Is Your Company having trouble hiring and retaining talent?

What is your company selling to new prospective employees?

Every week I meet with companies who are having challenges finding and retaining good employees.  This challenge is not unique.  All businesses have dealt with this same issue.  And it does not help that the employment marketplace is constantly changing.  As I write we, are in the middle of one of the largest recruiting changes that we have experienced in the last decade.

Recruitment and retention does not always have to be complicated.  In fact I ask my clients who are struggling a very simple question to begin the conversation, “What are you selling to your prospective new employees?”  This question puts a Hiring Manager in the proper frame of mind to discuss recruitment challenges.  At the end of the day, the good candidates have options.  The economy is moving very quickly from the employer driven marketplace of the last decade to the candidate driven marketplace.  Like a consumer selecting the best car for their family, candidates are weighing all the options available to them in the employment marketplace.  Why would a candidate want to work for you?  You and your recruitment team should have an answer to this question?

What makes you stand out in your marketplace?  5 of the most common candidate considerations.

High Pay

One way to attract candidates is to have the highest compensation in your employment marketplace.  Those candidates who are driven by compensation, and we all are to some level, will gravitate to your company.

Excellent Work Environment

Do people love working at your company?  If they do, make sure you leverage that to attract and retain those candidates who know a good work environment will trump compensation.  Experienced candidates will appreciate those quality of life benefits that your company brings to the table.

Flexible Work Schedule

Sometimes all that is standing between you and the best candidates is flexibility.  If you can be somewhat flexible in start time, end time, or days of the week worked, you may be able to attract an excellent candidate at a discount.  Be very specific about your company’s requirements up front and then work out a schedule that is a fit for both parties.

Experience and Training

Excellent workers without lots of experience may be willing to work for a little less if you’re your company’s culture is focused on training and advancement.  The benefit of this methodology is you will build the perfect employee for your company and culture.

Excellent Benefits

If your company offers a top of the line benefits package be sure to make that a prominent part of

your recruitment pitch.  Experienced candidates know the financial and quality of life advantages of having top flight benefits.

Each company has a mix of the above candidate considerations.  You company may have lower compensation but offer a flexible schedule.  You can make that work.  Where companies run into trouble is when they are on the lower end of ALL these considerations.  When a candidate is desperate to find a job so they can pay their bills, they may take the first offer that comes along.  If that offer is not competitive they will begin looking for another job the same day they begin working for you.

So bring your hiring team together and talk about what you are selling to new prospective employees.  The answer to this question is a great starting point to understanding your recruitment and retention challenges.

Let J & J Staffing know if we can help! We have over 40 years of experience recruiting and placing employees in prominent businesses in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware. Contact us for more information on how we can help with your hiring needs.