Modern training methods that can help when staffing a small business

Your small business offers incredible flexibility and opportunity, but with tight margins and a smaller team, that freedom can sometimes feel more like a challenge. Hiring to fill new roles or replace departed staff members in a small business setting comes with a distinct set of frustrations.

With a smaller team, it is more important than ever that all hires pull their own weight and hit the ground running. At the same time, as a small business, you have probably developed a unique way of doing things. No matter what the role is or how experienced the applicant is, there will be an initial orientation period in which she or he needs to become familiar with your way of doing things. For many positions, you will be severely limiting your applicant pool if you search for a “unicorn” employee who has exactly the background, skills and experience you want for the role.

You are much better off as a small business to remain open to applicants who are a great fit with your company culture and who have strong problem-solving skills and related – but perhaps not exactly similar – experience. Hiring a new employee who has the right character, learns quickly, works hard and accurately, and meshes with the team but may not have all of the skill set or sector-specific experience you’d like is a great way to bring support into your small business and invest in a better long term outcome, but it does require more intentionality in the orientation and training phases. As a small business, your resources are limited, and it may not be possible to have another staff member available at the time that a new hire needs training.

Useful approaches

Take advantage of the training techniques and technologies used by larger companies or even international corporations; most scale down to suit your needs but come with significant benefits.

The first option relies on existing staff availability, but it can be moderated via technology. If you’re replacing an existing role, aim for some overlap between a departing or promoted employee and the new hire. Most internal systems, technologies and practices can be taught to a new employee who comes from a different business sector or other professional background.

Many jobs are based on a relatively limited set of actions and reactions. If it’s a new role or your previous employee has already left, consider whether there is anyone else on the team who is familiar with the systems and practices – perhaps a level up or down, direct report or manager, or a related division – whose time could be freed up to work alongside the new hire and familiarize them with the expectations of the role.

The appropriate use of technology can really make a difference in the quality and efficiency of new hire training and offsets a lack of available in-person training if that’s not an option for you. If you’re not currently hiring, you can prepare for the future by asking employees to document their systems and practices.

In particular, company-wide expectations that all new hires will need to be familiarized with are well worth the effort of capturing in a format that can be shared repeatedly. All employees will then have an identical set of expectations and understandings going forward. Even specialist roles are worth documenting and creating a training package around, as that work can be used for future hires, promotions, or any other form of job churn.

At a basic level, simply writing step-by-step instructions or creating graphic (photo/screenshot/diagram) guides is of great value, but the best approach is a combination of audio-video. Trainees respond better to a combination of formats and will be able to follow and understand systems best with a combination of visual and auditory learning. There are great tools available, like the A/V capture and streaming tools from IPIVS, offering a range of solutions for your needs. Depending on the skills needed, screen-capture and a voiceover or simple video on an iOS mobile device like an iPad can really boost the quality and absorption rate of your training materials while allowing them to be fully customized to your unique circumstances. For higher-quality training that is ideal for multiple trainees, advanced video solutions with multiple cameras and mics is also an option.

For vital knowledge that you don’t have the internal capacity to provide, consider whether some skills and capabilities can be learned on the job as the new hire goes along. Perhaps you can get help with 80 percent of the role right away, and specialist skills or industry-specific knowledge can be picked up a little at a time through seminars, workshops, webinars or conferences? Allocating an ongoing training budget may cost your business less over the long term than holding out for an applicant with those exact skills and experience, and it has the bonus effect of making your employee feel like she or he is being invested in. The resulting loyalty is invaluable.

Balance the needs of your small business with the advantages of bringing in a new hire from a different business sector or background, or simply help orient great new hires with the unique expectations or practices of your business using the right combination of modern training methods. The ideal solution will likely comprise some combination of human support, clean and efficient training technology, and supplementary specialist training on an ongoing basis.