Modern recruitment strategies that are successful utilize technology and a great deal of creativity. That being said, there are a lot of ways to recruit top talent. Some work. Some used to work. Some never worked.
Listed here are five things you do NOT want your staffing partner to do while searching for your next industrial employee– even if it is just for a temporary need.
#1 – ‘Now Hiring’ Signs All Over Town
Take a look at the image below. No, you’re not seeing things. That is a staffing agency’s sign on the front lawn of a high school. A top manufacturing facility’s staffing partner has become so desperate for workers that they have resorted to this.
This is not a strategy.
At best, all the agency really will be accomplishing will be to field phone calls from inexperienced 16-year olds that they can’t most likely put to work anyway due to minor labor laws.
#2 – Insisting They Conduct Job Fairs at Your Location…All The Time
So, let’s say you need to hire 20 people without much advance notice. This is what staffing agencies do, right? But, what if your agency repeatedly comes to you and suggests they recruit at your location by conducting a job fair? Instead of agreeing every time, you should be questioning the company you have partnered with.
Hanging balloons around your offices and driveways does not make good candidates suddenly appear. Recruiting should be a machine that is always running. It doesn’t start and stop. It shouldn’t rely on a series of special events to fuel candidates.
There are times job fairs make sense (new restaurant opening, amusement parks, starting a new shift) but just being short-handed due to your agency dragging their feet in the past is not going to be fixed by a job fair on a sunny afternoon.
At the end of the day, if you feel the need to rely on constant job fairs, why use an agency at all? It’s your reputation and your facility that is drawing the talent. If your staffing partner does not have a good in-house system of recruiting top talent, what are you paying them for?
#3 – Promising Immediate Work
You should always check out your staffing partner’s online advertisements. A common phrase agencies will use is “Apply Today, Work Tomorrow.” This will attract workers who don’t give much thought to what their future career should be. Is this the type of worker you need? There’s an entire arm of the staffing industry called day labor that exists to fill this type of need.
Chances are this is not the type of employees you are seeking to spend your training resources on. It also creates many conflicts with company culture in terms of a drug-free workplace and a focus on safety.
Good agencies are consultative with both their client companies and their client workers. They take the time to learn what each party is attempting to accomplish. Most people don’t want a new job every week and most companies don’t want a revolving door of workers.
[perfectpullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]Having a hiring process that takes days or even weeks is okay– again, as long as the recruitment machine is always rolling. A staffing agency with the resources to attract hundreds of new workers every single week always has their funnel full.[/perfectpullquote]
Workers looking for a quick fix can go elsewhere.
#4 – “Bring a Friend, Receive a Free Gift”
I know, it’s hard to believe this is a strategy staffing agencies actually use. But, it is.
They need to fill 20 positions, right? So, if they can attract just 10 and bribe each of them to bring a friend then they’ll hit the number you need, right?
Remember, you might not be short-handed 20 people to begin with if you had a stronger staffing partner.
#5 – “Work Today, Paid Today”
Many people have…shall we say…unique compensation needs and don’t need to work very often. Is this what your manufacturing facility needs? To invest training for a day to someone who once they get their cash in hand you will never see again? Some agencies actually advertise this as a selling point. Enough said, right?
Staffing agencies stuck on worn-out methods that were successful decades ago or never worked have not kept up with modern recruitment trends nor are they being creative and utilizing all of the technologies that are available today.
You want your company’s manufacturing processes to be operated with the most efficient methods available. Shouldn’t your professional staffing partner be wired the same way as your business?
