How to Attract Employees for Your Service Business

1. Offer competitive compensation

The salary and employee benefits you offer are one of the most common reasons potential hires choose one employer over another. The better the compensation package, the more you position your business as a competitive workplace. 

But compensation isn’t just made up of the hourly rate or salary you pay your workers. A well-rounded and robust compensation package also includes: 

Raises

Beyond the baseline you pay your employees, offering consistent raises to reflect the job market and offset inflation is also helpful. For example, many companies offer annual raises based on employee performance reviews. 

Benefits

Health benefits give employees access to medical coverage, helping them to stay healthy and improving their overall quality of life. Plus, the costs are split between you and your team, making it more affordable for everyone involved. 

Training opportunities

A set training budget helps prospective employees to develop their skills. Providing an annual training budget that employees can use to take courses, attend workshops, or pursue certifications shows you’re committed to their professional growth. 

Not only does this bulk up your compensation package, but it also upskills your employees so you can offer new services and grow your business. 

Promotions

Consider how you want your company to grow and what roles you would need to make it happen, like managers, team leaders, or supervisors. Then make a plan for how employees can develop to fill these roles by taking on new responsibilities and learning new skills. This will help keep them motivated and give them something to work towards. 

Knowing that you have a plan in place for career growth will attract great employees who are looking for an employer who can help support their professional goals.

2. Build an employer brand

Your employer brand isn’t just meant to draw in customers. It can also be used to attract and retain talent. But it goes beyond creating a logo and website. 

Solid employer branding speaks to how professional, reliable, and trustworthy your business is. It’s made up of your company’s values, your reputation, and the experience you provide to your customers and employees. 

By collecting positive reviews, showcasing your company culture, and highlighting team achievements on social media, you create a strong employer brand that makes your business more appealing to prospective team members.

Pro Tip: Pay attention to employer review sites like Glassdoor to see what current and past employees are saying about your company. Respond positively to any good reviews, and use any negative feedback as a starting point to improve the way you do business.

3. Create a workplace culture

The best employers build a company culture that promotes learning, growth, and employee recognition for a job well done.

5. Develop a hiring process

Hiring an employee isn’t as simple as simply deciding you need another pair of hands and making a social media post about it. To boost your chances of hiring the right person for the job, you need to have a solid hiring process in place that includes: 

• Writing a clear job description: What will the person do? What skills or certifications does the role require? And what does your company offer in return? Be upfront about what you need and what you bring to the table to ensure your job posting attracts the right qualified candidates.
• Screening potential candidates: Before you interview anyone, review the applications you receive to determine which ones meet the job requirements. Make sure to outline your must-haves for the role and evaluate each application based on the same criteria. Focus on their skills, experience, and fit for the role to ensure a fair process. 
• Conducting interviews: Reach out to the candidates who passed the screening process and schedule interviews. But don’t wing it—come up with your interview questions beforehand and keep them centered around the role in question and the candidate’s qualifications. 
• Checking references: When a potential hire passes the interview process, use reference checks from previous employers to verify their experience and identify any red or green flags. For example, they may be able to tell you that the candidate always showed up on time, worked well within a team, and enjoyed learning new skills. Or they may share the candidate’s potential areas of improvement, like how they respond to constructive feedback. 
• Onboarding new hires: Lastly, you need an onboarding process that helps new hires learn the ropes, feel welcome, and set themselves up for success. Provide training materials like SOPs, introduce them to the team, and outline their responsibilities from day one. You should also make a point of checking in regularly over their first few weeks to answer any questions they have or offer support. 

Keep in mind that if you expect to hire top talent, you need to be a top-tier employer.

6. Celebrate diversity and inclusion

Highlighting diversity and inclusion shows potential hires that your business is welcoming to everyone. Make a point of positioning yourself as an equitable employer by mentioning your commitment to diversity and inclusion in your job postings and as part of your workplace culture. 

That way, you’ll appeal to a larger hiring pool of job seekers and attract even more potential hires.

7. Provide stability

Potential employees want to know whether they can expect job stability and security from you—especially if your business is seasonal. 

Explain whether you can offer stable employment and the steps you take to ensure your employees are kept busy all year round. For example, if you offer lawn care in the spring and summer, do you provide snow removal or holiday light installation during the winter?

The more consistent your work, the more your business will appeal to job seekers looking for an employer they can stay with long-term.

9. Make an employee referral program

Developing an employee referral program encourages existing employees to help recruit new talent from their circles by incentivizing them to refer potential candidates your way. 

For example, you could offer a reward or cash bonus for every hire they refer that passes a probationary period. This will get your workers on board with spreading the word and generate interest from trusted and reliable sources.

10. Focus on professional development

Working for you isn’t the only goal many of your employees will have. Many also want to develop their skills and build their careers. Supporting professional development helps potential hires see your business as a good place to grow.

Professional development can include: 

• Apprenticeship programs for skilled tradespeople 
• Leadership and management training
• Internal promotions and growth opportunities
• Certifications and specialized workshops
• Cross-training in multiple areas

Offering these options available to potential hires shows them that you aren’t just focused on getting jobs done today. You’re willing to invest in their futures. 

Bonus points if you provide a clear career roadmap from day one so new hires understand exactly what to expect and how to progress in your company.

11. Participate in the community

Participating in the community shows workers you care about more than just the bottom line. It helps them to make a difference where they live, benefiting their families and friends. 

You can give back to your community as a business by: 

• Volunteering with local charities or programs, like delivering food bank hampers or contributing to a building project
• Sponsoring a local sports team, event, or festival
• Partnering with other local businesses to support community initiatives like green spaces, playgrounds, or food gardens
• Hosting charity drives or donating to fundraisers

12. Celebrate success

Recognizing and rewarding your team’s hard work makes them feel valued and appreciated. And that’s something job seekers pay attention to when reviewing job postings. 

For example, you can: 

• Celebrate milestones with free meals or cash bonuses, like when an employee passes probation
• Give awards for exceptional performance, like getting a positive review from a client or signing a big project
• Acknowledge birthdays and life milestones with free meals, gifts, or time off
• Have an employee of the month who gets special perks

It’s an effective way to show that you want your employees to succeed and care about them as individuals. That extra effort can help your job posts stand out.

13. Prioritize safety

Some service industries come with inherent risks. From handling hazardous materials to working in dangerous trades, it’s important to let potential hires know they’ll be safe on the job. 

In your postings, on your website, and during interviews, clearly communicate the precautions you take to ensure your workers’ well-being. 

For example, you can: 

• Provide PPE and safety equipment
• Offer regular safety training and refreshers
• Have safety protocols in place for every job and service
• Conduct routine vehicle and equipment inspections

14. Use software

Potential employees want to work for companies that are with the times. Software like Jobber makes managing customers, creating quotes, sending invoices, and accepting credit card payments easy. 

Automation appeals to potential employees who appreciate a streamlined process that reduces their administrative responsibilities. 

Highlight the processes and workflows you use in job ads and during interviews to demonstrate you’re a modern business that uses technology to support your team members.