Have you ever heard of the saying ‘no man (or woman) is an island’? Well, whoever said it first must have had entrepreneurs in mind. After all, you’re no superhero — also a great saying about entrepreneurs — and true business success relies on a solid team that will help you oversee all the nitty-gritty that comes with transforming your ideas into reality.

The question is, how do you start attracting talent in the first place? People Management reports that over 67% of employees who are 40 and below are considering some sort of huge career shift.

This is a large pool of candidates for employers, and recruitment often becomes a rat race to see who can get the best talent for their team.

So on that note, read on below for four top strategies to attract the candidate of your dreams.

Leverage your networks

Here’s another saying — ‘I get by with a little help from my friends’. Personal referrals are still one of the best ways to find specialised candidates, so it’s worth starting out with your personal networks to see if your friend knows a guy or girl who knows a guy who wants to join your team. Even doing something as simple as asking your friend over a lunch date or posting a quick Facebook status can lead to a huge ripple effect when it comes to getting the word out. You can also use this particular trick with your employees, which then spreads the message even further.

Use social media

If you’re looking for young talent, you can bet they’re all on social media. What were once platforms to share quick life updates have since turned into useful marketing tools – people organise events through Facebook, sell products on Instagram, and so much more. The Next Web suggests using interactive polls and quizzes to help candidates find the perfect role for them, while the comments section is a great place to engage with candidates in real-time. At the very least, social media is a fun break from the humdrum ads and postings that you’ll usually send out.

Figure out your interview structure

How you conduct the interview speaks volumes about how you’ll conduct business operations overall. Comeet’s guide to interviews outlines three basic types: structured, semi-structured, and unstructured. Structured interviews are those that ask employees to prepare questions in advance, while unstructured interviews are more free-flowing (while still being professional, of course). While it may be tempting to strike a balance and go for semi-structured interviews, you’ll ultimately need to take into account how much time you can give to each candidate as well as the qualities you’re looking for.

Get your branding on-point

Good branding is crucial to attracting great talent. As mentioned in the beginning of the article, today’s small businesses and startups are dealing with tons of competition out there. How do you plan to make your business stand out? My post on The One Thing You Need to Run a Business  emphasises that it’s confidence that gets you ahead, and this is true for job postings too. Being upfront about what you require, but also being confident in what you can offer — whether it’s experience, benefits, or whatever else — can help the right candidate find you quicker.

Recruitment can be time-intensive, but these four tips can make the process a lot more bearable (perhaps even fun) while you're on the search for the next perfect teammate.