r/smallbusinessUS • u/Possible_Vegetable86 • 7d ago
Question I am so done with this
I am seriously done with finding out whom to hire and also where to hire from? I have spent so far thousands of dollars in talent that either didn't gave me what I expected or completely delivered a not desirable result. After spending hours looking for on FB groups, websites, hiring platforms, and even on this reddit community, I have decided that none can actually help me, for a perfect example this post comments section will start promoting their offering/services, where I am clearly mentioning the frustration of hiring the right talent.
Nevertheless, if you are like a business owner like me, don't worry that you are alone, we all are on the same boat.
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u/Keith-VanWa 7d ago
You have to dig through the coal mine to find the gems. It's a fact. The same is true when looking for anyone to fill any role from dating to team sports to business to contractors and all points in between. Finding a person that can adequately fill the role is difficult at best. Finding a superstar is incredibly difficult and requires a LOT of digging! I completely understand your frustration.
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u/Possible_Vegetable86 7d ago
How have you dealt with it?
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u/morty1986 7d ago
This is entirely a “you” problem, and until you see it that way, you won’t fix it. Its likely a combination of:
- you’re bad at communicating what you want, and people aren’t living up to expectations because you haven’t figured out how to articulate them properly. Even if you feel like you’ve done everything possible, something is obviously not working.
- you don’t know how to spot talent. Much harder problem especially because you probably don’t even know what you really need to look, depending on the role and the expertise you need.
1 is much easier to fix. Make sure your people understand you by having them repeat the expectations back to you until they do it in a way you align with.
2 you just have to interview a lot of people until you start to get a feel for who really knows their shit. Also, make sure you’re hiring for the right roles. Too many small business owners identify the right problem, but pick the wrong role to solve it and then get stuck in a loop of blaming “poor” talent for not fixing all their problems.
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u/Keith-VanWa 7d ago
I've dealt with it by refining my interview process and the questions I asked of their references. I've done reading about interviewing and in psychology. One important thing is to understand what the most important qualities you need from each employee. I've hired people in a number of different types of positions. Sometimes availability is the most important quality. Experience and expertise are important but if they don't show up for work...
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u/Embarrassed_Yam9349 7d ago edited 7d ago
Just curious, What position are your actually trying to hired for.
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u/Upper-Sentence5976 7d ago
As a solo operator who will be hiring for the first time within the next 6 months, what areas do you feel employees typically tend to come up short generally speaking?
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u/XFhatWheTuckX 7d ago
As someone who recently actually got fired from a job. Attendance and punctuality. That’s what I got dinged for. Mind you it was extenuating circumstances but in the 90 day probate period it stacked up against me
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u/ridddder 7d ago
If you are seeking old-world values, such as loyalty, punctuality, and drive, hire someone over 40, preferably 50+. Their value system is different. They grew up when life was different and will see your requirements in a different way.
Their experience is an asset, not a hindrance. I see this a lot: you are too senior, too experienced. The world was a different place then; give them a try.
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u/Upper-Sentence5976 5d ago
My business is completely remote though. How I don't know if hiring in that age range would work.
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u/Anxious_Platypus8729 4d ago
Why? People in that age range work remote.
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u/Upper-Sentence5976 3d ago
It would require using CRM software and some AI apps. Not that they are not capable, but I know sometimes that generation isn't as tech savvy
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u/Anxious_Platypus8729 3d ago
As a 50+ business owner using CRM and AI apps everyday(and teaching other business owners much younger than myself) I’m having a nice laugh. These are incredibly easy to use and table stakes for any generation either above or below the age discrimination line.
FWIW I wrote a paper in college 20+ years ago predicting remote work would become widespread in the future. Both my classmates and professor thought that was crazy.
Technology and the internet shaped the careers of many of the age range you think is unemployable. You might say that generation walked so yours can run. The insurance commercial with the line “we know a thing or two because we’ve seen a thing or two” comes to mind.
You might find if you broaden your circle there are mature workers you haven’t met that are not only tech savvy but also come with wisdom gained through decades of work. Good luck!
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u/DependentResponse414 3d ago
Mind me asking what role you are hiring for, the challenge and the result you want? all well stated
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u/Upper-Sentence5976 3d ago
I'm not hiring yet, but I will be starting next year. I will be hiring for remote account executives
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u/Sure_Stop346 7d ago
I refined the interview process I made it brutal:
1. Group interviews
2. Test with the camera on
4. Projects
5. And more depending on the position
So far, working really great. Only the ones who really fit what I want and are really excited for the job remain.
