Where local small-business owners are actually finding talent | Expert Opinion

Despite a slowing economy and a softening job market, most small-business owners I know are always looking for talent — be it on the shop floor or in the office.

Where can a local manager find that next great employee? Here are a few places to consider.

A popular place to turn to is online job platforms like Indeed, LinkedIn, CareerBuilder, and Monster. Some specific platforms cater to the manufacturing, restaurants, retail, and construction industries.

These platforms tend to attract lots of candidates and include features like searching for both active and passive job seekers, AI-based screening questions, interview scheduling, and dashboards. The cost can range from just a few dollars a day to more than a thousand per month depending on the level of services and reach needed.

These sites perform a screening function, but the job of recruiting is still left up to the employer. A good ad could attract lots of candidates, but not every candidate is qualified or right for the job, so time will be spent sifting through and qualifying responses.

Nile Livingston, who owns Philadelphia graphic design agency Creative Repute, says LinkedIn’s free job posting tier offers “wide reach and strong visibility” but has limitations.

“The free tier limits the number of applicants, which actually helps us stay focused and conduct deeper reviews,” she said. “However, we still find that some applicants just apply to everything.”

Brian Pansari, who owns La Bon Bake Shoppes in Edison, N.J., said he appreciates that these sites have a broader reach, but they can create more work for the company.

“Unfortunately we get a lot of responses that don’t meet the requirements,” he said. “Sometimes job searchers may just randomly apply for jobs in order to meet a quota for unemployment.”

Philadelphia-based LevLane Advertising finds many of its new employees through internship programs and partnerships with local colleges and universities.

“The primary advantages include a mutually beneficial engagement, a low-cost commitment for the business, and the opportunity to assess a candidate’s skills, attitude, and overall fit before making a full-time offer,” said Dan Hall, a senior vice president at LevLane. “The main drawback is that these channels typically support entry-level hiring only.”

Trade school enrollment is up significantly since the pandemic and is expected to increase as much as 7% annually through 2030, according to a Validated Insights report last year.

Many local universities like Temple, Drexel and St. Joseph’s partner with platforms like Handshake and Indeed to provide job boards and other career placement services, both for full-time work and for internships and summer employment.

Companies that succeed with colleges and trade schools generally have a longer-term approach and build relationships with those schools. They fund programs, host on-site visits, and offer employment year after year to build a funnel of interested candidates.

“If the role involves customer service plus sales, I like using the local colleges because those roles require learning how the business works and then gradually learning how to sell,” said Lou Haverty, owner of Tank Retailer in Media. “Recent college graduates tend to be a good match for these positions.”

Numerous studies have found the most popular source of job candidates is referral by existing employees.

Leads can also come from religious institutions such as churches, synagogues, and mosques, where leaders are familiar with their congregations and can be a great source of recommendations.

“Word-of-mouth applicants are usually given a clearer picture of what the job entails, so someone would not refer an applicant if they didn’t think they were a good fit,” said Jim Minadeo, CEO of New Jersey-manufacturer Zero Surge. “The downside is that if I do not hire the person, it can potentially hurt relationships.”

Creative Repute’s Livingston has had success with Instagram posts, because they direct applicants directly to the company’s careers page and are “highly shareable.” She also likes Instagram because it provides insights into a candidate’s personality, passions, and identity.

“For example, if someone applies for a graphic design role but shows no portfolio samples, no creative work, and no visual thinking on their profile, that signals a potential misalignment,” Livingston said.

Creating a good job post is not difficult with today’s technology. Sites like Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook offer a number of tools to help employers affordably promote a post to a specific demographic — those in a certain age range or living in a specific area, or who have shown an interest in something related to a job. Like anything else, this strategy takes time, testing, and patience to figure out what promotions work best.

A good recruiter will take on the duties of searching and qualifying candidates, which is a huge timesaver. Some come with their own networks of resources and many offer trained, part-time workers to fill in needs with the option of converting to full-time employees. The biggest drawback tends to be cost, with employment firms charging fees averaging 20%-40% of a candidate’s first year salary.

“Once you find the right firm you can get great candidates,” said Brett Naylor, owner of Rittenhouse restaurant Wilder. “Both you and the recruiter have a mutual incentive in getting the right person. But it can be costly, and if you don’t put the effort into getting the right fit of recruiters, you may get some poor matches.”