or someone open to working for a smaller organization, Skill Connect 360 can help. We can help you attract the right job candidates to help your business grow. If you’re a job candidate, we can help you find the right fit with a company that will value your contribution. Call us today at 212-507-9350 or fill out our contact form so we can start the conversation.
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