Recruiting 2015: Get outside the box |
News |
Tuesday, January 20, 2015 08:00 PM |
Almost all landscape firms are impacted by the lack of trained and skilled employees. Most say they could do more work—and move up the backlog—if they had more people. This situation is pushing many companies to think differently about how, when and where they recruit. Following are 3 strategies that challenge traditional recruiting methods. They were shared by a key HR and recruiting team member with a Denver-area landscape company. #1 – Be strategic and innovative when recruiting #2 – Be deliberate in messages that describe what you do Perceptions of landscape services in general as well as those specific to your company are colored by an individual’s experience as well as what they have heard or seen. Some people think landscaping means installing an irrigation system or killing weeds. For others, landscaping is the process of honoring our environmental responsibility to the planet, or it’s the art of creating relaxing outdoor spaces. You control the message and how your firm is perceived. You can be the company that maintains the most yards or builds the highest retaining walls (quantity) – or the company that makes landscapes their best and creates outdoor places for people to enjoy (quality). #3 – Show a visible career path Right from the start—from “help wanted” ads to what you say in the interview—describe how an employee’s journey in your company looks. Be transparent about how to be successful in your company. College grads often have repaying student loans on their minds, and their vision is to start out leading a project team, not running a mower. However, they will be much more willing to get their hands dirty if they understand how that experience will help them move ahead. They need to know that doing basic work helps them learn about your company and its services—and ultimately, how these experiences will help them achieve their personal goals. Although the availability of people to work in the industry will remain a challenge, landscape companies that step outside the box with innovation, intentional messaging and creating a visible career path will recruit those people who will be glad to find their career home within the landscape industry. Read more in this issue of Colorado Green NOW: |