Hiring mangers found 2015 very challenging for recruiting good candidates. This year, it will be even tougher as we face a talent shortage in the material handling and logistics industry due to rising hiring needs. Therefore, hiring managers are feeling pressured to find the right candidates with the hard and soft skills to match the demands.
No matter the size or location of a company, the methods your in-house recruiters and hiring managers use to attract and retain highly talented employees are probably under scrutiny. It has become a top priority to review, assess and revamp them.
For this reason, I want to share seven great hiring strategies with you:
1. Identify what your retainable employees have in common.
It is essential to find out why key people stay with your organization. What backgrounds, skills, or personality traits do they have in common? Make a list. Also, use confidential employee surveys to ask them why they stay and what they would like to see you do in order to keep them. Their answers can help you to hire right in the first place.
2. Power through the talent crunch.
If the current available talent doesn't meet the demand, you will need to change how and where you search for them. Start with your competitors. Can you lure their top performers to your company? Also, consider casting a wider net. If before, you were able to find key talent within 50 miles and that's changed, expand your reach… even to thinking globally. In addition, you will need to be creative. Consider using telecommuters, contractors, consultants, or even retired executives who would be open to part-time hours.
3. Build a talent pipeline even when not actively hiring.
A talent pipeline should be developed in order to identify potential candidates who can be continuously nurtured and approached when vacancies arise. There are several key reasons why it's absolutely necessary to implement a long-term sourcing strategy: to develop relationships with future talent; shorten the time to hire; improve the interview process; and minimize business disruption.
4. Use mobile technologies and social media.
Today, it is estimated that 90% of job-seekers are using mobile devices during their search for a new job opportunity. Employers need to adapt by making mobile recruiting an important hiring strategy. They should be posting jobs on mobile-friendly platforms and consider using FaceTime to initially screen candidates. In addition to mobile strategies, employers should make use of social media. Find out what social media platforms your desired job candidates are using and reach them there. The most popular are LinkedIn, Twitter and Facebook.
5. Brand your company as a "Best Workplace."
Research the different types of awards available to your company. Having your organization named to a workplace "Best of" list can be a positive recruiting and retention tool. Earning these types of accolades can serve as a way to positively brand your company as a thriving and vibrant place to work. Not only will this boost the number of people wanting to work for your firm, but will increase the morale and pride of current employees.
6. Transparency throughout the hiring process.
Today's era of transparency in talent acquisition requires greater attention to detail. That means creating a precise job description, stating why the job is open, making it easy for top candidates to speak with would-be co-workers, being upfront about the downsides of the position (e.g., long hours), and talking candidly about the possible reasons there would be a delay in the hiring process. It really stands out when an employer is transparent and open with candidates.
7. Develop relationships with reputable recruiters.
It makes sense to contact a reputable, industry-specific recruiter because they can improve your chances of acquiring the right people with the experience and skills you need. Recruiters have an extensive network of the industry's top performers and can save you time and money, especially when you're faced with a hard-to-fill position. In addition, all information exchanged remains confidential.
As the job market improves and thereby increases the hiring demand, it only makes sense that the same recruiting strategies used over the past recessionary years will no longer apply. Recruiting strategies need to be updated and creative in order to push past the talent shortage.
Dan Charney is the president and CEO of Direct Recruiters Inc. (DRI), an executive search firm for companies specializing in material handling and logistics, packaging, capital equipment and automation systems. DRI is based near Cleveland, Ohio.
