For the past several months, I’ve been meeting with clients to strategize how to find and retain qualified staff in this tight labor market. Recruiting is a full time job in the best of times. Today, and into the future, employers will need to be ever more creative and flexible. Having a staffing partner who knows your organization and its needs will be critical to your success.
Here are some ideas you might find useful:
• For entry-level positions, focus on soft skills. The rest can be trained.
• Ask your recruiter to send people they’ve previously worked with and who’ve received positive feedback from other BOLT clients.
• Deepen your relationship with us.
o Make sure we have a clear picture of the skills and experience you need to fill your positions.
• Beware of overstating job requirements.
o It will only reduce the number of candidates presented.
• Leverage your relationship with us.
o Tell us about your most difficult positions to fill. Let us develop a “recipe” for identifying potential workers.
o We have a wide range of tools like skills tests, interview techniques, and a database with hundreds of active assignment employees. Ask to have a peek at the top 3 people we have interviewed in a given week. Remember, there is no charge to review resumes. What have you got to lose?
• Don’t let good people get away:
o Shortening the temp-to-hire period can enhance retention.
o Consider direct hire. We will work with you to develop a payment plan. Remember, we guarantee our placements.
• Be flexible:
o Consider things like restructuring a full-time position into two part-time positions. This opens up an entirely new pool of candidates.
• Reduce the number of agencies you work with.
o We are all fishing out of the same pond. Avoid the awkward position of receiving the same candidate from two different agencies.
o Recruiters focus their energy where they will have success. We naturally want to place our good people with the clients who are committed to working with us.
• Job postings must advertise and promote the position.
o Describe what a person will do, learn and experience in the position.
o Technical job descriptions don’t resonate with applicants.
We at BOLT Staffing rely on personal relationships with our clients and employees. We work across the employment spectrum and as a result are confronting the changes in the marketplace every day. As your partner in identifying and hiring the best possible talent we bring the value of our daily experience to help you. Contact me or your account manager if you’d like to discuss your staffing situation.