By Susan Ward, About.com
1) Connect with your local college or training school.
Instructors of various [tourism] related programs can be invaluable shortcuts to finding good employees. Get to know who’s who and call the instructor of the relevant course or program, introducing yourself, explaining what you need, and asking for recommendations.
2) Get involved with your local college or university’s cooperative training program.
Cooperative programs are always looking for employers to provide suitable job placements. You get an employee with current skills and while it’s a temporary staffing solution, you may be able to hire the person as a full-time employee when he or she has completed the program.
3) Hire through a government program.
Human Resources and Skills Development Canada offers Programs and Funding Opportunities can be found at HRSDC.
You’ll find more employment programs listed in my Small Business Grants library. The downside of these programs is the time spent leaping through hoops, such as filling out application forms; the upside is the considerable cost savings.
4) Hire a student.
If you can get by without having a permanent employee fill the job, the various hire-a-student programs available can be a great staffing solution.
- Local programs are also very visible in season (late spring/early summer).
- If a college or university exists locally, it will also have its own “hire-a-student” program – another great place to find enthusiastic temporary employees.
- HRSDC Just the Facts is a federal government website initiated to help dispel myths and misconceptions as well as raise awareness about HRSDC programs.]
5) Use the web.
There are many “job board” sites on the ‘Net where you can place a job listing or search for employees. [The Choose Tourism website has a free job board that is easy to use and focuses on tourism related jobs on PEI.] Using job sites can help you get your job posting before a local, national (and international) audience of job seekers at a low monetary cost. You will have to spend some time, however, learning how the particular site’s system works and/or searching for desirable employees.
6) Put the word out on the street.
If the situation isn’t critical (an “I need someone right now” situation), try using word-of-mouth and/or referrals to find employees. Tell all your contacts (both business and personal) about the position you’re seeking to fill and what kind of employee you’re looking for.
For small businesses that don’t have departments devoted to Human Resources, finding the right employees at the right times can be an especially time-consuming and frustrating struggle. Why not try one or more of these strategies for hiring employees the next time you have a position to fill?
You may be surprised at how much shorter and more successful your hiring process becomes.
Source: Small Business: Canada