Of course, to use them correctly you do need to know what you’re doing and what those strengths are. Only then can you make sure that you’re appealing to people to work for, as you can use your positives to counter your negatives.
For that reason, today we’re going to explore your possibilities and how to use them to best effect. You ready? Let’s do it!
Know what you need
Because you have limited funds and only have the ability to have a small team, it’s vitally important that you actually hire people specifically to fill the needs that you have. So the very first thing that you have to figure out is what those needs are.
The best way to accomplish this is to sit down with the people that you’ve already got and find out where you and they feel that the company is coming up short. Once you’ve got a list of skills that you’re looking for, you can then start looking for people to fill as many of those needs at the same time. In this way, people will be able to have a broader set of skills and responsibilities than they otherwise might in a bigger company.
Freelancers are good go-between
If you’ve got some set of skills that you only need occasionally, it might be best to not actually hire somebody full-time to fill those. Instead, bring in freelancers to provide academic help occasionally. In this way, you only pay them when you need them. Besides, freelancing is huge right now with the ever-growing gig economy.
Then, if find that the task is growing and you’re starting to rely on freelancers a lot for a certain job or responsibility, you can always bring in somebody full time to fill that requirement. Heck, you could even bring in one of the freelancers, as you often know exactly what they’re capable of and whether they will fit well within your team.
It’s about culture, not qualifications
The most important thing that a small business can have is a great work environment. If everybody enjoys coming in to work and there is a real feeling of friendship in the team, then everybody will help everybody else excel.
If, on the other hand, people don’t like each other and there’s a seriously negative atmosphere in your business, then not only are people not going to put in the effort that they need to, they’re also going to quit far more quickly, and as you know that’s seriously expensive.
It doesn’t end there, either. Having a great atmosphere of people who have each other’s back in the place you work can be hugely appealing to people coming in to see if they want to work with you. Yes, extra money is nice, but if you feel like you always have to watch your back in order to get that bit of extra dough, then that’s not that appealing to most people. Instead, they’d much rather work in a place where they feel welcomed and like they’re part of a family.
Being small is a big deal
When you approach people to work for your company, don’t make excuses for being a small company. Instead, to exactly the opposite and celebrate it. After all, many people prefer to work in places where they can know everybody by name and where they feel that when they’ve got an idea they don’t have to push it up the chain of command but can walk straight into the boss’s office and see if it’s interesting there.
So, if people want to make an actual difference and punch far above their weight, that’s something they’re going to find much easier to do in a small business than in a big company. So use that to draw in the talent.
Engage and Motivate
Don’t stop there, either. There is another great advantage to being small and that is that you can get involved with your staff and really know what they’re up to. That means that you can take a far more hands-on approach and really steer them in the right direction.
Now, don’t take that to mean that you can micromanage. Micromanaging is a great way to demotivate your staff. So don’t do that. Instead, aim at giving them the freedom they need, even while offering them the guidance so that they can best fit into the company that you’re running.
Chances are, they’ll appreciate the attention and the guidance that you’re offering, while you’ll have a much better idea where they excel and where they might need some pointers. In this way, it will be much easier to use their strengths to best benefit your company, while you find ways to help them overcome their weaknesses.
Don’t be afraid of new-media
A lot of people find the jobs they’re looking for through social media. Others will look up your company online to see what people have to say about it. Therefore, it’s important that you create a good impression there.
For example, if your company has a blog and a social media account, don’t just use those to sell your merchandise, but also use them to talk about the atmosphere within your company and to give your employees a real chance to express themselves and what they do. It might even be possible to position somebody within your company as an expert in their field, which they will appreciate and will make your company look like a thought leader.
That can be incredibly helpful, as employees appreciate a chance to show off their skills and their abilities, while it also gives a human touch to your company even as you boost your own websites ratings. In this way, future employees will see what your company is about and what opportunities it offers to employees to grow and demonstrate their skills. This, if they’re in any way ambitious, will make them see your company far more favorably and allow you to interest people who otherwise might not give your company a second glance.
Last words
You’d be surprised how many people are interested in working in a small business that is well positioned and capable of responding quickly and effectively to the market around them. For that reason, don’t see your small business as a handicap, but instead, see it as one of the biggest reasons that people might want to join your firm.
Once you begin seeing your small business in that light, you’ll be able to position yourself well and attract talent and people that you might have thought beyond the scope. And when that starts to happen, your company is really going to go for the stars.
