58% of the American workforce is made up of hourly workers. Yet, we still struggle to hire qualified hourly employees. This doesn’t mean they aren’t out there, because they are. We just aren’t looking in the right places.
Nowadays, every recruiting platform advertises that they automatically post jobs on hundreds of online job boards for you. But in surveys conducted by Humetrics, only 14% of respondents found job boards useful; a common criticism was that internet recruiting delivered too many unqualified candidates.
Posting on job boards can get your job in front of people, but everyone is doing the same thing. Job boards like Indeed, ZipRecruiter, and Monster end up flooded with the same positions from thousands of companies. Now your job posting is either lost in a sea of others or being overloaded with applicants that aren’t qualified.
Don’t worry, there are plenty of other ways to look for hourly workers without only relying on job boards. Here are four different ways we’ve found that help you recruit qualified candidates:
1. Employee Referrals
55% of companies say employee referrals reduce hiring costs and time, and employee-referred candidates are three times more likely to be a good match for the job because your employees give these candidates detailed, accurate information about the job requirements and working conditions. That is why, to this day, hiring managers see employee referrals as the #1 source for recruiting.
A great way to get referrals is by offering an incentive, like a monetary bonus. A multi-step approach can help with retention, as well. You can offer $100 when a referral is hired, and another $100 after they are with the company for three months. If you’re worried about keeping track of all your referrals, see how you can create an automated referral process.
2. Facebook Advertising
Everyone is on Facebook. In fact, Facebook now has 1.69 billion users making it the perfect place to get your job in front of the right people. Facebook Ads are great for attracting qualified candidates because you can use data like location, previous employment, age, and more to get your job advertised in front of the right person. Even if they aren’t actively looking for a job, a passive candidate may see your advertisement on their Facebook page and apply.
→ Get Started with Facebook and Instagram advertising
3. Social Media Groups
There are many social media groups, especially on Facebook and LinkedIn, for people who are looking for work. For example, this is a Facebook group called St. Louis Restaurant Jobs with 9,500 members. This group was created for restaurant owners, managers, and servers in St. Louis to post about job openings. You can find a group in your town and industry to join and use it to find people looking for work in your area.
4. Partner With Local Training Programs
When it comes to hiring for more specialized positions, like an HVAC technician or journeyman plumber, it can be difficult to come across people with the right training background. Look for high schools or other specialized schools in your area to partner with. You can sponsor the school and host events, making your company more known to the students. That way, when you’re hiring, they want to come to you. You could also start an apprenticeship program.
Why Job Boards Aren’t Helping You
Job boards are great for people actively seeking work and are commonly used among white-collar workers, but when hiring for blue-collar or hourly employees, there are a few key reasons why they just aren't as effective.
- Most blue-collar employees are working a physical job and not sitting in front of a computer all day long, so they don’t have time to browse through Indeed and Glassdoor in between meetings or emails. Instead, they look for work on their phones in their free time.
- Job boards are designed to get you hundreds of applicants, so they offer a “click-to-apply” feature. Job seekers can submit up to 120 applications in an hour and hope that the hiring manager, on the other end, likes what they see. Most won't even read the job description; they'll look at the title and apply, leaving you with all of the work to look over hundreds of unqualified candidates.
- Getting someone hired goes way beyond the resume – you’ve got to get in touch with them quickly, be communicative (ideally via text since most hourly worker candidates aren’t checking email or can’t answer the phone because they’re at other jobs), and then get them an offer and make sure they start.
Using job boards leaves you with unqualified candidates, added paperwork, and your applicants unhappy. It’s time you start moving beyond job boards.
If you’re interested in going beyond job boards but aren’t sure where to start, Team Engine can help. Try it risk-free today.
