Its finally time to hire on the staff that you have been doing without. Business is increasing and you need more employees. The trick is to find a good balance between a great applicant and compensation for the applicant. Time to assess the job needs of your company and analyze where you should put more money and where you could do with a little less. Sometimes you can find a great employee to groom for other things and hire them in inexpensively and as you grow they grow. A win-win situation. American Express has some great ideas to help you navigate the job market.

Several recent surveys show that small businesses are thinking about hiring once again.

Like many entrepreneurs, you may wonder how much salary to offer in today???s job market. Overpay new employees and you???ll soon find yourself with unsustainable overhead — especially if the economy falters. Shortchange your recruits and you may breed resentment.

Here is some advice from compensation experts on how to strike a balance.

via How Much Should You Pay New Hires? : Money :: American Express OPEN Forum.