Help (temporarily) wanted

It’s off-season, business is slow, but you know it’s coming: The yearly influx of temporary hires to get you through spring. How do you time the hiring of new staff so that your labor costs are not through-the-roof before sales start to grow, yet leave enough time to train new employees before throngs of customers arrive? Having a well-rounded recruiting strategy in place and ready to execute at any moment is a good start.

I don’t like to put all of my eggs in one basket. Using a multitude of recruiting sources eliminates the chances of being left in a lurch if old sources dry up. More importantly, it makes it easier to satisfy affirmative action goals. Sources can include: newspaper, TV, radio, high schools, trade schools, colleges, the Internet, social networks, local churches and synagogues, referrals, in-store marketing and job fairs.

It’s not impossible to use recruiting sources that don’t cost a lot of money, but it takes time to build them. A newspaper ad is quick, but it can be expensive. While it may elicit a large response, it may not yield the number of qualified candidates to be worth the extra cost. To help keep your recruiting budget down, build relationships with local high schools, trade schools and colleges, design attractive flyers to post, use in-store signs and billboards.

If your reputation is good and your environment is healthy, people will steer referrals your way, so much so, that you may never need to implement a paid referral program. Turnover won’t be a problem either. Here at Valley View Farms, we’re hiring the children of employees who worked here 25 years ago, and over half of our managers have been with the company over 20 years; several are 35-year veterans. The No. 1 reason that our employees like working here? They like the people with whom they work.

That said, you likely will need to bring in some new help each year, so here are sound steps to help you plan and implement the hiring process.

Prep your managers
Meet with your managers and assess their needs before the hiring season gets started. Open up job requisitions for each department to see how many people are going to be needed, even if it’s an estimate. That way, you can anticipate how you will need to allocate your time and energy. Then think “need.” Prioritizing staffing needs is essential to maximizing potential sales for each department.

The pre-screen. Once you have built a network of reliable sources, it’s time to start the selection process. This usually begins with pre-screening. You can tell a lot about a candidate just by reviewing his or her application: Is it filled out in pen? Is it legible? Does the e-mail address look professional? Are there gaps in employment? Does the candidate have industry experience? How much schooling does he or she posses? Are the references relative to the work experience or are they literally relatives? (I suspect that mom is going to give a glowing endorsement.)
Just like interviews, pre-screen phone calls should be consistent. For the most part, the same set of questions should be asked of every candidate. It’s more efficient to make sure the candidate qualifies for the aspects of the position that are non-negotiable before obtaining details about his or her work experience.

The interview
It has been said that it only takes interviewers a few seconds to decide whether or not they’re going to hire a candidate, and the rest of the interview is spent trying to justify the decision. So, hopefully, you’re getting a lot of candidates that make good first impressions.

When I first started hiring, it seemed that there were always a couple of candidates per season that I was on the fence about, but would give the benefit of the doubt. Don’t do it! It’s not worth taking the risk especially in this economy where candidates are plentiful. Trust your instincts.

After a brief introduction and a little small talk, tell the applicant what to expect during the interview and how long it’s going to last.

Use the application as a guide to make sure you have all of the information you need and that it’s accurate. This will allow you the opportunity to clarify anything you can’t read or don’t understand.

The largest focus area will be the person’s previous experience. But, the candidate’s presentation of that information is key. If candidates can’t sell themselves to you, they’re not going to be able to sell to your customers.

Give the applicant a job description to review. Make sure you are clear about all aspects of the job, even the negative ones. It’s better for a candidate to decline the position up front than quit three weeks into the season.   A primary determinant in whether or not an applicant stays in a job is motivational fit. Often overlooked, the candidate’s desire to work in the environment and perform the requisite tasks will predict future behavior.

Keep options open
Accept applications and resumes all year long. Keep the most highly qualified candidates in a “call back” file if you wish. However, candidates who submit an application and follow up with a phone call at the time you have the immediate need are the ones who are most likely to be hired. The person who submitted his or her resume six months ago is either going to be hard to locate or, more likely, not even available anymore.

Employees are your biggest asset. They determine your sales volume and create your organization’s personality. Recruiting and hiring good strong candidates is not a task that can be taken lightly—it is critical to your success.
 

Karen Debus, professional in human resources (PHR), is human resources manager at Valley View Farms in Cockeysville, Md. www.valleyviewfarms.com