Expanding Your Team: Hiring Practices for Niche Businesses

Hiring the right individuals for your niche business isn’t just about filling positions. It’s about finding team members who understand your niche, share your passion, and can contribute to your unique vision. But with so many businesses vying for a talented workforce, how do you stand out? 

In this guide, we’ll explore four effective hiring practices for niche businesses. Whether you own a dog kennel, gluten-free bakery, or children’s boutique, these insights will help you find and retain the best talent. 

1. Tailor Your Job Listings

A job listing serves as the initial point of contact between your business and potential candidates. When a job listing is well-defined, it will stand out from the competition and attract qualified leads. 

To craft a compelling job listing, you should:

• Highlight your unique value proposition. What sets you apart from other businesses that are hiring? Write a brief description of your company’s mission, values, and culture to attract employees who resonate with your specialized focus and are excited to contribute to its success.
• Outline the roles and responsibilities of the position. Candidates who understand what is expected of them are more likely to apply and to be a good fit for your business. Therefore, it’s important to specify the skills, qualifications, and experience required. 
• Emphasize growth and learning opportunities. Many job seekers are attracted to roles that offer opportunities for personal and professional development. Explain how your company empowers employees to learn new skills, take on greater responsibilities, and advance within their roles. 

Keep the listing concise and focus on the most critical aspects of the job and your business. This way, you’ll avoid overwhelming candidates with excessive details and instead be able to find stronger talent. 

2. Expand Your Hiring Pool

With recent advancements in technology, you can reach and assess candidates anywhere in the world without leaving your office chair. To make your positions available to those beyond your existing contact list and regular pool of candidates, plan to:

• Share the job posting widely. Use popular job search websites and platforms like LinkedIn, Indeed, and Glassdoor to post your job listings. These platforms have a wide reach and allow candidates from all over the country or even internationally to discover your job opportunities. 
• Stay active on industry-specific platforms. Additionally, consider industry-specific job boards or forums, as these platforms can help you target candidates with the specific skills and interests your niche business requires. For instance, a dog boarding business might post their listings to dog walking sites, pet care apps, and animal enthusiast forums, as opposed to a generic platform like LinkedIn. 
• Network within your niche. Attend industry-specific events, join niche-related forums or social media groups, and connect with professionals in your field. Networking can lead to valuable referrals and introductions to potential hires who are already familiar with your field.
• Embrace remote work or offer flexible work arrangements. Many talented professionals are open to working remotely, which can expand your potential applicant pool beyond geographic limitations if the role you’re hiring for allows. Clearly communicate in your job listings if the position offers remote work options or if you are open to considering candidates from different locations.

As you narrow down your prospects, you don’t need to spend thousands of dollars flying each remote candidate into town for interviews. For most positions, you can conduct these interviews virtually. Not only are virtual interviews convenient, but they also expedite the hiring process.

3. Ask Revealing Interview Questions

While you can gain a sense of an applicant’s skills and personality from their resume and cover letter, there’s nothing like a live interview. Whether it’s conducted in person or via an online platform like Zoom, an interview has the potential to reveal if a candidate is right for the role. But this is only the case if you ask the right questions. 

In general, every question you ask should be:

• Open-ended. Avoid questions that can be answered in one word. Instead, phrase your questions in ways that require a longer response by using words such as “what,” “how,” and “why.”
• Grounded in specific details. You’ll get a better sense of the candidate when they ground their answers in concrete details. Ask the candidate to include examples in their response to each question.
• Both retrospective and prospective. Ask questions that connect their past experiences to what they plan to do in the future. For instance, if an applicant excelled as a leader in their last position, ask them how they could apply those skills to your business.
• Focused on role-related knowledge and skills. Include questions or tests that assess a candidate’s knowledge and passion for your niche. This ensures they are not only qualified but also genuinely interested in your business’s specific ventures.

Consider recording the interview so you can look back on it later and discuss the responses with other key decision-makers at your business. 

4. Look for Transferable Skills

As you review applications and interview prospects, you may find it difficult to recruit candidates with the exact expertise you need. Look for individuals with transferable skills and a willingness to grow within your industry, as they are likely to adapt to meet your specific needs.

To see how this could work in practice, let’s consider a dog daycare business in the midst of hiring a new manager to oversee the facility and day-to-day operations. After contacting the candidate’s references and reviewing their portfolio, you might find that they have the following transferable skills: 

• Team leadership: Effective management often requires strong leadership skills. A candidate with experience in leading teams, even in different contexts, can bring valuable skills like delegation, conflict resolution, and problem-solving to the role.
• Customer service excellence: Exceptional customer service skills can be applied across various industries. A manager who can empathize with pet owners and provide outstanding service can create a positive experience for customers.
• Organizational and administrative skills: The ability to organize schedules, manage appointments, and maintain records is valuable in any management role. A candidate with excellent organizational and administrative skills can adapt these competencies to managing the operations of a doggie daycare.

While direct experience is often preferred, individuals with these transferable skills can excel in a managerial role with proper training and orientation to your specific industry.

Remember that hiring for niche businesses may take more time and effort compared to hiring for broader industries. However, the payoff is often higher-quality employees who are passionate about your niche and can contribute to your success.

Featured Guest Expert – Casey Dorman

Hi, I’m Casey! I’m the Sales Manager at Gingr software.  Originally from Indianapolis, I now live in Colorado with my wife and dog, Dexter.  Our hobbies include hiking, skiing, and visiting local breweries.