Recruiting Strategies to Attract Hourly Employees in High Volume
Updated: May 26
When it comes to hourly employees in high volume, the two things that come to many recruiters' minds are the long process of attracting and hiring the quantity needed, and the high turnover rates of the ones that are hired.
In this article, I will share some strategies on finding candidates, and some ideas on the initial set up your company should have in place before implementing your recruitment strategies.
The Proper Setup
Before your team sets out to attract candidates, make sure you have plans in place to provide them with the best and easiest application experience possible; you wouldn't want to attract them to your website or company, only to have them give up during the application process.
Define your ideal candidates, and make sure the hiring managers and recruiters are in agreement on the descriptions.
Write lean, but creative and informative job descriptions. Do not focus too much on the actual day to day duties, but instead, highlight the key points that would attract candidates to you company. Show off the perks and attractive features of your company's policies and offerings. Feel free to add the deal breakers in there, too.
Create as short an application as possible to capture only vital information. Do not scare away candidates with your long application! They'd be more than happy to fill out the full application once they've been selected to move forward in the process.
Make your screening process as lean as possible. Similar to the above point, do not ask candidates to take a bunch of tests and answer too many questions before they get to meet with someone at the company or take a company tour. Let them see what the actual opportunity is before asking them to go through the whole screening process.
Be prepared, and plan to give candidates tours of your workplace. And while they're on the tour, point out all the things about the work environment that they must be aware of, such as noise level, inclement climate, dust, pace, etc. Think of this as giving them the opportunity to say "no" to the work environment before, rather than after they've accepted the job.
Make your company easy to find, make the front entrance easy to find, and make your lobby applicant friendly. Be prepared to take walk-in candidates.
Before inviting your candidates to come in for interviews, remind them of how they should dress and what they'd need to bring to the interview in order to increase their chances of making great first impressions.
Give candidates more than one way to apply, if possible. Include the different ways in your call to action.
Here are some recruiting ideas that are good starting points for finding candidates for hourly and less specialized positions.
1. Create a strong and dynamic Referral Program
Put together a referral program that gets your employees excited! Give them incentives such as bonus pay, gift cards, prizes, paid time off, attendance forgiveness, free meals, etc. Make a contest out of it!
Work with management teams to get their departments engaged in the referral program
Remind employees to reach out to their personal and online social networks
Extend the program to your current and past candidates and their networks
There are apps you could use to manage your referral programs
2. Build an online presence
Make sure your business has a website and a career page where candidates can apply
Create a Facebook Page, even if you don’t plan on actively updating contents. Fill out the company information forms and instruct candidates on how to reach your business
Create a company page on LinkedIn and ask your management team to link their current employment to it
3. Online Ads
Place ads and job postings on Craigslist, other classifieds, job boards like Indeed (free), Facebook, etc. as often as needed
Post to online communities like Facebook pages and groups
Make sure your ads are tailored to the type of candidates you’re targeting
Make sure you use channels where your candidates are more likely to look for work
4. Reach out to the community
·Connect with local churches, apartment complexes, ethnic groups, resettlement organizations, Texas Workforce Commission, supermarkets, etc. to let them know you’re hiring
Create flyers to leave with them to hand out to their visitors/members/customers
Work with similar companies that are going through a layoff. They are usually happy to refer their former employees to other opportunities
Hire staff to pass out flyers door to door, in parking lots, at events and gatherings, at bus stops that are on route to your company
5. Job Fairs
Host a job fair on premise
Host a job fair at a busy public location
Advertise 10 days in advance to drive traffic to your job fairs
Attend and set up a booth at local job fairs
6. Connect with local colleges
Reach out to the nearby colleges and offer work to their students
Be open to offering part time or flexible hours
Remember to keep in touch with their career services department to remind them about your needs
7. Invest in Now Hiring signs
Now Hiring signs are always good to have on hand
Put them up outside your business
Put magnetic signs on company and employee vehicles
Use them at public events where your company have a table or station
8. Use a Staffing Service
Once you’ve exhausted all your resources and still find yourself in a hole, you could turn to a staffing agency for help. The best staffing partners will provide the following:
Full employer responsibilities – taxes, benefits, ACA coverage
Complete and customized recruitment services for your labor needs
Quicker turnaround time on bringing in new employees
Absorption of some of the pressure and worries you face daily
Clear communication, full transparency, full commitment and dedication to your needs
Ability to grow and evolve with your business’s growth and movements
Insurance coverage, employment related screenings, required testing and training
Good luck with your hiring push! What are some other ways you attract hourly candidates, and where do you usually find them?
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