Unusual Places To Find New Hires

Facebook Communities

“As a relatively small business, hiring the right person for the job is essential if we want to continue to grow. If there’s one source that’s abundant with applicants, I would definitely recommend you check Facebook Communities.”- Mark Webster, Co-Founder at Authority Hacker

Mark Webster is the Co-Founder of Authority Hacker, and an industry-leading online marketing education company shares his thoughts on finding different ways to hire the ideal person.

“I’m sure you’ve probably heard of Job seeker’s Facebook groups and are probably aware that the quality of these groups isn’t the best. That doesn’t mean Facebook is a complete write-off, though.” 

TIP: Check Groups of Experts Specific to Your business.

There are many Facebook groups out there, but knowing your role-specific can make the search a lot easier.

Mark says, “if you’re looking for a graphic designer, there are tons of groups out there where people showcase their work in private groups. Of course, check the rules and ask the admin if unsure, but this can be a great place to find high-quality workers, depending on your market.”

Recruiting at Restaurants

“While walking into Chili’s Restaurant, I was greeted exactly as I wanted our patients to be greeted. Handed her my card immediately in hopes that she would come work for us.”- Amy Lafko, Owner and Principal at Cairn Consulting Solutions

As a founder of a consulting company, Amy Lafko from Cairn Consulting Solutions found an A player employee when she wasn’t looking. 

Amy spent years in healthcare operations leadership, and their urgent care locations struggled to find registration team members who were warm and inviting as people walked in and needed to register to see a provider.

TIP: Know who you are Looking 

Having a clear understanding of qualities you’re looking for in a person can open your eyes to seeing those traits in people who aren’t sitting across from you in an interview.

“Front registration is not about the task of entering information into the computer, it’s about how you make a patient feel when they come for care. I wasn’t worried about her lack of medical computer experience that I can teach easily and quickly.” 

“Her skill was the interpersonal connection, much harder to teach.”

Instagram 

“The most unusual place I’ve found spectacular hires for events is actually Instagram.” – Aryn Chapman, Senior Event Producer and CEO/Founder of Ax3 Studios, 

For Aryn Chapman, running a full-service event production company specializing in corporate events, meetings, and conferences – creatively doing things is second nature, even when it comes to finding authentic talent.

“At Ax3 Studios, we practically spend every day finding ways to think outside the box. Hiring is not an exception. Instagram is such a great platform since it showcases a portfolio and as well as the vibe of the hiree, or vendor. “

TIP: Don’t Place Hiring Ads, Scout for Your Hiree

There are times when posting and placing ads don’t always work. 

“My main advice is to scout for your talent rather than placing ads. Referrals and LinkedIn searches work wonders when it comes to finding new Rockstars to your team. “

Find candidates wherever, anytime

“In general, I would say there is no unusual place to find great hire; great hires are potentially EVERYWHERE!”- Monique Mollere, Senior Vice President at Talascend

As the Senior Vice President at Talascend, a professional and technical staffing company, Monique knows that amazing hires are all around. From the people that help you at your favorite retail store, to your claims adjuster at an insurance agency to your neighbor, to any number of the people you meet on a daily – great hires are all over.

“I was getting my hair highlighted, and my hairstylist mentioned that another client of hers worked in staffing and was looking to make a change. I gave her my card and told her to have the person call me. I hired that person, and we have now worked together at three different companies over the years. When you find a talented, hard-working person, you try to hang on to them.

Monique has seen excellent skills from people in the most common places, and believes if you see the qualities in a person, assess if you can train them for your open position.

“I have found particularly in the retail, restaurant and hospitality industries, if you see exceptional customer service attitudes with a go-getter personality, they have the soft skills required to the do the job, so it is then determining if you can train the hard skills required for the role you are seeking to hire”

TIP: Have a Strong Interview Process 

“Make sure you have a strong interview process and involve a minimum of two other team members as part of the hiring process. It is good to get different opinions and compare notes on how the interviews went with each person. Make sure you clearly outline the role’s expectations and feel confident in the person’s ability to do the position based on their skills, experience, and answers.” 

For Monique, it’s also about people skills.

“Soft skills and attitude are key to me and go a long way in success with our company, so those are things I really look for.”

Leverage the Power of Your Local Church

“Many of your local churches have a great number of people looking for employment” – Ryan Naylor, CEO of VIVAHR.

As the CEO of VIVAHR, Ryan knows the in- and outs of hiring and has had his experience of finding amazing people to hire from various resources. Being an entrepreneur for ten plus years, Ryan has lived the pain of hiring the wrong people. Through those lessons learned, he founded the power of building a business on core values, clear focus and, most importantly, great company culture.

“A lot of churches have many members in their congregation that have been part of the community, well-known among the church’s ministry, and come greatly recommended.”

Many churches have volunteers that mentor people in the community for job opportunities. Ryan has been a volunteer to help others find work and strengthen their skill sets.

“I have seen so many amazing, dedicated volunteers to serve people with employment needs. They will have job workshops for people in the community, help with resume building, mock interviews, and help in other areas if people are struggling”

TIP: Be fully committed to supporting the community

To find A-player’s in the community, you have to be an A-Player too.

“Make sure that when reaching out to your church or  a local church, that you are fully committed to being a positive impact for this resource. Volunteer your time to mentor, be a speaker at a church job workshop, or additional job related support you are able to give.”