Having the right, motivated talent is essential for your small business to grow. However, recruiting that talent is a job in and of itself — and it is not an easy one. By knowing where to search for talent and what to offer them, you’ll be able to get the right people on your team.

Here are our best insights for how to recruit top talent for your small business:

Where to Search for Talent

Long gone are the days when you simply put a classified ad in the newspaper when you were looking for talent. Gone are even the days when posing on traditional job boards did the trick. In today’s competitive environment for top talent, your small business is going to have to get creative.

One of the most cost-effective ways to do this is through social media. This is especially important because 79 percent of job seekers use social media in their job search.

And, sadly, according to Inc., nearly two in three employees “say their employer does not—or does not know how to—use social media to promote job openings.”

Don’t be that employer. Get ads out on Facebook and Instagram—post Tweets on Twitter about the position. Create a hashtag for the position (perhaps #BEASTMODEJOB?).

Your “We’re hiring!” announcements on social media sites should be engaging and attractive. They should make potential applicants realize that working for you is going to be rewarding and fun. One way to express that is with GIFs, as they’ll provide a taste of your company culture.

That said, you don’t want to forgo online job boards specific to your industry. In many cases, these are gold when it comes to narrowing your field of applicants from the onset.

Of course, if you’re striking out getting the right person in the door through your own efforts, then you might want to bring a recruiter on board to help out — assuming you have the budget.

Getting Top Talent to Sign On

Once you’re getting applications from the right candidates, you need to be able to get them to sign on the dotted line and actually join your team.

Yes, you’re going to need to offer a competitive compensation package. Period. If someone can make $20,000-30,000 a year somewhere else — good luck getting them to join.

That said, money isn’t everything, and you will have some wiggle room if you’re in the right ballpark when it comes to the salary being offered.

According to the Wall Street Journal, one of the many things that a small business can do to be more attractive is to “offer more flexibility, more job diversity, and the possibility of high growth.” These factors are particularly attractive to a workforce in which job-hopping is on the rise. By offering flexibility and job diversity, your employees don’t have to go elsewhere for new experiences and professional growth. Knowing that before they sign a contract can be what makes them join in the first place.

Introducing a profit-sharing system can also be a way to get top talent to join your team. Not only does this motivate them to maximize profits, but it also ensures a level of commitment and dedication.

Final Thoughts: How to Recruit Top Talent for Your Small Business

By using industry-specific job boards and your savvy understanding of social media, you should be able to drum up the right candidates for a position at your company. Of course, once they apply, you still need to get them to join the team.

By getting creative with the flexibility and growth opportunities you offer — while keeping your compensation package in the right ball park — you should be able to land top talent for your company.

Now that you know how to recruit top talent, the next question is how to afford them. Learn more about your options for securing a capital advance while you’re in growth mode!