How to Find Employees for a Small Business

Is your business growing but your team’s struggling to keep up? 

It could be time to expand the team, or even hire your first employee if the “team” is purely founders. 

Whatever the case, finding the right employee starts before you post a job advert. 

You need to understand the role you’re trying to fill, where suitable candidates are likely to be looking, and how to make your business stand out as a desirable workplace. 

Once you know how to find employees suited to your business, where to advertise the position, and how tools such as cloud HR software can help you manage the recruitment process, you’ll be well on your way to a successful hiring process.

Here’s what we cover:

Before searching for candidates: Define the role and worker type

Before you draft a job advert, take a step back and get clear on what you actually need help with. 

It can be tempting to start with a job title, especially if you’re under pressure. But a better starting point is the work itself: 

• What tasks are taking up too much of your time?
• Which skills are missing from the business? 
• Where are delays, mistakes, or missed opportunities starting to appear? 

From there, think about whether the work is ongoing, project-based, or seasonal. If you need regular support with customer service, admin, or operations, you may be looking for someone who can grow with the business. If you need help with a defined project, such as building a website or setting up a marketing campaign, a freelancer or contractor may be more suitable. 

Consider how much control, availability, and continuity you need. For example, if you need someone to follow your processes, work set hours, and become part of the team long term, an employee may be the better fit. If you only need specialist support for a defined project, a freelancer or contractor could make more sense. 

You should also think about any practical or legal requirements before you advertise the role. An important point is that employers need to check that successful candidates have the right to work in the UK before they start employment. 

How to find employee candidates 

There are many ways to find employees for your business, and the right approach will depend on the role, your sector, and how urgently you need to hire. 

You could start by using word of mouth and approaching people already in your network. This can be especially useful if you’re hiring for a role where trust, reliability, or specialist experience is important. 

However, if you want to reach a wider pool of candidates, it’s worth posting your advert in a few different places. 

Common options include: 

• Job boards: general job boards can help you reach active jobseekers who are already looking for new opportunities. 
• Government employment sites: these can be useful for reaching local candidates and people looking for full-time, part-time, or entry-level roles. A good example is the Jobcentre Plus portal.  
• Indeed: a widely used option for businesses of all sizes, particularly if you want to advertise a role quickly and reach a broad audience. 
• LinkedIn: useful for professional, specialist, or managerial roles as well as for promoting vacancies through your company page and personal network. 
• Your own website: if you already have regular website traffic, add a careers page or simple vacancy listing so interested candidates can apply directly. 
• Social media: posting vacancies on your business channels can help you reach people who already know your brand, products, or services. 
• Recruitment agencies: a recruitment agency or headhunter can help you find candidates with specific skills or experience, especially for specialist, senior, or hard-to-fill roles. They can also support with advertising, screening, and shortlisting applicants, saving you time during the hiring process.

Leveraging your work network, conferences, and events

Let trusted contacts know you’re hiring, including suppliers, customers, former colleagues, business advisers, and people in your local business community. They may know someone suitable or be able to share your vacancy with their own network. 

Industry conferences, trade shows, networking events, and local business meetups can also help you meet people with relevant experience. Even if you don’t find the right person immediately, these conversations can help you build a future talent pipeline. 

You can also use events to learn more about what candidates in your sector are looking for, such as flexible working, career progression, training opportunities, or a better work-life balance. This can help you shape a more attractive job advert and improve your chances of finding the right person. 

How to attract the best applicants 

To attract the best applicants, write a clear, jargon-free job advert that explains the role, salary, benefits, flexibility, and what makes your business a good place to work. 

It’s all very well deciding where to post your job advert, but a lot depends on how clearly you explain the role and why someone would want to work for your business. 

Your job description should use standard, straightforward language. Avoid internal phrases, acronyms, or industry jargon that could confuse candidates or make the role sound more complicated than it is. Be clear about:  

• Job title 
• Main responsibilities 
• Required skills  
• Working hours 
• Salary range 
• Location 
• Whether the role is full-time, part-time, hybrid, or remote 

Where possible, be transparent about compensation, benefits, and any practical details candidates need to know before applying. This might include pension contributions, holiday allowance, bonuses, training opportunities, health benefits, or other employee perks. Being upfront can help you attract people who are genuinely interested and reduce time spent on unsuitable applications. 

In today’s market, flexibility is a key trait that can make your role more appealing. If you can offer flexible hours, hybrid working, compressed hours, or support for work-life balance, make this clear in the advert. For many candidates, flexibility can be just as important as salary. 

Finally, give applicants a sense of your culture and employer brand. Explain what your business does, how your team works, and what kind of environment the successful candidate will join. If you’re a small business, this could be a chance to highlight the opportunity to make a visible impact, work closely with decision-makers, and grow with the company.

How HR software helps you hire employees

HR software helps you manage the recruitment process in one place, rather than relying on spreadsheets, email threads, and separate documents. 

For example, you can use cloud HR software to track applicants as they move through each stage of the process, from initial application to shortlist, interview, and offer. This makes it easier to see who has applied, which candidates need a response, and what the next step should be. 

It can also support CV screening, interview scheduling, and candidate communication, helping you save time and keep the process organised. If several people are involved in hiring, you can store candidate notes centrally so everyone has access to the same information before making a decision. 

Once you’ve chosen the right person, HR software can also help with the handoff from recruitment to onboarding. You can manage new starter details, share company policies, set up tasks, track timesheets, approve absence requests, manage holiday and sick leave, approve expenses, and support performance management. 

