Hiring for entrepreneurs can be a blessing and a curse. While the increased workload that comes with expansion and additions means you’re doing something right, the hiring process can take valuable time and energy away from the tasks at hand. Some times are better than others to begin looking for new talent, though. January is always a recruitment opportunity, as employees who are not satisfied with their jobs may start planning to look for new ones.

If it’s time for you to bring new employees on board, follow these four tips for the most efficient headhunt possible.

1. Determine your needs

First and foremost, determine the skills and experience that your project needs. Evaluating your team also allows you to re-think how to make better use of your current human resources. You might find it useful, for instance, to give an employee new responsibilities or to change their status to full-time.

Develop a plan for the new year, stating your objectives. The latter will shed light on your needs, also making it easier to determine to type of fresh blood your business needs.

2. Create a job description

Do you need a full- or part-time employee? Freelancer or staff? A target-specific contract might fulfill your purposes as well as an open-ended one, while saving you resources.

3. Offer attractive incentives

A study conducted by Bayt.com with participants from the Middle East and North Africa suggests that 34% of job seekers look into the attendant benefits of a steady job, including health insurance. Moreover, 45% of them prefer having a steady job in order to acquire new information and experiences.

These figures should remind you that employees expect benefits. Consider what you will offer them, even if you can’t offer the usual health insurance or school fees. It could be a share of the company, flexibile working hours, or training courses. This should correspond to the needs of the people you intend to attract.

4. Share widely

If this article were addressed to big firms, I would suggest buying ads on the most prominent recruitment websites or hiring headhunters. But in entrepreneurial ventures with tight budgets, social media is the way to go. You should use Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, and any other social network available to you to disseminate the announcement.