As tough as it is to find a good job, it's also increasingly difficult to find good employees. If you're the owner of a company, or in charge of hiring, you know it's a challenge to find good workers that are dedicated to their job. If you're considering reevaluating the way you hire, here are four suggestions that can help you locate and retain candidates that are serious about a career.

Get Help From an Agency

When you're running a business, it's hard to eke out time to review dozens of job applications, much less holding intensive interviews. Instead, find employees with the help of Boston staffing firms. When you work with this type of agency, you won't need to weed through candidates yourself. They'll already be prescreened and possess the skills you require. This works well if you're looking for just one employee or several for multiple positions.

Pay Attention to Job Histories

If you're reviewing resumes on your own, pay close attention to an applicant's prior job experience. This is one circumstance where you want to concentrate on quality and not quantity. When someone has a string of short-term jobs that weren't meant to be temporary, this could be a red flag. Be sure to follow up with past employers and get the real story.

Call on References

References are there for a reason, but many applicants seem to think nobody really calls on them. Make sure you do. It's important to verify that references are really from supervisors and bosses, not friends pretending to be someone else. Make phone calls and do your homework until you're positive you've got the right person for the job.

Always Trust Your Instinct

Above all, always trust your gut instinct. If something about the applicant doesn't sit well, or you feel like they're demanding a lot, don't ignore your feelings. Signs of something that might not quite right include a person asking a lot of questions about vacation time, or someone that appears to be setting their own rules. These are clues that the employee could be in trouble even before they're hired.

Find the Right Person

Searching for high-quality employees is certainly an involved process, but when you find the right person, it can bring incredible balance to the workplace. Valuable employees are the ones that will stick by you and become assets to your business, so make sure you search for them carefully.