In addition to salary, pension, and annual leave, offering employee benefits can also help you attract and retain great people. Access to benefits such as a cycle to work scheme, retailer discounts, or an online doctor can make your offer more appealing and help new employees feel supported from the start.

The final stages before you hire employees

Once applications come in, review candidates against your role requirements, shortlist the strongest matches, then move them through screening, interview, and job-offer stages in a clear and consistent way. 

Your initial screening of applications should start with a basic assessment of which candidates have the essential skills, relevant experience, and availability you need. Don’t focus only on previous job titles or employers. 

You may also want to create a simple shortlist based on must-have criteria, such as location, right to work, qualifications, technical skills, or salary expectations. This can help you screen applications more consistently and avoid spending time on candidates who are unlikely to be the right fit. 

For some roles, a short pre-interview call or screening questionnaire can also be useful. This gives you a chance to confirm practical details, answer early questions, and decide who should progress to the next stage.

The interview process 

Once you have a shortlist, the interview process follows. Whether you choose to interview potential candidates in person, by video call, or over the phone, before the interview, take the time to prepare and think about the questions you want to ask. 

There are certain questions you can’t ask, so it’s worth brushing up on your interview do’s and don’ts prior to your chats.

Making the job offer 

Once you have found the right person for the role, it’s time to make a job offer. 

Tell the candidate verbally and then follow up with a confirmation email or letter to confirm the terms and conditions and start date. Be prepared to negotiate on the salary and benefits at this point. 

Essentially, you want to ensure both parties are happy with the terms before you proceed. 

And once that stage is complete and your candidate has agreed to work for your business, you can focus on the next steps: welcoming your new employee, onboarding them, and getting them up to speed on the requirements of the job. 

When is the right time to start searching for employees?

There’s no perfect time to hire your first employee, as every business is different and every sector has its own specific needs. 

But some of the reasons why you might look to hire someone include: 

• Your business is expanding. 
• You’ve taken on your first client.
• You’ve taken on a big project. 
• You don’t have the right skills to do a particular job. 

Whatever the reason, you must judge when it is the best time to do this for you and your business. 

Mandy Watson, managing director at Ambitions Personnel, a recruitment expert based in the East Midlands, says: “A good way to analyse if you are at the right time to be hiring is looking at your own weaknesses. 

“If there is any knowledge or gaps in your skills, what is going to add the most value to your business? After all, you can’t be in two places at once. 

“That being said, you should not compromise on service or quality by spreading yourself too thinly. It might be cheaper short term, but it won’t pay off in the long term. 

“For example, you could be a master craftsman but struggle to keep on top of financial information, or perhaps you are an incredibly successful ‘face’ of a business but need some help behind the scenes.” 

Watson adds: “Hiring an employee is a big commitment, and it’s important to get it right. 

“From advertising to the eventual hire, you must be compliant with the law. And it doesn’t stop there. You have an ongoing duty to anyone you recruit on a permanent and employed basis. 

“A continual responsibility to develop, nurture, and support employees is something many don’t consider when starting out in business.”

Employees versus freelancers versus contractors

Once you’ve decided to take the plunge, the next step is to figure out whether you need someone on a temporary or full-time basis. 

If you want to hire someone on a temporary basis, a freelancer or contractor might be the best option. If you want someone long term, a full-time employee might be what you’re looking for. 

Julia Kermode, an independent employment and gig economy expert, says: “In my experience as a small business owner, I would always recommend that you consider engaging freelancers or contractors as an alternative to permanent staff, as it reduces your risk and brings many benefits. 

“For example, a good freelancer will be able to hit the ground running without needing huge amounts of induction or training, and they can be engaged on an as needs basis, or ongoing, depending on the requirements of your business. 

“By virtue of working for lots of different clients, freelancers often have vast amounts of experience, expertise, and knowledge gained from many sectors, and you will benefit from that unique cross-fertilisation. 

“Freelancers are used to juggling multiple projects so may be able to step in at short notice, whereas in contrast, it can be very time consuming to recruit employees.” 

If you choose to hire an employee, this comes with a different level of responsibility compared to hiring a freelancer or a contractor for a one-off project or job. 

You will find, for example, a freelancer might take care of their own taxes due to their self-employed status, so you will not have to worry about their tax affairs. 

Kermode adds: “If you are considering hiring employees, don’t forget that they are entitled to some 80 or more statutory rights and protections, which means additional responsibility and therefore risk for your business. 

“This can be one headache too many for some businesses, especially if you’re under pressure, so don’t forget that there are alternatives which you may prefer.” 

However, there are benefits to taking on someone as an employee. Having someone who joins you on a permanent basis can be a real asset to your company, and they’ll only focus on your business. Freelancers and contractors, meanwhile, will have other clients to keep happy. 

In addition, you can nurture an employee to grow with the business. And as you build your team, your business will have a great chance to prosper.

Final thoughts on finding and hiring the right employee

Finding the right employee can be challenging, especially if you’re hiring for the first time or expanding a small team. 

The key is to be clear before you start searching. Define the role, understand the type of worker you need, and think carefully about where the right candidates are likely to be looking. 

A strong job advert, transparent information, and a clear sense of your business culture can all help you attract better applicants. From there, the right tools and processes can help you track candidates, screen applications, and move promising people through to a job offer. 

Take your time, and use the channels and technology available to focus on finding someone who has the skills, availability, and attitude your business needs. Get that right and recruitment becomes less about filling a vacancy quickly and more about building a team that can help your business grow. 

Frequently asked questions on finding employees

Editor’s note: This article was first published in August 2021 and has been updated for relevance.