Hiring employees has been difficult for many employers in the current job market. This is a result of a number of factors, including an aging workforce, the “great resignation,” and a booming economy.
While this will change in time, here are five things you might consider that will improve your chances of success if you are looking to hire right now.
1. Consider your brand image and spend your marketing dollars on hiring people. Most companies devote most of their time and energy to trying to attract and retain new customers. In times like these, smart businesses are changing their marketing strategies to attract new employees. This means a re-evaluation of your brand, your website and your marketing materials to ensure that they align with your value proposition for new employees.
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2. Be Flexible: One business owner recently told me his company couldn’t be flexible with the position they were offering because of concern their other employees might get the idea there was room for flexibility within the current scheduling. Unfortunately, the current inflationary reality means there are going to be more and more people who will need to be creative in solving their personal financial woes. This means businesses might have to schedule around housewives, mothers or fathers looking after their children, students who have skills you need or people who need to commute to work.
3. Reach out to your old staff members. I was talking to a business leader who said one of his best recruitment methods was reaching out to old staff members and asking them if they knew of anyone who might be a good fit for the organization. This resulted in people who became engaged in helping the organization find suitable people, retired staff returning in a couple of cases, and others who were not happy with their current employer returning to the organization.
4. Do the obvious: Look at your wages and benefits and ensure they align with your competition. We often need to recognize that we may have to pay more than we have in the past to get the same work done. Paying more than the going wage can give you the staff you need to make money. Obviously, you must also engage your current employees and find ways to make it beneficial for them to help you hire the right people.
5. Be Creative: Tough times require creative thinking. Your ability to think outside the box in attracting staff can set you apart from the competition. What can you do in terms of retirement savings plans or work-from-home plans? If your staff can’t afford to move and work for you because they can’t find housing, can you buy housing and provide it for them? Do you need to provide daycare or eldercare? Creativity counts when you can solve your prospective employees’ pain points to enable them to come and work for you.
Hiring employees is difficult at the moment, but developing creative strategies can be the big difference between having the people you need to run a successful operation or burning out your current staff.
Dave Fuller, MBA, is an award-winning business coach and a partner with Pivotleader Inc.
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