Business owners are preparing to ramp up their hiring efforts in 2025, but how you hire is just as important as who you hire. If you’re not prepared for the problems with hiring for small businesses in 2025, you risk falling behind — missing out on top talent, losing valuable time, and scrambling to build the team you’ll need when the economy kicks into high gear.
Here at The Metiss Group, we’ve spent almost three decades helping small businesses like yours navigate hiring challenges and hire superstar talent.
In this article, we’ll discuss:
Candidates Feel Like Job Postings in 2025 Are a “Bait and Switch”
No one likes to feel misled. Imagine booking a hotel room with stunning photos of a beachfront view, only to show up and find your window faces a brick wall. That’s how candidates feel when job descriptions don’t match up with reality.
It’s usually not intentional. Most employers just aren’t taking the time to clearly define the role before recruiting candidates.
They’ll have a loose idea of what they want, but as the interview process begins, the role shifts. By the time the hiring manager has had five or six interviews, the job looks completely different than what HR originally posted.
The fix? A solid definition phase. Bring in key stakeholders — managers, direct reports, anyone who will interact with the new hire — to figure out exactly what the role requires. Define success factors, priorities, and the kind of person who would thrive in that position.
If everyone’s on the same page, you’ll attract candidates who are actually a good fit. The goal here is for the ideal candidate to read it and think, “This job would be perfect for me!” And it’ll help you spot the ideal candidate more easily, too.
Companies Are Posting More Jobs Anonymously in 2025
Posting a job anonymously is a recipe for disaster. This is something we’ve just started seeing more of in the last month or so.
Here’s one common scenario: you’re quietly looking to replace someone on your team. Maybe they’re doing a “meh” job, not bad enough to let them go outright, but not good enough to keep long-term. So you let them limp along while you secretly search for their replacement.
The problem? Word will get out eventually. And when it does, that employee will feel embarrassed, morale across the team will plummet, and suddenly everyone starts wondering if their role is next.
Even worse, if the employee finds out early, they could quit on the spot, leaving you with an empty seat and no transition plan.
Pro Tip: Instead of trying to replace that person, slow down and start making it a habit of giving that person daily feedback. It’s perfectly acceptable to tell that employee, “Hey, I wasn’t clear in the beginning, but here’s what we need to do next time, or we’re all going to be in a bad spot.” Then if the employee still isn’t meeting expectations after a month or two, the transition conversation will come a lot more easily. |
Another problem with anonymous job listings? Candidates don’t trust them. How can they be sure it’s not their own employer? For candidates worried about retaliation, it’s not worth the risk, so they’ll move right past your job listing.
Remember, this is still a candidate’s market, and top talent has options. The best candidates aren’t just looking for a paycheck; they want to know about the company, its culture, and its values before they even consider leaving their current role. If they can’t figure out who you are, they’re not going to waste their time applying.
Hiring Managers Still Struggle With Salary Negotiations
This is nothing new, but most companies still don’t know how to handle salary discussions. If it’s for a high-level role, maybe they’ll splurge on a market analysis. But for mid-level or entry-level roles? Many businesses don’t know if they can afford it.
Instead, most companies rely on a risky game of “let’s see what the candidates say.” Here’s what typically follows:
The candidate refuses to answer or says “it depends,” or they give you a number completely out of the range you were expecting
So you turn to Google or ChatGPT and search for “average salary for this role”
The search results say the average salary is $40,000-80,000, so you include that in the job description with the intention of hiring at $60,000
Candidates assume they’ll be offered the upper range of the salary and feel offended when you offer $55,000
In short, there’s a big difference between a salary range and a hiring range. Your hiring range should never go past the midpoint of the salary range.
So in this example, your hiring range for this role should have been $40,000-60,000. That way, when you offer $57,000, candidates will feel good about landing near the top of the range. It’s all about managing expectations.
Pro Tip: Some hiring managers think it’s worth it to hire a superstar at the top of the salary range. But just because they were a superstar at one company doesn’t mean their skills will perfectly translate to your company. If they end up being mediocre at your company, then your payroll will be out of balance — you might have other employees who make less and work harder. Instead, hire at the midpoint with plans to increase salary or bonuses after the employee proves their value. |
In conclusion, companies hiring in 2025 must stop relying on candidates to control salary negotiations. Do your proper research beforehand, and be realistic about your budget. Then you’ll be able to control the conversation with transparency from the beginning.
Fake Job Postings are Seeing an Increase in 2025
Fake job postings are becoming more common, with a recent CBS News report revealing that 40% of companies admitted to posting fake job listings in 2024.
Some do it to look like they’re growing. Others want to signal to employees that they’re replaceable. Both are terrible strategies.
For employees, these job postings create anxiety and suspicion. They start to wonder if the company is quietly trying to replace them, and this tanks morale.
For candidates, it’s even worse. They take time off work, prepare for interviews, and invest in opportunities that don’t actually exist. If they find out the posting was fake, they’re unlikely to trust your company again. They could even blast your company on LinkedIn or Reddit. And in a competitive hiring market, you can’t afford to alienate top talent.
One thing we’ve heard from small business owners is that they’re using fake job postings to research the market. For example, if they’re considering building out their marketing department next year, they’ll interview a handful of marketing candidates to understand their expectations and how much it’d cost.
But you can perform market research without lying to candidates and wasting their time. You can ask for feedback from your peers, crowdsource advice on LinkedIn, or do your research privately.
All in all, don’t burn bridges with people who might be a perfect fit when you’re actually ready to hire.
The Bottom Line on Hiring in 2025
If hiring in 2025 turns into a frenzy like we saw back in 2021, you need to be prepared. Don’t make the same mistakes as everyone else: unclear job roles, anonymous postings, botched salary negotiations, and dishonest interview processes. If you can overcome these challenges, you’ll set your business up for success in 2025.
At The Metiss Group, we’ve spent nearly 30 years coaching businesses like yours through hiring challenges. If you’re ready to level up your hiring process, the next step is to understand how a hiring process coach can work with your existing HR department so you can get ready to find the talent you need for 2025.