Hey guys!
Since we are all feeling the crunch of trying to bring on new teams right now, I wanted to repost an older thread I started here in the hopes it can bring you some new ideas on where to find your next great team.
I work with dozens of local businesses in all different niches and so we get a really good read on what is working for hiring around the nation. Below are a selection of our favorite ways we help our own clients hire more help:
1. Use Thumbtack to Find Amazing Teams*
Instead of using Thumbtack to only find customers flip it around and use it to find great teams too. Go onto thumbtack.com and put in a bid for the industry you are in. It doesn’t matter if it’s painting, tutoring, cleaning or even resume designing Thumbtack has it all locally.
If you can, try contacting them off-platform once you find them there. Otherwise, be honest and tell them you are looking for extra help in the quote. Don’t pretend to be a customer. Obviously, only choose people with awesome ratings to contact. Read their reviews and see if they are consistent, on-time, polite etc. The advantage here is you are getting to pre-vet all candidates before you even contact them, and better yet the ones interested will reach out to you!
*If they are not interested we always offer to send them the fee charged for a quote. Since they are on Thumbtack themselves to find new business we have typically found this to be a win-win.
2. Get In Touch With Your Spanish-Speaking Community
They have been a kind, loyal and immensely valuable resource that I have been able to tap into over the years, and I have rarely been disappointed. You’ll see that becoming friendly with your Spanish speaking community will yield benefits in every way you can think of. You are able to provide genuinely good jobs to hard workers and they will reward you with consistent work.
And later on when you’ve grown and need even more teams they often know someone else in their community they can vouch for.
This can be a powerful one because you are tapping into a local community who can do the job but that often is restricted by a language barrier, and so you often get your A teams here.
3. Post on Next Door (if you are in the US).
Neighbors LOVE giving referrals on Next Door, so if you post asking them to refer you to whoever does the service for them, they are happy to send you their way. Oh, and sometimes others end up seeing you and hiring you there. Nice little bonus.
I have a template we use for this. You may use it, too:
Subject: Reliable House Cleaner Wanted. Looking for a Reliable House CleanerHi all,As some of you may know, I run a local cleaning company here called [company name] in [neighborhood name] and we are growing fast. We have been serving the [service area name] for [X years] now, and have loved contributing to the community in such a positive way.Right now, we are on the lookout for great cleaners that have a proven track-record of success and are consistently reliable. While we do service many of your homes in our neighborhood, I know many of us here are already very happy with their current cleaner. If you currently have or know an amazing house cleaner and they are looking for extra work we would love talk to them.Could we post on Indeed or Craigslist to find a new team? Yes, we could. But there is nothing like that personal feedback from neighbors and we value that immensely. Ultimately it is everyone in our neighborhood here that we and our new teams will be serving.I would be truly grateful if you can connect us with them. them. Please comment here or send me a message. You can also send them my phone number xxx-xxx-xxxx and email support@yourcompany.com.Thank you so much!
4. Check Local Job Boards In Your Area
The old, physical ones that you have to put up with a pin and blue tack. Lots of old school techs and service providers who have been doing this forever still put up for-hire signs. This is a great way to find experienced teams who may be struggling to find work with the advent of technology, but are nonetheless just as deserving of a great job. We can give that to them if we take the time and patience to meet them where they are.
5. Ask Current Employees If They Know Anyone
It’s been my experience they often do. Sometimes that person doesn’t pan out but you should always ask.
6. Post In Local Facebook Groups
Post in mom groups. Post in for hire groups. Post in local business groups. Post in other local groups you are in for your area. Post in flea market groups. This works well.
And here are a few more advanced ones to consider:
- Put up a targeted local Facebook ad. Spend a few bucks on it – it’s worth it if you can snag a team that will go on to generate $10,000s per year for you.
- Put up a dedicated hiring landing page and drive traffic to it with Google Adwords. Worth a shot. Again, spend a few bucks on this because once you find a good team from it they will go on to earn WAY more than what it cost you to find them.
Notice none of these are your typical job sites like Indeed.com – that is because we are looking for people we can pre-vet or get on a personal recommendation. So you don’t have to sift through hundreds of people applying to your job application.
The key to this whole approach is to be more proactive than just posting a job application form on one of the major job boards.
That’s it! If you have any questions about any of these just let me know 
Do you have your own unconventional hiring strategies you have been successfully using this year?
I hope this helps you find your next A team.
Article by Chris Schwab, founder of Think Maids.