Photo of a busy small business owner at computer focusing on hiring the right employees.

How to hire employees for small business: A small business hiring guide

Everything you need to know about the small business hiring process —from posting your job to onboarding employees who help your company thrive.

1. Make a hiring plan. ↓

2. Post your job. ↓

3. Share your opportunities. ↓

4. Compile your short list. ↓

5. Choose the best candidate. ↓

6. Welcome your new hire. ↓

Step 1

Make a small business hiring plan.

Split-screen illustration of two employees at computers having a conversation across the divide

Calculate how many employees your small business needs. Your team can be leaner if you discover talented applicants with multiple skill sets.

Illustration of employee holding up and studying a calculator next to bubbled numbers in the air

Set your budget. Small businesses spend an average of $1,600 a year on hiring, so look for pricing options that make you pay only when someone clicks through. Save some money by posting jobs for free.

Create a timeline. Half of small businesses take one month to complete the end-to-end hiring experience. Need to hire faster? Devote some budget to promoting your open roles.

PRO TIP
Create a LinkedIn Page to showcase your company’s accomplishments and brand. Share content that engages potential candidates and invites them to apply for open roles.

Step 2

Post your job in a way that attracts candidates.

Make it short and clear.
Use industry-standard or recognizable job titles, and avoid gimmicky ones like “social media guru.” List a maximum of six job responsibilities, without ones like “Must be able to meet deadlines.”

Use screening questions.
Save time by filtering out candidates who don’t meet basic requirements. Add a minimum of two to three questions and, if possible, make them required.

Showcase yourself a bit.
Add links to your company site, customer success stories, press releases, or LinkedIn Page. Humanize the job post with a link to your LinkedIn profile.

Keep fine-tuning.
It’s OK to edit and optimize your post repeatedly if you’re not getting the applicants you expected.

PRO TIP
Don’t know how to write a great job post? Use one of over 130 customizable templates available in LinkedIn Jobs.

Step 3

Share that you’re hiring with your network.

Add the job post to your LinkedIn profile. If you use LinkedIn to post jobs, you can attach open roles to the top of your profile. LinkedIn will then automatically generate a post that you can share.

Use the #Hiring hashtag. Share posts about your open roles using this popular hashtag to increase visibility at no additional cost to you.

Add the #Hiring frame to your profile photo. This distinct watermark immediately lets LinkedIn connections know that you have opportunities for them to explore.

of small businesses we surveyed chose LinkedIn Jobs to find and hire qualified candidates.

Step 4

Compile your short list.

Illustration of recruiter at work desk reviewing candidate profiles

Rank and rate your applicants. Your job board should rank applicants based on their answers to screening questions, so you receive the most qualified candidates first in your list.

Illustration of a laptop displaying a virtual interview with two participants waving at each other

Conduct one-on-one interviews with applicants who show a clear passion for your mission. Remember, small business candidates care more about purpose and challenge than they do about compensation.

Illustration of an employee at a computer having a virtual interview with a diverse team

Interview your top applicants as a team. This is an opportunity to focus on the candidate’s soft skills, which are especially crucial at a smaller company.

Step 5

Choose the best candidate.

Icon of chat conversation between teammates

Get feedback from your team quickly. The faster you collect their candidate feedback, the faster you can make a hiring decision together.

Close the job post to let your networks know you filled your role. Hang on to your closed-post data — it could be useful for future reference.

PRO TIP
Save time by using a solution that automatically replies to candidates who don’t advance to the next round of hiring.

Step 6

Welcome your new hire.

Before day one, make sure payroll is set up and all paperwork is in order. Send the new hire materials to prepare them for the first day, and make yourself available before the start date to answer the new hire’s questions.

On the new employee’s first day, send them a welcome card signed by the team. Assign someone to be the new employee’s onboarding teammate and show them the ropes. Finally, go over job responsibilities and schedule a weekly check-in meeting.

A structured onboarding program makes new hires 58% more likely to stay at a company for three years or longer.

Hiring is about the journey, not just the job.

Now that you know what the hiring experience looks like, you can start sharing your company’s opportunities with passionate candidates who want to develop themselves while achieving your business goals. With the right process in place, your team can make great hires that rapidly accelerate your company.

Ready to grow your small business? It all starts with a great job post.

Post a job for free