In a perfect world, every position would be accompanied by an amazing benefits package. Full healthcare, dental, four weeks (or more!) of paid vacation, on-site childcare, and a company cafeteria staffed with Le Cordon Bleu-trained chefs.
You’d tell your candidates about the on-site gym and the free weekly shoulder massages and they’d fall all over themselves to sign on the dotted line.
Sadly, this is not a perfect world and you may be trying to fill positions with a poor or nearly non-existent benefits package.
While that can make the position a bit of a tough sell to top talent, it can be done.
How can you make a lack of benefits sound not-terrible? I’m so glad you asked!
1. Offer benefits that don’t cost too much money
Small businesses often forgo benefits packages because they simply can’t afford them, but there are tons things you can do to make a job more enticing without spending thousands.
* Give them more vacation days (and don’t make them wait a year to use ‘em).
* Offer them a flexible schedule.
* Allow them to work from home a few days a week (tools like TimeDoctor can help if you're concerned they won't actually work from home).
* Support gym memberships with a $25 credit.
* Provide lunch once a week.
2. Offer some sort of health insurance
No matter how much they’d like to work for you, there will be some candidates who are simply unable to accept a job that doesn't offer health insurance.
For single parents and individuals with health issues, health insurance is a non-negotiable. Look to your industry’s associations and groups and see if they have a partnership with a health insurance provider. And if you’re self-employed check out the National Association for the Self Employed and Freelancers Union.
If you couple these workarounds with a well-written job description, you’ll have much better luck getting them to say YES to your offer.
Hiring with a less-than-awesome benefits package can seem daunting, but it's important to recognize your business' strengths and get clear about what you can offer candidates before you hire.
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