Talented people can take your great idea for a business and make it a reality. Hiring and retention should be a high priority behind securing more deals and delivering top quality work. You won’t be able to do either if your team isn’t full of productive and helpful employees.
Takeaways
- Finding the right candidates
- What candidates are looking for
- Keeping employees engaged
Finding the right candidates
Specialized job boards
Home improvement and services businesses are always looking for great candidates. There are specialized job boards that make the search easier. Taking the time to post your latest open positions on these sites can deliver your job to people you may not have reached by posting it on your site or social media pages alone.
Online postings
There are general online job boards that you can use to promote your job. Online posting sites include Craigslist, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Indeed.* Wherever you’re posting your jobs, you need to have clear and well-written job descriptions so your potential employees can get excited about the job.
What goes into a good job description?
- Job title – What this employee is going to do.
- Job purpose – A high level summary of the job and the range of responsibilities.
- Job duties and responsibilities – This is a detailed description of daily, weekly, and monthly tasks the role is responsible for and what your expectations are for results
- Required qualifications or certifications – Tell them what special certifications or qualifications you are looking for. Include any deal breakers.
- Experience – Let them know how many years they need to have under their belt.
- Working conditions – So there are no surprises. Let potential employees know the conditions they’ll be working under. This may include occupational or environmental hazards. Explain how physical the job is.
- Use simple and direct language when writing your job description.
Referral programs
If you have great employees, ask them if they know anyone who would make a great addition to the team. Some companies even compensate their employees if their referral successfully joins the company.
Local flyers
Putting up flyers in local restaurants or hardware stores could generate interest in your company. Make sure to include whatever compensation and benefits you offer. Benefits can include company vehicles, health insurance, or training.
Former employees
If you had a great employee that went to another company, don’t lose touch. You never know what the future may hold for them. If you have a new position or exciting work on the horizon, reach out and let them know they would be welcomed back.
Once you get candidates to apply for your jobs, you have to start interviewing. Ask questions about how they like to solve problems, what kind of role they like to play on a team, how they handle deadlines, and other project based questions. Ask them technical questions about the work like how they approach a specific type of project like hanging drywall. You may be tempted to be the sole decision maker on who joins your company, but you might want to ask your top performing employees to interview candidates. Your employees understand what the job sites are like every day. They’ll know if the candidate will fit in. Make sure everyone is asking the same questions or types of questions so you can come to an informed decision whether to hire someone or not.
What candidates are looking for
Candidates are likely shopping around for companies and opportunities. Your company needs to stand out as a great place to work and grow.
Compensation and benefits
Money talks, but it isn’t everything. Offering great benefits along with fair wages will set your company apart as an employer. Benefits can include paid time off, health insurance, new tools, and flexible work hours.
Training
It would be great if everyone knew exactly how to do the job the way we like it when they start. However, that’s more than likely not the case. Offer new hires training to both improve their skills and let them know how you prefer to do things as a company.
Career opportunities
Not everyone wants to be a manager, but offering a pathway to earning more and being promoted can help sweeten the pot for a potential employee. Let your candidates know whether you are looking for employees who are interested in career growth.
Communication
Set the record straight on your expectations and what the position requires. Candidates and employees appreciate straight shooting and decisiveness. It’s hard to make decisions as an employee if you’re unsure what your leadership expects.
Work culture
It’s important to communicate to new candidates what your work culture is like. If the people at your company love to joke around while they work or you expect employees to be more serious, let your candidates know. They want to be somewhere they fit in and feel comfortable. Their chances of success are lower if they feel apart from the group.
Employee Retention
How do you keep your employees happy and engaged after they join your company? Here are three things to keep in mind. This isn’t a definitive list because every employee is different.
Safety
Employees want to know you have their backs. Although it’s business, employees want to feel respected. Encouraging on-the-job safety will build trust between you and your employees. Focusing on just the bottom dollar will make winning the loyalty and respect of your employees much more difficult.
Innovate
Consistently looking for ways to include new technology in your processes and training your employees how to use technology will encourage them to stay engaged with work. It will also make them feel like they are part of the 21st century economy. Home improvement companies struggle retaining employees because they can feel like the work itself isn’t enriching enough. Technology can help your company maintain a competitive edge in both closing jobs and keeping your employees.
Consistency
The key to success for your company’s sales, marketing, branding, recruiting, and retention is consistency. How you speak with candidates from when they interview through training and as employees needs to be consistent in tone, delivery, and what you think is important for their success. Set clear expectations for them and for yourself. Your employees will thank you for your straightforward and clear communication. Consistently show your appreciation for employees and offer company outings so everyone can get to know each other. Close deals and keep the jobs coming consistently so your employees can rely on your company to provide work for them
* * *
You cannot be everywhere at once, and you don’t have time to do everything yourself. Great employees can sometimes feel like an extension of yourself. Finding those people and hanging on to them will determine your company’s success and growth.
*The service providers mentioned in this post are not affiliated with Hearth nor have they compensated Hearth for this blog post.
