B
rand Your Business to Attract Employees
by Michelle Dreier
Executive Manager
Construction is up, times are booming, and everyone is looking for more electricians to add to their staff. Qualified applicants are difficult to find. It is time to assume that new hires are going to need significant training. Even good applicants worthy of training are difficult to find. How do you find the qualified electricians you need?
With the shortage of qualified labor, it is time to start thinking differently. Successful businesses start thinking of their employees and recruits as consumers and marketing as such. In order to market your business to new recruits, you will need to develop your brand. What makes you an employer of choice? What benefits do you have to offer to employees that set you apart from the rest of the employers in your area? Much like you market to your customer base, start thinking of how you can sell your company to potential employees.
As part of being an employer of choice, you need to increase your visibility in your community. Get your business name out there.
• Think about community charities and events you can sponsor and participate in.
• Consider a business open house or tour to local high schools or other organizations.
• Be active in your community. It is a passive form of advertising that can sway a potential employee to consider working for you first.
• If you don’t have a website or participate in social media, develop your online presence. Celebrate your accomplishments.
Once you hire a good employee, your goal is to keep them. That can be tough—some people will leave employment to gain an extra $0.25/hour.
• Focus on the total rewards that you provide your employees. Remind them of their benefit package annually.
• Think about sharing success with profit-sharing.
• Offer an employee referral bonus, but don’t stop after the initial recruitment. Provide a retention bonus to that referring employee for every year their recruit stays, that way your workers are doing your recruitment for you and also have a vested interest in keeping their coworkers.
• Don’t forget your employees’ families. Develop a sense of community surrounding to engage workers and promote work/life balance.
Branding your company as a way of attracting workers, although maybe different from how you may have done business in the past, will bring the right workers to you.