Struggling to Find Summertime Help? 3 Steps to Take

The fact that jobs are pretty abundant in today's economy can be a challenge for small business owners. After all, when there's a lot of opportunity, it can be tricky to find help.

In April, 45% of small business owners reported job openings that were hard to fill, according to a report by the National Federation of Independent Businesses. So if you're struggling to find summertime help for your business, that's not all that shocking.

But at this point, you may be growing increasingly desperate by the day -- especially since we're already in the thick of summer and things might only get busier and busier at your business by the week. If that's the case, try employing these tactics to bring in some quick hires.

1. Make the offer a good one

You'd think college students in between semesters would jump at the chance to snag summertime work and use that income to pad their savings accounts. But unless your offer is really an enticing one, you may find that burned-out students would rather spend their summer at the beach or hanging out than bringing home a paycheck.

Take a look at your business banking records and see how much you can afford to pay. You may need to up your offer to draw in applicants. 

And if you can't pay more than a modest hourly wage, see if you can make up for it with flexible hours or freebies. For example, if you own a restaurant, you can offer summertime workers a free meal to eat onsite or bring home with every shift they clock in for.

2. Give your current employees a referral bonus

If you're struggling with summertime hiring, you may need to enlist the help of your current team members. And they may be more likely to be of assistance if you make it worth their while. 

Offer a referral bonus where existing workers get, say, $50 or $100 for every summertime hire they bring in. You may even want to offer a modest payday -- say, $10 -- for every applicant they bring in, even if those people don't end up being a good fit.

3. Talk up the possibility of longer-term employment

There are no doubt plenty of recent college graduates who got their degrees about a month or so ago and need a job. But chances are, they're looking for full-time, ongoing work -- not just a summer gig.

If there's a chance that your summertime roles will get extended to permanent ones, though, make that clear in your job listings and interviews. You may be more likely to draw the interest of newly minted college grads.

That said, don't lie about the possibility of ongoing employment if it doesn't really exist. That could ruin your reputation and hurt your chances of being able to hire help in the future. And frankly, it's just not the right thing to do.

You're probably not the only small business owner who's having a hard time filling summertime roles. Employ these tips ASAP if business is picking up and you don't have all the help you need to keep up with demand.