Whether in a downturned market or amid a thriving economy, manufacturing companies battle recruiting challenges that call for a robust value proposition in order to win the top-talent war.
Here are five key ways to reimagine the recruiting strategy for your manufacturing business — to not only survive, but also to thrive in a hyper-competitive, ever-changing environment.
1) Capitalize on new talent in the market.
WIPFLI Sr. Business Developer Joe Girard stated manufacturing companies can leverage the untapped pool of newly unemployed workers to realize greater recruiting success. In particular, he said they could ‘tap into’ those working in the hospitality industry.
The key, Girard noted, is to look at the opportunity to recruit, hire and train this newly available talent for often difficult-to-hire-for entry level roles. According to Girard, three of the most actionable ideas to implement in order to be successful include:
- Train leaders and new workers: By seriously investing in onboarding, training, and work programs (e.g., mentorships), you can avoid trial by fire. Instead, you can guide new employees through on-the-job education. For the best results, this may require providing special training to your leaders in managing people from other industries.
- Tailor your recruiting to these workers: Market the benefits, like increased job stability, to these displaced workers, while also reassuring them that you will train them in this new field. Host open houses can also help you pitch your business to the prospective hires.
- Over-communicate with prospects: Provide consistent, regular feedback, while building the ‘skills confidence’ of these newcomers to manufacturing.
2) More closely manage your talent pipeline.
Manufacturers must transform into a great place to work to attract top talent, according to Monster, which suggests best practices to more effectively acquire talent, including:
- Building an early pipeline: This can include partnering with local trade programs or hosting a public event and pinpointing the most eager to learn or highest quality candidates.
- Offering apprenticeships: Wisconsin-based Bradley Corp. partnered with a non-profit group, GPS Education Partners, to create an in-house manufacturing school and paid apprenticeship program that would lead to potential hiring, according to CEO Bryan Mullette.
3) Take better advantage of social media.
Connecting with the targeted workforce means taking to social networking, particularly to attract younger generations. Use social media to showcase training opportunities and promote company news and initiatives.
4) Go digital with your recruitment efforts.
Expanding your message digitally and through other marketing channels means building a “growth story for the remainder of this year,” Deloitte wrote in analysis that explores manufacturing trends and the impact of COVID-19.
Articulate how your organization is evolving amid an ever-changing environment. Describe how you are strategically navigating the seas of uncertainty to convince potential candidates that you are innovative and will not only survive, but thrive into the future.
Per Deloitte, proving resilience includes “building ‘digital muscle’ across areas like the supply chain, mobilizing partnerships within (your) ecosystem to drive targeted business goals, and leaning into corporate social responsibility.”
5) Offer ways for candidates to engage back.
Understanding essential search operators (a.k.a., Boolean strings) can help you masterfully engage candidates, according to LinkedIn Talent Solutions. Specifically, you should provide answers to questions such as:
- Where are candidates located?
- Where should you open your next office?
- Which of your competitors are vying for the same talent?
- What’s the size of the candidate pool you’re recruiting from?
Knowing the demographics and competitive marketplace of your target candidate market is a best practice to help you sharpen your recruiting saw.
For example, according to the LinkedIn report, 284K machine operators are located worldwide, and some of the top companies that are employing them include PepsiCo, Unilever and Nestle.
Masterful engagement includes more seamless application processes, leveraging the integration of high-tech for both the candidate and recruiter, leading to increased conversions and more qualified job seekers.
(Pro tip: Lever’s LinkedIn Recruiter System Connect (RSC) integration enables candidates to easily move between LinkedIn and our native ATS + CRM solution so talent specialists can toggle between the two platforms seamlessly and without duplicating their recruiting work.)
Onboard advanced talent acquisition technology to realize greater recruiting success
A multifaceted, engaging, and focused process to attract, hire, and retain the top manufacturing talent around is essential for your business to grow at the scale and speed desired.
That said, you don’t have to go it alone.
With robust talent acquisition software built for a changing world, Lever can help you reimagine your talent strategy with more efficiency, data integrity and the ability to nurture top talent.
Download our eBook to learn how you can build a successful and scalable high-volume hiring strategy that lands you top talent and helps you experience greater recruiting success.
