Like our Jill of All Trades mentioned in Part 1 of this series, Hiring for Tomorrow: The Set Up, finding qualified candidates is a lot more involved than posting an ad – especially so if you want someone that will stand the test of time.
But before you cast your net, how do you decide when it’s time to start hiring?
There are the obvious times:

• When an employee puts in their notice.
• When your business expands to another location.
• When you start offering a new product or service.

And then, there are the less obvious, but just-as-important times:

• When you’re spending more time returning voicemails than following up with your best customers.
• When you sell to a new customer for the first time and don’t even realize it.
• When your trained sales reps become order processors.

Once you recognize that it’s time to hire, do yourself these 3 favors:

1. Cast More Than One Net. For us, LinkedIn works well for our customer-facing teams but rarely is it the only place an opening is listed. Think about industry trade groups, organizations in your city, or local colleges and universities.
2. Fish Where There Are Fish. When posting your position, pick a platform or avenue that already caters to the kinds of employees you want. Especially if you’re shelling out a fee for a paid listing, be sure you have a good understanding of how many people you have the potential of reaching. (Read as: don’t waste your time on shiny new job sites with small pools of job seekers.)
3. Drop a Line in Your Own Network. Referrals from your current employees are great, but they eventually will run out of friends. Remember that sharp person at last month’s trade show; the one with whom you had a great conversation? They may have been fishing for a business lead, but you may have landed your next hire.

Filling a open position isn’t easy, but it is a necessary part of keeping your success – and the sanity of your team – moving forward. Want to know more about hiring in today’s market? Check out the next part of this series in the coming weeks.
photo credit: © [Garrincha] / Dollar Photo Club

Before you cast your hiring net, how do you decide when it’s time? In part 2 of the Hiring for Tomorrow series, we’re talking about the how and the how to. Have your own tips? Comment below or share with Jennifer directly!