If you run a small business, hiring usually shows up in bursts.
You are not hiring all the time. You are hiring when someone leaves, when growth forces the issue, or when a role finally becomes too important to leave unfilled. Between those moments, hiring fades into the background.
When it does come up, it feels urgent. The work still needs to get done, and the gap is felt quickly. In that moment, most leaders are not looking for a perfect hiring process. They want a practical way to make a good decision without wasting time, burning out the team, or making a hire they will need to fix later.
That is typically when small business leaders start evaluating hiring solutions for small businesses and run into a familiar fork in the road.
On one side are tools and job boards that assume you can manage the process yourself. On the other are recruiter models that take over much of the search in exchange for a percentage-based fee.
For businesses that hire occasionally, neither option lines up particularly well with how hiring actually happens or how much support is truly needed.
What Most Small Businesses Are Actually Choosing Between
When it is time to hire, most leaders are pushed toward one of two paths.
The first is to handle the process internally using job boards and basic software. You write the job description, post it, and manage responses as they come in. The tools help with organization, but the responsibility for positioning the role, screening candidates, and making tradeoffs still sits with you.
The second option is to work with a recruiter. In that case, much of the sourcing and screening happens outside your organization, and the fee is usually tied to making a placement.
Both approaches can work. But both assume something that is often untrue for small businesses.
They assume hiring is either a skill you practice often or something you are willing to fully hand off, along with a significant fee that today is commonly in the 25% to 35% range.
Why Hiring Feels Risky When You Do It Infrequently
If you hire once or twice a year, you do not have many chances to refine your process. Each hire carries more weight because the margin for error is smaller.
Plus, small issues early in the process tend to compound. A vague job scope attracts the wrong candidates. An uncompetitive pay range limits interest. Inconsistent screening leads to interviews that stall or fail to move forward.
None of this means the role is impossible to fill. In most cases, it means the process was not set up with enough clarity before the search began.
This experience is common. According to the Society for Human Resource Management, more than 77% of companies report difficulty filling open roles. That points to a broader structural challenge, not a lack of effort or competence from business leaders.
What Small Businesses Often Miss Before They Post the Job
One of the most useful things a small business can do is slow down slightly before posting a role. A few upfront decisions can prevent weeks of wasted time later.
- What problem does this role need to solve in the next 6 to 12 months?
This is different from listing tasks. Focusing on the problem helps clarify what actually matters in a candidate. - What would make someone successful in this role, not just qualified?
Experience alone does not guarantee fit. Think about pace, decision-making, and how this role will work with the rest of your team. - Is the pay aligned with the expectations?
Many hiring challenges trace back to misalignment here. Reviewing market data early helps avoid pulling in candidates who were never likely to accept the role. - Who will be involved, who will make the final decision, and based on what criteria?
When this is unclear, interview processes stretch out and strong candidates disengage.
A tool is only as useful as the inputs behind it. Rushing through this scoping work often leads to poor targeting, longer timelines, and higher costs.
Where Common Hiring Approaches Fall Short
Most small business leaders start with job boards and hiring software because they are accessible and relatively low cost. On paper, posting a role and reviewing applicants seems straightforward.
In practice, it often becomes a time drain. Leaders are flooded with resumes, many of which are unqualified or not seriously interested. Sorting through them takes hours, and it can be difficult to know who is worth moving forward without extensive screening. While software helps with organization, it does little to guide role positioning, pay decisions, or tradeoffs in a competitive market.
Traditional recruiters solve some of these problems, but introduce others.
Recruiter and headhunter fees are commonly 25% to 35% of base salary, which can make even a routine hire feel too expensive. Employers often have limited visibility into the candidate pipeline, and recruiters typically control the candidate relationship. And because compensation is tied to placements, there can also be pressure to move quickly or negotiate higher salaries, which may not align with long-term fit.
For businesses that hire occasionally, this creates a narrow choice. Either absorb the time and uncertainty of managing the process internally, or pay a significant fee and give up control of how the hire is made.
That tension is where many small businesses get stuck.
What a More Practical Middle Ground Looks Like
For small businesses that hire occasionally, the goal is not to replace one extreme with another. It is to find a level of support that matches how hiring actually happens.
A practical middle-ground approach usually includes a few things.
Guidance before decisions are made, not just tools after problems appear.
Support that can scale up or down depending on the role.
Clear ownership and visibility into candidates and decisions.
This type of approach helps avoid the common missteps that turn a normal hire into a drawn-out, frustrating process.
How to Apply This Thinking Before Your Next Hire
Even if you continue using job boards or working with a recruiter, a few shifts in how you approach hiring can make a meaningful difference.
- Decide what this role truly needs to deliver in the next year and what you are willing to compromise on if the market is tight.
- Be honest about how much support you need for this specific hire. Not every role requires full-service recruiting. Some require better structure, clearer screening, or more realistic market insight.
- Pay attention to incentives. Whether you are using software or outside help, understand what each tool or partner is optimized to do. Misaligned incentives often explain why hiring outcomes disappoint.
- Most importantly, avoid rushing decisions just to relieve short-term pressure. A slightly slower start often leads to a faster and more confident finish.
A Middle-Ground Solution
For many small businesses, the challenge is not choosing between tools or recruiters. It is finding the right amount of support for how often hiring comes up.
That gap is what the Hoops Hiring Concierge was designed to address.
It is designed for teams that hire occasionally and want more structure and guidance during critical hiring moments. The focus is on role clarity, market insight, screening structure, and adding hands-on recruiting support only when it is genuinely needed.
Some teams use it to improve candidate flow. Others use it to ensure hiring managers only spend time with qualified, interested candidates. Many use it because they want experienced hiring support without the cost or commitment of a traditional recruiter.
If you are preparing for an upcoming hire and want to see whether a flexible, concierge-style hiring model is a better fit than traditional options, we’re happy to have that conversation.
Connect with us to learn more about our Hoops Hiring Concierge program →
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