Question: Over the last several months our company has been searching for new employees — primarily route service drivers. What are your recommendations as to various approaches that we can take to help with this situation?
Answer: From our experience, this is a process. It is more than merely running an ad for a specific job opening. We will describe the steps that many PROs use and explore the various ways to advertise job openings. Traditional methods of posting jobs will be highlighted as well as new alternatives that have surfaced as a result of the COVID pandemic.
Here is an overview of a suggested hiring plan and a detailed examination of the various options of publicizing the job opening.
Hiring process
Determine your needs. Here are some guidelines:
Will this be a full-time or part-time position? What are the job responsibilities? Are there prerequisites for the position?
If this is for an existing job in your company, the written performance plan will be useful to refer to and to show potential new hires. If this is for a new position, creating the performance plan in advance of the hiring process is highly recommended.
If you are looking for a route service driver, will a CDL be required? Do you prefer an experienced driver? If so, how much experience? What are the driving record requirements?
For office positions, is experience required? Are there requirements for software proficiency? Are there work-at-home options?
Will drug screens and/or background checks be required prior to hiring?
What does your company budget allow in terms of the salary and the associated benefits for this position? Often benefits are overlooked in this process and they can impact the company’s finances.
Recruiting strategies will be addressed below. Let’s jump ahead to the hiring process once you have a qualified candidate.
Conduct interviews
In-person interviews are preferable in order to get a true impression of the job candidate. In addition, the candidate can tour your facility, experience the atmosphere and the culture of the company and see the equipment and the various responsibilities of the job.
Evaluate the candidates and make the offer
Whether this job opening is planned or an immediate need, resist the temptation to hire the first person in the door. The hope is that this new employee will be a long-term member of your team.
Training
A formal training program not only benefits the new employee but also ensures your customers will receive the same consistent level of service. Employee retention can also be positively impacted by an effective training program.
Retention
This is the ultimate goal in the hiring process. Experienced, motivated and happy long-term employees are the greatest asset of any company. Work to keep communication open with regular team meetings and encourage employee suggestions. Maintain performance plans and conduct employee reviews on a regular and consistent basis. Create incentive plans and career paths so employees will be motivated to become long-term members of the company.
FINDING THE RIGHT PERSON
Once you have identified the need, the budget implications, the job description, and the prerequisites, you are ready to publicize the opening and to attract potential candidates.
There are several traditional methods of announcing job openings as well as several contemporary methods that have emerged over the last few years. Our recommendation is to try several of these strategies to maximize the number of potential job candidates rather than limiting your results by using one method.
Regardless of your strategy to attract potential hires, make sure your company website is up-to-date, interesting and descriptive of the services that you offer. Job seekers will examine the potential employer’s website to gain additional information as well as to obtain a sense of the company’s culture. Pay particular attention to the “About Us” page on your website as this is an important area of interest to both job seekers and customers.
You have identified a need and prepared for candidates. Now it’s time to cast your net.
TRADITIONAL CHANNELS
Newspapers
Local papers are still an excellent source for candidates already living in your area, as well as to allow readers to spread the word to others that may not be aware of the job posting. No longer solely in print, most newspapers are also available online, so do not eliminate this medium as old-fashioned and irrelevant.
Signs
Signs similar to those used to advertise new homes are an excellent way to publicize job openings. Include the company name, phone number and website and place them in a variety of high-access areas. In addition to major intersections or other public areas where it is permissible, put a sign outside your facility. One of the more creative ideas we have heard is to laminate signs with the company name and phone number and to secure on the job boxes on both sides of every service truck. As these route trucks traverse the service routes, the signs bring attention to your job opening. Pickup and delivery vehicles can also display these job advertisements.
Networking
“People know people” is a phrase we have often heard. Friends, family, business associates, customers and social or civic groups are all sources of spreading the word concerning job openings. We have found the local Chamber of Commerce and building construction associations are excellent places to post jobs. Many areas also have job-seeking network groups where openings can be announced.
Staffing Agencies
Some PROs have used this option as an effective method to try out employees. These agencies hire the employee and the PRO pays the agency for the labor. The agency can typically provide personnel on a timely basis; however, the rate the PRO pays includes a fee for the agency in addition to the hourly rate for the worker. Read and understand the contract as most often there is a buyout fee to hire the worker permanently after a specified period of time.
Employee Referral Programs
Many companies establish a bonus program for current employees to recruit friends or acquaintances for the open position. If a referral is hired and remains on the job for a specified period of time, the bonus is paid to the employee who recruited the candidate. PROs find this an effective approach because the referring employee is motivated to ensure the new hire is well-trained and performs according to company expectations and standards.
Education and Training Programs
Trade schools are another source of full-time or part-time employees. We have heard of instances where a student works as a part-time employee and then becomes full time upon completing their education. This is an excellent situation for PROs show a new hire there is opportunity for growth within the company.
NEW WAYS TO RECRUIT
Online posting and research have become an integral part of our lives and our culture. Several web-based services although founded several years ago have flourished during the COVID pandemic. “Job websites” has become the unofficial term for these online services.
These employment websites serve as both search engines and databases for open jobs. Job seekers can search for positions with specific skill sets within a particular geographic area, region or search nationally. And they gain a better understanding of openings by examining the details of the job description and the company to pinpoint jobs of genuine interest. In addition, the job opening database sites also offer the candidate fee-based assistance for organizing credentials, resume writing and career coaching.
For the employer, these sites allow specifying the precise skills and experience required and spell out the benefits and background information about the company. With more detailed information available, the number of unqualified job seekers is significantly reduced.
A partial list of these websites includes the following:
-Indeed
-ZipRecruiter
-Monster
-Glassdoor
Indeed.com is the most popular and recognized job website. The site posts listings for job seekers in a multitude of industries, from entry level to management. Candidates can search by industry as well as by salary range and date posted.
We conducted our own analysis of Indeed.com. We searched “portable restroom driver” with postings in the last 14 days and choose the location as “United States.” There were an amazing 138 jobs posted. Of those, 114 were full-time positions. Additionally, of the 138 postings, 120 were termed entry level.
Our inquiry into Indeed.com went further. After having chosen “United States,” we looked at several individual states for comparison. Portable restroom driver positions posted in the last 14 days for California listed 31 positions, Florida advertised 10 positions, and Texas had seven. We also found postings for Canada and many other countries as well.
Using Indeed.com, the job seeker can determine their level of interest and qualifications for positions before applying. The employer can also see the qualifications and the experience of those that are applying for these positions. This job matching process is a faster way to find good potential job candidates.
One final consideration for using online recruitment is cost. Some sites charge a monthly rate, while others have a per-click cost structure. For example, Indeed.com offers a per-click model where costs can range from $0.10 to just over $5.00 per click. Other sites charge a flat rate of from $100 to $200 per month depending on various package offerings. Indeed.com offers several optional packages as well. Bottom line, do your research with any of these sites and then make an informed choice.
FINAL THOUGHTS
In today’s business environment, job openings are prevalent and the need to timely fill open positions is vital to your company. By using a variety of job posting methods, you have the best chance of attracting qualified candidates that will hopefully become long-term employees. Don’t feel compelled to hire someone just to fill the position. Look for quality people as your employees are your company’s greatest asset!
