In today's business climate, one of biggest challenges business owners face is finding and retaining good employees.

Here are three tips to recruit employees that can not only help you get the job done, but also help you grow your business.

Ask for referrals

One way to find good candidates is to start with your current employees. If you have an employee who consistently goes above and beyond, ask them if they have a friend or family member looking for work.

Inviting your employees to refer their friends and family will increase the probability that you will get a better candidate.

If you hire your employee’s friend or family member it could also increase workplace satisfaction for both employees. According to U.S. News, “Sixty-five percent of referred employees were very satisfied with job fit or their ability to fulfill the requirements of the position, and 50 percent were very satisfied with how well they fit within the company.”

Search online

Another place to find better candidates and streamline the hiring process is The National Association of Landscape Professionals industry career website. The site provides information for employers and prospective employees.

Landscape Industry Careers highlights more than 15 different jobs in the landscape industry with a career description, average income range, a video and written testimonials from people with that career a list of typical benefits. Employers can post available jobs right to the website’s job board.

Perform better employee interviews

Once you have found a few candidates, it’s time to perform your interviews. Good interviews are key to hiring solid employees that will stick around longer than a season or two.

First, review the candidates’ resumes for indicators of how long they stayed at previous jobs.

• Review how many jobs they have had in the last few years.
• Check to see if they have moved a lot recently.
• Look for any gaps in employment.
• Determine whether or not they are overqualified for the position.

These indicators are telltale signs for how long a candidate might stay with your company. If someone moves around a lot or frequently changes jobs, they might not be the best fit for your company.

Once you have decided which candidates to interview, come up with a few questions to ask in the interview.

Be sure to ask open-ended questions to get more thorough responses, such as “how do you perform under stress?” versus “do you perform well under stress?”. Having questions prepared will help you facilitate the conversation and ensure you get the information you need to make your decision.

Have you recently hired a new employee? Share your tips for successfully finding great employees in the comments below.