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Making the match between an employer and employee is not unlike a match on a dating website.
“We’re trying to match people up for long-term relationships,” Indeed Talent Strategy Advisor Kyle M.K. says.
While the AI can do a lot of the heavy lifting, there are limits. Technology can free up human staff to start the employer-employee relationship off on the right foot. The relationship starts the moment a potential employee sees a job ad.
Starting the relationship right
Job searches today are as much about interviewing the potential employer as they are about finding a potential employee. Job seekers, like customers, need to see the value a company brings to the table, beyond the usual things such as pay.
[RELATED: Finding a good employee is more technical than ever]
Matt O’Donnell is director of talent strategy and operations at Randall Reilly. (TPS’ parent company, Fusable, was part of Randall Reilly until the companies split earlier this year.) Randall Reilly helps vital industries find and keep talent.
“Most businesses still take a transactional approach to recruiting,” O’Donnell says. “The recruiter has a job and the candidate has the skills needed. They miss the opportunity to build better relationships with the candidates. If the job doesn’t match the candidate’s skills or preferences, there’s an opportunity to stay in touch. Building the relationship through continued outreach allows the business to build its brand and employer value proposition.”
M.K. says employees and potential employees need to feel supported from the first contact. Focus on what M.K. calls green flags that make employees feel more taken care of. These days, job seekers want employment that gives them a life outside of work.
“People don’t want their life to be about work. They want work to enable their life,” he says, encouraging employers to put themselves in the shoes of a potential employee.
Austin Hallman, digital marketing manager of strategic accounts for TPS parent Fusable, says by doing that, employers can find out what’s really important to employees. Hint: It’s probably not what they think it is and it’s definitely not the company pizza party.
Ask employees what they like best about working there, Hallman says. Questions such as why they chose the company and what could the company do better in looking for employees, he says, can help you make a better value proposition to potential employees.
“If the primary challenge and issue they’re facing is understanding potential employee, know [the current ones] and put them first,” he says.
There’s also the possibility the company may just have a bigger problem.
“If they’re having issues with understanding their employee and the person they’re trying to attract for a role, they’re likely having issues understanding their customer as well,” Hallman says. “We know their target customer.”
If talking to those employees reveals a problem, fix it, ideally before advertising.
“You have to have follow-through,” Kat Kibben, founder of Three Ears Media and an expert on writing job ads, says. “If there’s an endemic issue that’s stopping people from applying, address the actual issues.”
They think what employees are looking for is stability, and the job ad can stress that in a million different ways: health insurance, hours, pay. But, as M.K. said, be clear about exactly what’s offered. For instance, Kibben says instead of saying health insurance is offered, note that health insurance is 100% covered.
“One of those is way more effective than the other one,” they say. But on the other hand, don’t just be marginally better, and don’t oversell. “Focus on what makes you special. Noticeably. Don’t let the marketing get in the way of being a good place to work.”
Recruitment and retention
Not only are customer marketing and employee marketing linked, so are recruitment and retention.
“Talent retention is as big of a focus as talent acquisition,” O’Donnell says. “Everyone is hiring heavy-duty techs. What becomes important is recognizing and highlighting why someone will want to stay. Being able to explain why a candidate should choose you over the dealer across the street can help entice candidates to join — and stay.”
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Jon Pearson, president of Momentum Truck Group, says his company has a very low turnover, less than 5% annually.
“We work very hard to make sure that we have a company culture that draws and keeps great people that want to make a career at this company,” he says. And those people bring other great people. “The best ‘ad’ is one of our current team members referring someone to an open position with our company.”
Rihm Family Companies has a two-day welcome summit for new hires to help new team members feel engaged and valued, strengthening their long-term commitment to the company, adds COO J.B. Rihm.
“By bringing in the right people from the start, we set the stage for long-term retention,” he says. “We ensure our recruiting process reflects our company culture and values, and that carries through to our onboarding and day-to-day work experience.”
This is the second in a two-part series. Read the first part: Finding a good employee is more technical than ever.