Small business owners struggling to hire in a competitive labor market may find a new strategy in a recent podcast episode featuring Shannon Black, Chair of SCORE Austin. In Episode 82 of the Rock Solid: Round Rock Business Leaders Podcast, hosted by Bryan Eisenberg, Black outlines a systematic approach to recruiting that she developed after the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted traditional hiring methods.
Black, a former math teacher who founded and sold Sunrise Montessori, advises posting job ads on Sunday mornings rather than Thursday. This timing, she explains, allows search engines about 24 hours to index the ad, aligning with the peak job search period: Monday lunchtime. She also recommends using 30 or more hashtags at the bottom of listings to improve SEO without rewriting copy, and avoiding masculine language that may deter female applicants.
To screen candidates efficiently, Black suggests a 10-minute Zoom pre-interview with unexpected questions like "What is your favorite color?" This technique helps reveal personality and cultural fit beyond a polished resume. She warns that AI-inflated resumes are a growing concern, making such screening essential.
The episode arrives as small businesses nationwide face post-COVID hiring shifts and the challenge of protecting company culture during growth. Black's insights are particularly relevant for Central Texas, where the tight labor market demands creative solutions. She also discusses SCORE's free mentorship model, which offers more than 1,000 workshops per month and virtual mentor matching at score.org.
Black previews an upcoming women's conference, a trades conference on June 13, and a four-day workshop series on valuing and selling a business. She recounts helping a client launch a successful Austin clay studio and points to entrepreneur Desiree Fox of V Wear Love as an example of the idea-stage founders SCORE serves. Eisenberg shares his own hiring wins after applying Black's tweaks, plus a lease near-miss rescued by Round Rock realtor Bacha Porter.
The conversation opens with Black recovering from a baby rattlesnake bite sustained while gardening, crediting St. David's in Round Rock for antivenom treatment. For small business owners, this episode offers a practical, data-driven approach to hiring in a challenging market. Episode 82 is available now wherever podcasts are heard.
