At the beginning of last year, small and medium-sized businesses in the UK employed 15.2 million people, according to the Federation of Small Businesses.

Recruitment is an essential part of growing a firm, but it does present a series of challenges for small business owners. For example, how do you set up your first payroll system? And what human resources issues do you need to be aware of?

For small businesses, new hires can make the difference between success and failure. Where should you look for the best talent to help you target key areas in your firm? And what’s the best way to post a job advert? Hiring staff costs money – once you have made your hire, how do you retain employees for the long-term?

We’ve invited a panel of experts to take part in this live discussion, to offer practical advice on how to manage new staff. They will be on hand to answer your questions on anything to do with recruitment, from legal issues to making your office an inspiring place to work.

To take part, post your questions in the comments section below, tweet us at @GdnSmallBiz or join us online between 1pm and 2.30pm on March 19 to chat directly with our panel.

Our panel

•Kirsty Senior is the co-founder of Citrus HR, an online service that combines software and one-to-one support to enable small businesses to navigate HR issues like payroll, holidays and employment contracts

•Sean Mallon started his first business aged 21 and built it to over 30 staff. He is now the CEO of Bizdaq, helping small businesses to be bought and sold online. He has recruited and employed people in positions from digital analysts to sales directors

•Vikki Bean is a qualified accountant and the UK education manager for Xero, delivering free education for business owners, accountants and bookkeepers on the Xero U website. She was previously managing director of BPP Cambridge and the owner of a small accountancy and training business

•Tracy Filler is a growth coach for GrowthAccelerator, part of the Business Growth Service. With over 25 years working in and around the recruitment industry, she advises many growing businesses

•Liz Wood is an HR expert at Blue Acorns, covering all aspects of the employee life cycle. She has over 20 years’ experience as an HR specialist and is a chartered member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD)

•Mike Ferguson is the client relationship director at Social Media Search – a service that helps clients recruit quickly and inexpensively using social channels. He was an early pioneer of social media in recruitment when he launched seasonworkers.com in 2002

•Jamie Mackenzie is the marketing director of Sodexo Benefits and Rewards Services. He specialises in promoting Sodexo’s range of solutions that are designed to help businesses attract, motivate and retain employees and customers

•Cath Harrison is the founder and managing director of JobVacancyPortal.co.uk, a provider of online recruitment advertising, testing and e-learning solutions to UK employers. She has 14 years’ experience in recruitment and HR

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