Originally published in the February 2016 issue of ISSA—If you’ve watched television recently, I’m certain you have seen the latest General Electric (GE) commercial depicting a millennial recent graduate excitedly telling his friends about his new job with GE. Of course the friends’ expectation was that he would be programming for some wildly popular and trendy tech company.
The new hire’s dismay is apparent as he tries to explain that he will be programming trains, and machines, making turbines run and hospitals more efficient. “I will be changing the world!” he exuberantly exclaims
His friends react with frowned faces and little comment.
The final blow comes when one friend says “So you’ll be working on a train?” He responds, “ No, trains!” “Do you know who GE is?” (If you haven’t seen the commercial, Google “GE commercial” and watch a couple of the different ads on YouTube. You will LOL—and really get the point!)
Identity Crisis
And therein lies the result of an image problem that not only haunts old established companies like GE, but also companies in industries that are not sexy, glamorous, trendy, or technologically driven—like ours! Why does this matter? Our ability to attract not only young professionals but employees in general to the industry is hampered by what we look like to people outside the industry. An industry’s image helps or detracts from our ability to recruit the brightest and best, and in the case of the cleaning industry, it most often detracts.
In our industry, the above scenario could go something like:
“I’ll be working for ABC Facility Management Co., working with the janitorial staff, grounds keepers, etc.”
“Oh, you’ll be cleaning toilets?”
A job in the cleaning industry—whether its contract cleaning, distribution, facility management, or in the supply side,—is often times met with “You’re working with who? Why?” And while yes, in fact, many of us do clean toilets, it is far from the only thing any of us do! Yet getting the job market beyond that perception is the challenge for every company involved in our industry.
The image we project directly affects who we attract to come to work for us. Inherently, we have to work harder to overcome what is perceived as a not so glamorous work environment. So how do we overcome this problematic perception and where do we find talent from the latest generation in the work force?
Image First
The first step is our image: Let’s clean it up! The professionalism you project in marketing your business whether verbally, in print, or digitally, makes a difference. Below are some tips to help assure you are putting your best foot forward.
Communication style. Just as you market your excellent products and/or services to prospective customers, so should you market your company to prospective employees. Your logo, website, vehicles, brochures, uniforms—every visible item connected with your company— should be professional and clean in appearance. Communication methods should be current, both in terms of the information conveyed and the method used to convey it. Systems and processes that are up-to-date and usable in a digital era will be appealing to young professionals. Antiquated and outdated processes and equipment will hamper your ability to recruit employees who are used to more digital savvy environments.
Public perception. Make community engagement a priority by being involved in activities that will promote your company as a “best place to work.” Join in job fairs, exhibits, and volunteer opportunities that will get your company known as professional, giving back, and a great employer for career-minded young professionals. If your company has earned certifications, awards, or other recognition, be sure to include those in your employee marketing. Many companies have a “welcome” packet for new customers and employees. Add to this a potential employment packet for applicants that tells them—boldly and proudly—who you are, outlining and describing your company’s core values and mission plus advancement opportunities and other benefits.
Targeted messaging. Keep your employment ad message upbeat with information that is important to the position you are looking to fill. Make your company sound like a fun and welcoming place to work. The message you craft for management will be different from the message for sales, supervisory, or front line employees. Although they can all be listed separately in a single ad, the target and text will be very different. Think about targeting employees as you target customers. After you have identified the profile of the best employees you have had, use that as a basis to target future employees.
Hiring process. How easy is it to apply for a position with your company? Do you have clear job descriptions? Is there flexibility in your work requirements that will attract the employee(s) you seek? Is there a time consuming, lengthy application system that discourages applicants? Are you honest and transparent about salary and work expectations?
Interview style. Interviewing is a two-way street: Can you pass the interview and sell your company to the applicant? Are your interview questions experience-based? Have you described the training process and how long it will take? Will the applicant have a thorough knowledge of your company’s mission, goals, requirements and opportunities when s/he leaves the interview? Assuming your company is worth working for, it is up to you to drive this point home to applicants. This is especially important for an industry such as ours where the many benefits of entering it are not always initially apparent (see page 12 for some great sellable benefits).