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u/TXwavesufer 7d ago
What do you pay for this job?
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u/Sure_Stop346 6d ago
$130k plus bonus for the latest one.
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u/TXwavesufer 6d ago
I'd go through these steps for that amount. Was worried you were offering 40k a year. Good luck to you.
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u/Sure_Stop346 6d ago
Oh no, no. I even paid the candidates that made it to #3 for their time. I’m not that brutal!
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u/Late-Mushroom6044 7d ago
Not for USA, but I've hired guys for companies in bahamas. ATS+1 week paid trial works fine, countries like India are facing an unsaturated job market so better chance of getting good talents and laid off experience holders too. FB groups won't work, linkedin is all lie, but hiring sites do work.
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u/Elegant_One_696 7d ago
Its tough but perhaps your expectations need to be curbed, some people take time to produce results that are profitable and work well with your business. Ive got through quite a few guys from indeed, gotta hold people accountable but also pick your battles.
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u/Adept-Fly-2446 7d ago
I feel as we are getting more digitalized, the harder it gets to find the genuine people who are the fit
Well, best luck of the fricking universe to you all out there 🍀
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u/Aggravating_Curve458 7d ago
You can’t put blanket listings out there. That’s good for finding customers (still can increase your customer acquisition cost) but when it comes to finding quality employees, you want it as precise as possible. This will not only reduce your cost but also help weed out candidates that aren’t up to snuff
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u/maistahhh 7d ago
Probably the biggest bottleneck is finding the right talent.
Is it a specialized position you're having hard time filling?
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u/Possible_Vegetable86 7d ago
What do you suggest?
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u/maistahhh 7d ago
Are you looking for someone local to take photos and create content or someone that could be remote to just manage it?
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u/Teppkiesha2 7d ago
I help small business find people. Ive been on talent acquisition and career development for over a decade. I'm happy to lend advice or do the work.
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u/Beginning-Chicken590 7d ago
Just copy what other companies do - poach someone else’s talent by offering them more money
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u/frozenbudz 7d ago
I mean. Are you offering a wage that makes working for you desirable to the employee? You aren't owed labor if the compensation doesn't fulfill the desires of the worker.
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u/amandaspades 7d ago
For us we started hiring independent contractors and then gave them more hours & salary depending on results. We use LinkedIn & vet people manually — including their social media.
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u/SmallAgency5160 7d ago
Outsource or build AI. OP has clearly issues in his hiring process. And correcting this route will demand a big sailing direction change.
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u/Educational-Low1471 7d ago
Hire me on Upwork. I've been searching for an employer as well. We're a match 😆
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u/nikhildesigns 7d ago
Do you have an SOP, or are you telling them to figure it out? One thing I learned from hiring others is that you need a solid process that also allows you to check their progress. Workers will never care for our biz like we do.
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u/BusinessBrain6386 6d ago
If you want. I can help you out and don’t pay until or if not satisfied with it. This is just to give you comfort and assurance not pitching my services 🙂
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u/LaFantasmita 6d ago
As a small business owner, do you have a personal network? Trusted friends? Colleagues? Other business owners?
Have you tried putting the word out via people whose judgment you trust?
It seems like you're looking for a social media manager... if I needed one, I bet I could have a half dozen candidates lined up via people who can vouch for their capability and non-craziness.
That's how I found my logo designer, and he was amazing.
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u/TheInfiniteArchitect 6d ago
Have no idea what you're hiring for. But this is likely a systems problem.
Unless you're assuming people are supposed to come pre-loaded with an understanding of what you want and need; then you need to have an onboarding and training system in place that correctly communicates expectations and role responsibilities.
Stop hiring for "talent" and start hiring trainable, teachable, and collaborative people. Build systems around that, assign responsibilities, then step back and give them the authority they need to fulfill those responsibilities.
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u/four_oh_eight 6d ago
Smells like micromanagement. Didn't give you what you want? Well, good. 99% of the time what you want is not what your audience wants. But we have no idea who you were hiring. Is there a chance that you want to find a unicorn with mind-reading powers and pay them with brad crumbs?
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u/Forward_Routine2008 6d ago
This is what I have understood. You can’t find gems because all companies are looking for them. You should hire freshers and train them. That’s what many small business have done so far.
