Small Biz: How to Recruit the Best Talent

A dedicated and innovative staff can propel a business to profitability and success, so it’s important that even the smallest firm has the best talent.

The positive news is that now is a good time to be hiring, and the recession is leveling the job recruiter's playing field, according to Glenn Fox, a former vice president of executive recruitment at America Online and a founder of Microsoft’s executive recruiting team.

“Because of recent events in the economy, nothing is certain," says Fox, who recently started Ashburn, Va.-based BusinessElite – a social recruiting platform geared toward executive level positions. "Smaller companies can compete just as aggressively, probably in a way now that they haven’t been able to before.”

Here are some hiring tips to help you find better workers:

1. Use Networking to Recruit
Fox recommends that small firms rely on the network of people associated with the company to reach out to prospective employees. “A small firm is probably not going to have a recruiting department," says Fox. "But the owners or employees will have a circle of professionals who have a vested interest in the success of the firm.”

A business owner should reach out to partners such as its law firm or accounting firm and to friends who work at other companies. “The best candidates often are only one or two degrees separated from the people within the company itself."

Example: CAL Insurance and Associates' most recent hire is a roommate of another employee, according to Scott Hauge, owner of the 30-employee, San Francisco-based outfit.

2. Don't Pretend to be Bigger than You Are
Once a small business executive decides to reach out, it’s a pretty easy process, according to Fox who recommends a “simple, straightforward and honest” e-mail. “Many people are very responsive to non-recruiter e-mail,” he says.

But it’s not always the skill set that makes for the best talent. Smaller firms need to be cautious that a new recruit will fit in.

“If you’re looking at someone who spent their entire career at a large company, make sure that they’ve worked on smaller teams, launched a new product or did something that’s entrepreneurial,” advises Fox.

As Fox points out, it can be a big culture shock when making the migration from a large to small firm. “It’s a whole new story ... they shouldn’t expect all of the trappings that they once had,” he says. “You just can’t go to the supply cabinet and take out a couple of pads of paper.”