How to Find Reliable Staff & Finally Scale Your Agency

The number one thing that prevents agencies from scaling is finding — and keeping! — reliable staff. It’s no secret recruiting new employees is super difficult right now. Sometimes, it even feels impossible.

You put out a job post, sift through endless resumes, set up a handful of interviews, and maybe you get 1 acceptable candidate…

It’s enough to drive anyone crazy.

It seems like every industry these days is struggling to find good, reliable staff, across all levels of skill and experience. Even household brands like Target and Mcdonald’s struggle. They are turning to benefits like easing eligibility requirements for college tuition benefits, in a bid to attract and keep their employees.

I speak with agency owners every day whose biggest challenge is knowing who to hire next and, moreover, where to find them. As the demand for digital marketing continues to skyrocket, so does the need for new staff and contractors.

So how can you build your digital agency dream team and scale your agency?

Here are 5 clever tips to help you find your Digital Agency Dream Team:

1. Start with Your Network. We’ve found that the best employees often come as referrals from people you already know. It’s pretty likely you associate with people who share similar values. Therefore, it’s usually safe to assume they know great people whose principles will align with yours. Spread the word on your personal Facebook and Instagram feed. Tell everyone you know exactly who and what you’re looking for. Ask your friends to help you make new connections.
2. Dig Deeper. Don’t rely solely on sites like Indeed and LinkedIn for your candidate search. Anna Shcherbyna, CEO of Remotivate, recently shared on our Smart Agency Master Class podcast that sites like Upwork and AngelList are great resources for finding talent, even for high-level positions. Look for skilled candidates newer to the platforms. Those ones may not be getting tons of work yet, and maybe a hidden gem. After checking out their work, invite them to apply to the positions you’ve posted.
3. Consider Non-Traditional Employees. We’ve heard great things from our Digital Agency Elite Mastermind about HireMyMom.com and We Work Remotely for hiring remote workers. These resources are full of seasoned professionals who left corporate careers to find a work/life balance. You can find some amazing individuals if you know where to look. This has proven to be a valuable resource for finding skilled, professional, and affordable remote talent.
4. Get Creative. Now more than ever, people are looking for more than a reliable job with good pay and healthcare. People want to feel a sense of pride in what they do. They want to feel like they belong. Today, people want to believe in the company mission while doing work which allows time to spend on the things in their lives that matter most. Offering unique benefits to employees is a low-cost way to make a large impact. Make life easier for them with a housekeeping service or grocery delivery subscription. These perks are relatively inexpensive when compared to the costs of constant employee turnover. Develop strategic partnerships with service companies that offer something fresh and unique to your employees. That way, everybody wins!
5. Promote Your Culture. Finding the right people deserves the same amount of attention as finding the right clients. So treat it the same way! Make sure you are recognizing and highlighting your current employees consistently on your website and social media. Create employee testimonials just like you would with a great client. Show off what makes your agency an amazing place to work. In a highly competitive job market, you have to show potential employees why they want to be a part of your team.

To truly scale your agency, it is paramount you find talented, hard-working people you can rely on to consistently deliver results. However, it’s up to you, the agency owner, to create a culture that attracts amazing people and a vision that retains them.

Consider these 5 tips to help you attract and find your digital agency dream team. Remember, your team is your most valuable asset and this is key to scaling your agency. So give hiring the attention it deserves.

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