Problems Hiring? 

We found the secret sauce in the middle of the night at the most random place...

It is no secret that the majority of today’s workforce issue is the ability to attract great talent… or any talent for that matter.  It seems that COVID hit our world and wiped out our workforce.  We keep waiting for the return, but it just doesn’t seem to show any sign of a rebound. 

Over the past 12 months or so, the HRB team has started to notice a trend- companies who have a great culture are not having trouble hiring or retaining employees.  However, companies who struggle with their workplace culture, are struggling to hire and retain new hires and their current workforce.  Of course, we put on our detective hats and started looking into this pattern deeper… what we found was very interesting.  Did you know that (according to businessnewsdaily.com) when searching for a new job, 77% of surveyed respondents to a...

 Starting a new job is stressful, and let’s be honest, so is hiring someone!

The average US employer spends $4000 and 24 days to hire a new worker. (Business Wire, 2019)

If you are like most small businesses, you may not have a lot of manpower to spare – being down a person for even a fraction of that time can mean even more hard work shared between you and your already hardworking team, all while you are taking on the additional and difficult task to find someone new.

Reviewing and interviewing applicants can feel like a frenzy when candidates often have so many options to choose from. When you finally find the right person and they accept your offer, its finally time to relax… well, maybe not quite yet.

Image Credit: @Mattsurelee

Lets try to put ourselves in your new employees’ shoes. Imagine with me for a moment that you are in their position, but rather than starting a new job, you are a guest at a hotel:

You show...

Photo Credit: moodboard 

If you’re singing “where have all the good candidates gone,” you’re not alone.

Between economic pain and the ongoing pandemic, we’re seeing the same trend across every city and every industry: Hiring is TOUGH!

Applications are feast or famine, candidates aren't returning calls or showing up for interviews and while I don’t have the answers to this problem - nor do I have a magic wand - I CAN tell you that there are excellent hires are out there. But they are also more likely to get snatched up on the job market, so you’ll need to put some hustle in your bustle during the hiring process if you want them on your team.

For years, I was a recruiter for a large mechanical contractor (along with Reanna Werner, founder of HR Branches) and experienced the ebb and flow of the construction industry for both workers and contracts. There was always a lack of skilled manpower so we had to get creative to...

 Let's face it, even if we don't have the intention to hire in our small businesses, we may be left with no choice. Employees laid off during the stay-at-home orders may not want to come back. They might have found work elsewhere, they may have decided to stay home with the kids, or they may just not want to work for you anymore. This pandemic has caused most of us to take a deep look into what we want and planning for the future.

You are potentially left with positions you need to replace, new skillsets that have come to light since business has changed, or maybe your industry is one of the ones that is growing and thriving right now. No matter what it is, you are being lead to the market to meet a demand in your business. Whether you are experienced or need some guidance and organization in this area, this information will help you be more effective in finding the right fit, not just a warm body.

There are three components to a successful recruiting...

Getting “Bored” with Your Onboarding Process?

Make Onboarding and Training Fast and Easy!

For most of us, we have experienced what it’s like to be that “newbie”.  That’s right, a new face in a new company where countless thoughts of excitement, worry and anxiety flood our minds. If you are like many, those thoughts can turn into piercing questions or doubts. Did you make the right decision? Is this truly the right company for you? Where is the nearest exit in case you need to make a run for it?  

As an employer, hiring manager, or HR representative, your focus is guaranteeing that you can “walk the walk”. Your newly hired employee accepted the position for a reason, now it’s up to you to ensure that he or she continues to feel that this opportunity was too good to pass up.

So, how does this happen? Think about the first few days on the job and how much information and training was provided. It’s a...

I love helping small businesses. Most of my career was spent in the corporate world. However, my husband went off and started a CPA firm, at that time he started working with small businesses. Next thing I knew, he was telling his clients that I was a Human Resources professional. His small business clients started filtering their HR questions through him to me. As the questions became more and more, we spent our dinners and evenings talking about HR while finding ways to help his clients. That's when we found a gap. Small businesses have been left behind in the world of human resources.

Now that we have launched HR Branches, walking in and seeing the positive changes that our clients have been able to make from when they start working with has just been incredible. I never thought I would find such excitement in my career as I have today.

I started a new job, years and years and years ago. When I showed up for my first day I didn't have a computer and I had a cubicle full of boxes....

*Presented at Colorado Springs, CO SCORE meeting on July 12, 2019

I'm obsessed with Richard Branson. Anything that comes out of that man's mouth is like gospel to me. I aspire to be a Richard Branson, well a female/ American, Richard Branson one day. I believe that his people philosophy is really where it's at. And I think that this quote right here says it all: “A company is people... employees want to know... am I being listened to or am I a cog in the wheel? People really need to feel wanted". -Richard Branson

To start off on the right path of having sound employee practices, let's look at some recruiting tips and tricks. This blog is going to look at how to prepare and attract the right candidates and to evaluate those candidates. But first, let's look at the mistakes small businesses often make when it comes to recruiting. I'm sure all of you guys have seen these mistakes.

Small Business Recruiting Mistakes
1: Lack of Planning
First and foremost, small businesses...

One year as a recruiter, I hired over 200 employees. Given that one typically interviews an average of ten candidates to hire one, I likely interviewed candidates in the ballpark of two thousand (at least it felt like it!) 

To stay organized and ensure I hired quality candidates, I needed a process. With help from HR Branches' Reanna Werner (my mentor) and research of what top companies do, I was able to hone our process into a well-oiled machine!

I know first hand how many hats you wear as a small business owner and your limited time and resources. If you need the right hire yesterday, these recruiting tips will teach you how to set yourself up for success, ask the right questions, and increase your hiring efficiency.

First and Foremost:

1.     Build A Focused Job Description

A proper job description will keep you on track when searching for the right candidate with the experience you need.

Be sure to include any soft skills...