Page 17 - CFESA Magazine November / December 2018

in your postings anything that may set you apart. dates and letting the recruiting process stall or
Health insurance remains a key benefit employees move along at a snail’s pace. If candidates do not
are looking for, as well as paid time off. Candi- hear from you in a timely manner, or if there is a
dates are also increasingly seeking flexibility in lag between an interview and the next stage, they
work schedules, and student loan repayment is a will look elsewhere and you may lose top talent.
new and attractive benefit to workers who have Respond immediately to new candidates, keep
school debt. Consider offering a hiring bonus in touch with them on the status and move them
INTELLIGENCE attractive, spacing out payments for retention. of other job options. How you treat candidates
to make coming on board with you even more
along through the process, as they often have lots
Prepare and have a benefits summary available to
in the process is a reflection on your business. Be
hand out to prospective employees.
responsive and informative so candidates want
your organization to be their next employer.
Source and Seek Out Candidates
Harness Technology
A post and hope approach may attract those
looking, but often the best candidates are pas- Ensure you are using a process that makes it easy
sive, those who are working and not actively for candidates to apply – an easy application pro-
looking. Seek out candidates using networking cess or form – and that you are making the most
sites like LinkedIn, or search resumes on job of social media to promote your jobs. Consider
board sites for the skills and experience you need, an Applicant Tracking System to make the hiring
and invite applicants to apply or refer others. Stay process more efficient and simple, including fea-
active on your company Facebook page or other tures to communicate with candidates and sched-
social media avenues. Be sure to mention in your ule interviews. Many applicants rely solely on their
posts that you are hiring and post about it consis- mobile phone. Consider if it is easy to apply and
tently. If your employees “like” these posts, their communicate using apps and electronic devices.
connections will also see the activity. It’s a good
idea to have an employee responsible for this Hiring the right talent is always a challenge.
internally when you’re hiring because it’s a great Thoughtful planning and utilizing these tips and
way to get the word out! Ask your top employ- strategies will help to improve the process of at-
ees where they look for jobs and ensure you are tracting talent in a competitive labor market.
tapping into those sources. Consider an employee
referral program, as employees know the work
and your company. For laborer or lower skilled
jobs, get in touch with local high schools to be
part of career days or job fairs and get in front of
students before they start looking. Consider signs
on your vehicles, facilities at job sites, or main of-
fice, with brief information on pay or benefits that
can grab a candidate’s attention; not everyone is
looking on the internet. Consider local newspaper
postings, placing signs in the community, or radio
advertising. An internship program can be a great Human Resources Made Simple
option to fill needs for work that can be done by
students, and at the same time, grow your own
employees for future roles. Think about offering KMA Human Resources Consulting has served
a summer or school year internship program and businesses in the Northeast for over a decade. At
align with local schools and colleges to establish KMA, we partner with our clients to manage and
one. The key is to use multiple sources and means grow their most important resource – their people.
to reach out to candidates and find them, instead We offer a full complement of HR services, includ-
of just hoping they find you! ing compliance assistance, employee relations and
engagement, learning programs, hiring and retain-
Act Fast and Be Responsive ing talent, as well as HR guidance, administration
and support. For more information, please visit us
Two of the biggest mistakes we have seen em- at kmahumanresources.com.
ployers make is not being responsive to candi-

CFESA Magazine | SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2018 | www.cfesa.com 17