Where to Look Traditionally
As qualified applicants are becoming more and more difficult to find, it is upon the shoulders of the employer to become increasingly creative in the search. Traditional sources, such as employee referrals and print or online advertising, are still relevant. However, creative thinking is necessary to stay competitive in the quest for employees. This said, below are some of the more traditional internal and external sources.
Internal
- Employee referrals (No. 1 preferred source)
- Former employees
- Current employee promotion
Note: Since the No.1 source for attracting employees is employee referrals, if you do not have a strong effective employee referral reward program in place, now is a good time to develop and implement one.
External
- Job fairs—local and regional
- Employment agencies
- Print and digital advertising
- Job boards—Indeed, CareerBuilder, LinkedIn, and Monster
- Job search engines, such as Indeed, SimplyHired, SnagAJob
- Campus recruiting
Note: While external sources typically bring more interviews, internal sources bring more new hires.
Something Different
When it comes to recruiting today, especially in the jansan industry, getting the best candidates calls for imaginative thinking. In fact, reinventing your recruiting strategy is a must unless you have a steady stream of qualified applicants for all positions. In fact, in a recent survey, silkroad.com, more than half of company executives indicated that they are revamping their talent sourcing and recruiting strategies to think outside the box. You should be one of them.
What are your best resources for recruiting and are you maximizing them? What kinds of relationships can you build that will bring you a stream of “outside the box” recruiting sources? Below are a few ideas that go beyond traditional recruiting.
Social media recruiting. Social media is a great—if not the best—way to reach Millennial and young professional prospects while showing your company is not stuck in the dark ages. Try to integrate social media employment advertising with content, such as company detailed information and descriptions, for higher search-result rankings. And don’t forget social media communities, which can be used for networking and sharing job leads. Especially if you are seeking young professionals who are tech savvy, social sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn should move to the top of your recruiting source list as these are the first stops for this age group. (For industry specific networking, ISSA—The Worldwide Cleaning Industry’s LinkedIn group is a great place to start. Visit www.issa.com/linkedin to join if you are not yet a member!) And don’t forget to link your social media with your website’s career opportunity page (yes, have one!) for increased impact.
Campus recruiting. This is seeing a large resurgence in popularity for recruiting young professionals and millennial employees. Besides attending college job fairs and interviewing events, consider offering a mentoring program for seniors who will be looking for employment upon graduation. If you don’t have one, another good idea is to develop an internship program that will allow you to work with, observe, and even groom a potential candidate for employment (ISSA offers an internship toolkit as well as grants to help develop a program at www.issafoundation.org.) You also can offer to speak to a senior business class discussing a topic of interest, such as “best practices for online job applicants” Presenting yourself in a professional manner and discussing best business practices with them boosts the image of your business—and their interest in working there.
Mobile recruiting. More than 90 percent of job seekers will look for positions on mobile devices. They are a tool for recruiting, not a source, however, they are used worldwide and are accessed 24/7 by job seekers, so make certain your online recruiting includes mobile-friendly applications that are kept current.
Business community recruiting. Take advantage of your networking skills and opportunities for recruiting just as you do for getting new business. Offer to speak to business groups or Chambers of Commerce, to provide rich and timely content as well as to promote your company and its need for employees. Similarly, take advantage of opportunities where you can promote your community commitment—and increase awareness of your business. Your effective use of community resources will enhance not only your reputation, but also, help make your business the one young professionals want to work with since many like to work for companies they perceive to be civic-minded. Another idea is to hold an open house at your office so prospective applicants can visit, ask questions, or set up interviews. A variation: Host a “group application” event by advertising you will be accepting applications, conducting tours, and interviewing between the hours of 9-12 on X day. No appointment is necessary. In some markets, this has proven to be extremely successful.
Adjusting your sourcing and recruiting strategies as your business changes is a must in today’s rapidly moving job market, and no single approach works for all companies. When you find the most successful or combination of recruitment tools, maximize them, but be open to new and innovative ways to find employees.
