Retail Observer

RETAILOBSERVER.COM SEPTEMBER 2022 52 F inding technicians in today's job market is like looking for a needle in a haystack. According to CareerPlug's 2022 Recruiting Metrics Report, the most common source of applications is job boards such as Indeed and Monster, producing an average 72 percent of applications across all industries. That's great if it's resume volume you're after, but job boards only account for less than half of actual hires. Job board applicants tend to be less responsive and of lower quality than new hires found through career pages, referrals and custom sources. Applicants who apply from a career page on your website are four times more likely to be hired than applicants from a job board. Even more significantly, referrals and custom-source applicants are 18 times and 17 times more likely to be hired than those applying through job boards. With more job openings than seekers, you'll want to move beyond the boards and consider the following alternatives to fill that open service technician spot: • Your website career page. Ask yourself if your career page is telling job seekers the whole story about your company and what it's like to work there. This is the place to polish and showcase your brand. Share your mission, vision, values and culture. Post real pictures and videos of your employees at work, and include testimonials from long-term employees that will paint a picture of what it's like to work at your company. • Create exciting job posts that stand out from the competition. To make your job postings enticing, include the job's qualifications and benefits, and don't be afraid to indicate the salary – 39 percent of job seekers want to know that information up-front, so don't waste their time and yours. Also, describe your COVID-19 protocols so candidates will know they'll be safe. • Put yourself in the job seeker's shoes. Research the position title and description and make sure it's comparable to similar jobs. The post should be easy to read and navigate – email it to yourself and read it on your phone. Also, give the candidates a preview of your hiring process, so they can prepare to take the next steps. • Create a marketing strategy that doesn't rely only on job boards. Explore custom sources where you can post your openings. Take advantage of your social media feeds to share your open jobs with followers and friends. Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn are excellent places to spread the word about the opportunities at your business. Add a link to your job postings in your email signature to take advantage of the contacts you touch daily. Consider local community and national industry boards as options to reach more people. • Communicate with candidates faster. The quicker you reach out to an applicant, the greater the success you'll have. Respond within 1-2 days max – any longer and the odds will be good that they'll have found another job. Be sure to send an immediate confirmation email or text message. Text messages are read 4.9 times more and responded to 60 times faster than emails. Happy hunting! Paul Mac.Donald Service Trends THE SEARCH FOR APPLIANCE REPAIR TECHS Job boards are just the beginning BrandSource service consultant Paul MacDonald ran his own 38-tech service business and is a past president of the UASA. He currently operates the Expert Service Program, which helps servicers run their operations more efficiently and profitably. For more information, contact Paul directly at (647) 500-7785 or paul.m.macdonald@pmdgroup.ca or visit www.pmdgroup.ca. RO

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