Recruiting - Think Marketing and Sales

"At most companies, people spend 2 percent of their time recruiting and 75 percent managing their recruiting mistakes." 

- Richard Fairbanks, CEO of Capital One

A new Manpower study shows that even though we have the largest amount of people out of the workforce in 30 years, we have a labor shortage in the US.

The top 3 positions that are the hardest to fill are sales, service technicians and drivers.

I would like to share with you some thoughts on how that changes the long held beliefs about recruiting and some ideas about tactics you should be testing.

First, it means the best people are working for someone else. They are probably not looking in the paper or online for a job. Traditional methods to find and attract them are not going to work alone.

You have to think about Recruiting like you think about sales and marketing. What do I mean?

You have to be proactive and take action, not sit back passively and wait for people to come to you. Think about how valuable the right 'A' Player is to your company. Isn't it worth spending a couple of hours a week working on finding and attracting them?

People Marketing and Sales

• You have to profile your Ideal Candidates - just like you do your Ideal Customer.
• You need a Value Proposition - your elevator speech, your message that begins with their pain, the best solution and why you are the best solution provider.
• You have to then get that message out in all the right places and right ways: Social media, Network with business associates, or Email.
• Referrals - Visit your best customers and ask them "Who is the best salesperson that calls on you"? "Who is the best service tech that comes into your place?" Then call them up and take them to breakfast. Talk about the pain they have at their present job (HVAC hot attics, emergency calls at all hours of the night, etc. Sales people who don't have support, have to do it all, are held back, etc.)
• Have a bounty for your employees to bring in candidates and if you hire them give a little bonus on top.
• All this also means you may have to find them young and train them the way you want them to be. 

To Find Service Techs              

1. Use classified advertisements in newspapers, circulars and trade publications. Use your new Value Proposition - not the regular milk toast ads you now place. View Sample Ad with VP
2. Place an outside sign that attracts a "crafts person" or "handy person," rather than saying a "service technician."
3. Advertise job positions on the Internet and radio. Value Proposition again.
4. Sponsor an automotive/handyman related radio/TV talk show. Value Proposition again.
5. Visit with personnel that retire or leave military service and want a new career.
6. Get involved with a high or technical school. Offer to do presentations from the business owners point of view to help prepare students, do product demos, loan them equipment, let them tour your place, etc. Offer assistance to counselors and shop teachers, and participate in career day activities.
7. Develop an internship program for high school students or technical school students to work part-time with experienced technicians.
8. Encourage local high schools and vocational schools to add maintenance and repair as an elective shop course or vocational development program, and help establish a degree program.
9. Offer financial incentives such as signing bonuses, benefit packages, tuition assistance, voluntary overtime opportunities, promotions tied to competency instead of seniority, tool reimbursements and cash incentives for industry training and certifications.

You have to be doing this all the time, consistently just like you market and sell your company's services and products.

In other words, I believe this is the most important couple of hours you can spend each week - recruiting and building that bench - take action because just knowing what to do is not enough.

Regards,

Rick Wallace