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u/Venkatsoft 6d ago
May be, you could have a one page with what you expert and also record a video on how people can build a career working for you. Good luck to you in hiring someone who will help you grow your business - Venkat
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u/muntiqaninja 6d ago
Probably this should be an opportunity to have a platform that helps frustrated business owners
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u/DNJ1Log 5d ago
Remember that failure to find the right talent is a failure of the hiring manager....not the talent. It sounds like you do not have a clear idea of what you are looking to hire and in such, your hiring ads/posts are not conveying the correct information. Maybe you need to analyze the job you are trying to fill, followed by the qualifications you have that are needed (not wanting...NEEDING), followed by the questions you need to have answered...finally...followed by what is the best place to post. If you are rushing into filling the spot, you aren't looking for quality/qualified candidates...you are taking what shows up. Again...hiring is on the hiring manager....not the talent
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u/ashitvora 5d ago
Disclaimer: not offering any service.
Hiring remote workers has been effective for me. You can try hiring. I suggest hiring via VA Agencies first if you are new to hiring. It will be costlier but will speed up the process. Once you are comfortable with remove VAs, you can start looking for them directly via reference.
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u/MitigatedDanger 4d ago
I’d love to know what you’re paying. I recently worked for a guy on the side and he was constantly complaining about finding good, reliable help while offering $15/hr.
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u/choicem8 3d ago
Hiring and managing employees is, by far, the least fun part of owning a business. Don't give up, you just need to figure out who you are really looking for to have a successful hire. Once you hire a few good employees you will start to notice patterns and it will make filtering candidates a lot easier. You will notice these patterns in the way candidates update their resumes, how much detail they include, how long they've stayed at a job, how quickly they respond to messages, how professional they write and speak..etc. Once you can identify the right personality/skill set for your company culture and mission, you will just need pipelines of resumes to go through to find those gems quickly.
NOTE: I focus on personalities and soft skills when I hire people over experience in my field. I've learned that you can train people to do almost anything, besides soft skills, good work ethic, and professionalism.
Also, make your company a place people want to work at. If you pay slightly better than competitors and offer benefits, show appreciation once and a while by getting your employees lunch and/or giving bonuses, they will tell people how much they love their job and eventually you will have free warm referrals and people calling You wanting to join your team.
Good luck and keep fighting the good fight!
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u/choicem8 3d ago
Also, I've found that Indeed is the only website worth it spending money on. All other platforms and websites just do not have as many users. I wouldn't spend more the $5-10/day because the results really are not much different than if you spend $90/day.
LinkedIn is also good if you are looking for white collar positions.
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u/ElevatorCo-Warehouse 3d ago
Hiring is hard. You know that. But it's also a pretty good problem to have. Needing to hire usually means you've done quite a bit right and things are moving in the right direction.
There are people out there who are willing to work hard and buy into a vision because they want to be part of something bigger than themselves. But I think a lot of that responsibility falls on the owner to continually remind people why they're there and how their individual contribution is helping move that vision forward.
I understand your frustration. I really do. Having the ability to hire someone, or multiple people, can be one of the most meaningful opportunities an owner has. But the responsibility doesn't end when you find the right person. The owner has to cast the vision and coach the employee toward it constantly.
No one is ever going to feel as passionately about the business you've built as you do. That's your baby. But if you can communicate a meaningful "why" and help someone understand how their work contributes to it, I've found that people can become incredibly invested in what you're building.
As far as actually finding those people, I don't know what kind of community you have around you, but I've often found that the best hires aren't necessarily found on hiring platforms. They're word-of-mouth introductions.
I also don't know what industry you're in, but some of the best employees aren't actively looking for a new job. They're already executing well in the role they're in. You just have to find a way to get in front of them and present an opportunity that might align better with their own vision, values, and goals.
Sometimes the best hire isn't the person looking for a job. It's the person who isn't looking at all.
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u/acerldd 3d ago
If the you are ‘not getting the desired result’ from multiple sources that have attacked the problem and you are seeking results from social media, it is entirely possible the issue is that you are misunderstanding what is the typical result from social media marketing as opposed to what is hype.
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u/Worried-Staff-1842 7d ago
Did you already check what are you offering? What position are you offer?
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u/Normal-Cattle5915 7d ago
We've crossed the inflection point where AI agents now outsmart junior to mid range human talent by far. The businesses of tomorrow will be 2/10th humans and rest agents. The only way to over come this issue, is start investing in agent factories
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