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When talking to heavy-duty business owners about finding good employees, it’s easy to sub out the word customer for employee and find similar sentiments.
“Just like with customers, potential team members are a key audience and we invest accordingly,” says JB Rihm, COO at Rihm Kenworth. “We develop targeted strategies for attracting new team members, tailored to the position we’re hiring for.”
As it is with customers, technology also is making a difference in employer-employee relationships. Job search websites use tools such as artificial intelligence (AI) to help match employers and potential employees, changing the way people find jobs and the way jobs find people.
Using language effectively
Finding the right employee starts with the right job ad. The wording of the ad can either bring in good connections a company can use to grow, or it can bring in applications so far off the mark they waste valuable time. Even at this basic level, technology is in play. Data from online searches and AI can help job ads get in front of the right people.
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Kat Kibben, a job post expert, speaker and founder of Three Ears Media, says job ads are about experiences, not skills. They recommend starting at the top with the job title. This is what job seekers are most likely to look for when starting a search. Pick a generic, non-industry specific title for the position and run it through an online search. Find other job postings with the title and align skillsets, pay and benefits.
Matt O’Donnell, director of talent strategy and operations at Randall Reilly, says market research is critical to finding the right candidate pool. (Fusable, parent company of TPS, was part of Randall Reilly until the companies split earlier this year.) Randall Reilly works with companies like Rihm to find the right talent to help them grow.
“Conducting market analysis to understand trends in compensation, available skillsets and other factors in the talent landscape can put the company’s challenge into perspective,” O’Donnell says. “Understanding the market makes it easier to understand why it’s a challenge to hire and likely highlights opportunities for improvement.”
Next, Kibben says, focus on experiences — the part about how we get people in the door, — including the impact of the work, everyday activities and mandatory requirements.
“Mandatory means that without the help of God, Google or a really good mentor, you couldn’t figure this out if you haven’t done it before,” they say.
Some companies are more willing to build, not buy, the perfect employee. Jon Pearson, president of Momentum Truck Group, says he’s always on the lookout for people with positive energy and a good attitude they can train.
“Training specific skills is something that can be done when working with a person who wants to be here and provide great products and service for our customers,” he says.
Kibben says to find those trainable employees, employers’ ads should always include whether prior experience is required and, if it’s not, employers should be prepared to be flexible. The experiences, including day-to-day activities, can help the potential employee figure out if the job is really right for them.
“There are a lot of candidates putting their hope on the line here,” they say. “They don’t want to apply for a job they don’t think they can get.”
Rihm Kenworth shows an employee’s day-to-day experience with videos. The company has an in-house videographer to help capture the spirit of the company and the people that work there.
“Ads that feature videos consistently have generated the best responses,” Rihm says. “We give prospects an immediate sense of what it’s like to be part of the Rihm team.”
Additionally, the ad should be clear and concise.
“This is not a creativity contest,” Kibben says. “If you wouldn’t look a friend in the face and say it out loud, don’t write it in a job ad. You need to tell the truth explicitly in a way anyone can understand.”
Online searches
Today, many job searches start online on sites such as Indeed, where Kyle M.K. is a talent strategy advisor. He says the problem most employers have is while the times have changed, their job ads haven’t, and neither have many mindsets about what today’s employees are looking for in a job.
“The biggest mistake employers make when trying to reach potential employees is they don’t put themselves in the shoes of the job seeker,” says M.K., also author of The Economics of Emotion. “Job ads are very canned and haven’t been changed in 10, 15, 20 years.”
Indeed is changing that by using data to help employers understand the people looking for jobs. The site supports employers from search all the way to making an offer, using tools such as AI to sort resumes. In fact, the site has more than 100 AI-driven features for job seekers and employers.
“(AI’s) putting the human back in human resources,” M.K. says, by doing things like writing copy and outbound messaging, letting recruiters and other staff focus on what they do best — building connections.
Rihm Kenworth uses AI to craft job postings and descriptions, a trend Randall Reilly sees across the transportation industry.
“It allows us to be more efficient while ensuring the right tone and key details are included in every post,” Rihm says. “While technology won’t replace recruiters, it will allow people to focus more on strategy and relationship-building, making the process more efficient and effective overall.”
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Kibben says while some AI features cut down on the noise and save time, some of those off-the-mark applications might be an inadvertent AI slip. They said if an ad is bringing in a slew of unqualified applicants, try posting it for 24 hours — or whatever the minimum legal liability is — and taking it down. If there are no qualified applicants during that time, change the title and other wording.
“Whatever machine is pulling all these jobs is misaligning your jobs with your skills,” Kibben says.
This is the first in a two-part series. Read the second part: AI, other tech leaves more room for human element.Â