by Audra Sarver
There are few places in our country where there is not a plethora of hiring signs for all kinds of businesses in all kinds of industries for all kinds of positions. How do companies attract new hires? Redevelopment Resources is working with an economic development organization in southwest Wisconsin to address this issue. The first survey was designed to help us gain insight into employers of the region, their recruitment methods and hiring prerequisites, their values, needs, assistance they provide to employees, and their perceptions of the application process. The survey revealed some misconceptions that employers had and some areas for improvement in recruitment methods. The second survey is designed to understand employees’ values and perceptions of their housing, childcare, and transportation needs. Below are suggestions for the client organization, but we believe these suggestions are useful to other economic development organizations and employers hoping to address this problem.
Recognizing the Problem
There is a lot of talk about who is to blame for the problem, but the reality is that there are more jobs than there are people to fill them. Anyone reading this knows about supply and demand, there is more demand for workers than there is supply, which leads to employees having more leverage than in the past. A good starting question is: What does this cost our business?
A poor manager sees employees as unavoidable, a cost that is unavoidable until technology advances far enough and that aforementioned technology is financially attainable. A good manager recognizes that while the marginal product, or efficiency, of labor diminishes as the number of employees increases, maximum profit cannot be achieved if there are not enough and if the business plan is not being followed to its fullest extent. Widgets are not being produced, services are being delayed or diminished in quality, customers are waiting longer or going to the competition instead, and there is no capacity for the revolutionary idea that you have in the back of your head. Employees are the foundation by which everything else holds together. Goods and services are produced, business goals are met, and expansions happen.
Defining the Team
What do we want in our next employee?
Create an employee persona that identifies the characteristics that are going to allow future employees to succeed in this position. What kind of person will work well with the team? Who is the most likely to make friends at the workplace? What is it about the employees that have bought into the mission? Who is most likely to want to stay in the community? Consider surveying or interviewing (preferred) the best employees in the organization in similar positions to the open position. This will provide insights into their personalities, hobbies, interests, and why they decided and continue to work for the organization.
Who are we as an employer?
No doubt the basics of the why, the mission, and the core values and principles are already established. However, just like one would distinguish their service and product from the competition, one must also distinguish their employment experience. We think about how our product/service addresses a customer’s problem and their experience their experience throughout the process. Now we need to think about the problems driving job seekers that we can address. It might be management style, flexibility, hours, commute time, childcare issues, or transportation issues. Who are we and how can we meet these employees’ needs?
Reforming the Strategy
When making sales, most of the battle is getting them in the door. Then, you need to get them to see the value of the product. People are willing to pay more when they understand the value. Similarly, people will take moderately less pay for a schedule that works for them, coworkers and a boss they like, a mission they can personally invest in, or the benefits they need to support the ones they love. Tailor job ads to people seeking at least one of these things.
How are the people involved in the hiring and recruiting processes spending their time allocated to these efforts?
Depending on the size and structure of the businesses who is responsible for hiring and recruiting may vary. Are they spending more time on administrative tasks or time improving the hiring g process? Negotiating the advertisements or creating better recruitment postings? Filtering through the applications or interviewing applicants? What about collecting current employee testimonials? There are also a variety of technologies that could be used to improve the process.
Don’t require a resume.
A resume is useful to prove they are proficient in Microsoft Word. However, if time is of the essence, sorting through a bunch of resumés in a variety of formats is inefficient. Instead, applicants should fill out a form, online or on paper, that will facilitate easy evaluation. The form should include the following:
- Qualities most sought in a future employee for the position.
- Experiences that demonstrate competence with the skills you desire the employee to have in this position. These experiences could include past work experience, clubs, or hobbies.
- Evidence of knowledge of a certain area. For example, is there a specific course, a college degree, or certifications you desire? What about working at various levels of the industry relative to that area?
Reserve the interview to ask why they want to work for the organization and to demonstrate social skills. This consolidation of the most important questions will make the process easier for the applicant and for you.
Take advantage of the technology available when setting up interviews.
Many free or subscription platforms such as Calendly, TimeTap, Picktime, and Square Appointments. These tools allow you to designate dates and times you are available. Then, the interviewee can “book” an interview slot. No time wasted trying to email, text, message, or call back and forth trying to set up an interview. Many platforms can send a confirmation message, reminders, and the location or link to a virtual meeting.
Do a little prep work.
We prepare sales pitches, loan requests, and equity investment requests. We ought to prepare pitching our company, and our staff to this interviewee. Now more than ever an interview should be seen as a first date. Both parties are interested in a professional relationship that is a good fit and fulfills each other’s expectations within the workplace. So, make sure to review the interviewee’s questionnaire beforehand to avoid asking for information they have already given you. Also, ensure the interview consists of questions relevant to the organization’s values, culture, and mission and obtains information still needed to decide whether you are hiring the interviewee. People want to work at places where their time is valued, where they feel like they belong with the team, and where they believe in the mission. This needs to be demonstrated from the very first interaction.
Recommended Resources
Reading
- Winning the War for Talent: Recruit, Retain, and Develop The Talent Your Business Needs to Survive and Thrive by Chris Czarnik
- Good to Great by Jim Collins
- Great by Choice by Jim Collins and Morten T. Hansen
