Many companies are feeling the effects of a nationwide labor shortage, and the lawn care industry has not been spared. Even here at Graham, we’re struggling to find the labor we need to keep up with demand. As your trusted lawn spray equipment provider, we care about your business and strive to share information that can help your company grow. Hopefully, these quick tips will spur some ideas to help you find the quality help you need.
- Use a variety of websites to help find qualified new hires.
- Regularly check major job posting sites like:
- Indeed
- Ziprecruiter
- Simplyhired
- Consider listing your jobs on social media outlets.
- Facebook allows groups to post job openings for free. If you want to take your search to the next level, the company also offers paid advertising options.
- LinkedIn is another great channel for getting the word out about job opportunities with your company.
- Regularly check major job posting sites like:
- Include effective keywords in your listings to help applicants decide if they’d be a good fit. For example:
- Minimum experience requirements.
- Willingness to work in a variety of weather conditions.
- Valid driver’s license in your state.
- Ability to perform manual labor with extended time standing.
- Watch for these red flags with applicants.
- Frequent job changes.
- Unenthusiastic references. Although most employers now provide only the bare minimum of information in order to protect themselves legally, a lot can be communicated through tone of voice, pauses, and words that are not used.
- Résumés that lack professionalism. Grammatical errors, poor organization, and the like can give you valuable insights about an applicant – just not the kind they intended to communicate.
- Establish an employee referral program.
- Your current employees are very familiar with the types of skills and personality that will help a new recruit succeed at your company.
- Offer a bonus to any current employee who recommends an applicant who is hired.
- Onboard effectively to retain employees. Focus on these areas to create a culture that people won’t want to leave.
- Safety and training
- Procedures and expectations
- Business vision, mission and core values
- Team-building activities, including regularly scheduled meetings to build camaraderie and you’re your business
While you may be in a crunch and need to find labor quickly, it remains important to look for quality workers who are going to stay with you. Hiring in haste often leads to wasted time and energy when you have to repeat the whole process all too soon.