Tag Archives: Hiring Tips

Why is Hiring Hard Right Now?

Posted on June 3, 2021 by admin

Prior to the pandemic, the U.S. was in an employment boom recording unemployment rates of 3.5% in February 2020. However, due to COVID-19, by April the unemployment rate was recorded at 14.7%, just three short months later. This proved to be the highest unemployment rate since the recession in 1948. Now, over a year later, employers are facing a new set of issues: finding interested candidates.

Earlier this year, job listings increased by roughly 8% but hiring only increased by 4%. Many employers are asking themselves, why? After everything that has happened over the last year, wouldn’t people be eager to get back to work? Unfortunately, the answer may not be what employers are hoping for. 

People Aren’t Ready To Return 

The newest struggle studies have found is that many people simply aren’t ready to return to the workforce. With unemployment being so high, it was no surprise that the government had to take action. Stimulus payments were released and benefits packages were increased. Many people found that despite the accompanying pay cuts, they could easily get by on government assistance alone. Taking this route offered many the flexibility to take their time returning to work. Additionally, a lot of people have admitted that they are unsure if they will return to the same industry. 

Because of this, employers are facing unique challenges they haven’t encountered before. This creates the need to come up with new hiring solutions for finding their next great employee. 

Hiring Solutions

With the changes brought about by the pandemic, hiring strategies have been evolving. Here are some tips for helping you find your next hire.

  1. Be Flexible in Your Standards

We understand that hiring is a process. You take value in the community you have created, and it’s easy to see the type of employee who would be the right fit. But, people are beginning to branch out and search for new career paths. Maybe your candidates don’t possess the experience you’re looking for, but finding employees who are willing to learn will go a long way. Investing your time in teaching an employee who is eager to learn will be respected and valued in a way that you wouldn’t see with your “ideal candidate.”

  1. Creative Hiring Networks

In this digital era, the “usual” job searching platforms may not be enough. Don’t be afraid to search for alternative sources, as there are many out there. Consider offering referral programs for residents, post in Facebook groups, or scout LinkedIn. And, of course, utilizing services offered by employment agencies may also be a great solution for finding the right match!

When posting a job, remember to highlight your company’s benefits and unique traits. Showing that you’re a company that cares will help you stand out and encourage people to return to work. 

  1. Evaluate Your Offer Packages

The multifamily industry is seeing a lot of issues when hiring for entry-level positions. More and more, today’s youth have been straying from trade industries, taking positions that require less training instead. An entry-level maintenance position pays an average of $14.00 per hour in the greater Austin area. On the flip side, McDonald’s has increased their pay to a national average of $11.00-$13.00 per hour with potential growth opportunities to follow. 

With the pressure that society has placed on earning a degree, many are choosing to work easier jobs while they focus on school. Society has also downplayed the opportunities available by working a solid trade-based business. Showing the value that your company holds for these positions can help take your team to the next level. 

Conclusion

Hiring in today’s world is tough, but it can be accomplished. Take a hard look at your offerings, as well as any changes your company can implement. People are looking for security, so make sure to show them how working with you will give them exactly that. The good news is, experts predict that a hiring increase will return over the next year or so. Remain patient and diligent in your efforts and it will pay off in the long run. 

Hire Priority can assist you in your efforts, connecting you with professionals who are looking for work. All of our potential candidates are pre-screened in order to connect them with the right fit. Contact us today to see how we can help with your hiring needs.

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Apartment Communities CAN Hire the Best Job Searchers, and Here’s How!

Posted on October 29, 2015 by James G. Lenhardt, CPC, CTS

Attracting top talent to your company is a must for success, no matter what industry you are in. Many times, hiring managers in apartment communities feel the frustration of not having the right pool of talent to hire from. However, there are ways to attract the top talent among job searchers from multiple industries to secure your next ace on your team.

It all starts with the job post. The job posting is the “window” that job searchers are looking at your company through and you want to make sure the view inside is attractive to them. Below are a few ways to accomplish this:

Make the Job Title Appealing to Multiple Job Searchers

wide

Pigeonholing your job posting can cut out a wide sector of attractive job searchers. A job opening listed as “Leasing Consultant” is likely to get scrolled past by those that are not specifically looking for that position. A better way to search for a candidate would be with the title “Leasing Consultant Who Loves Improving Communities”.

A job searcher that comes from a philanthropic background or who is looking to sign on with a company with a wider mission (link to millennials post) would stop to at least read the job description. You have effectively put yourself in front of a whole new demographic of job searchers.

Make Your Job Description Accurate AND Interesting

Many times a job description can be a mundane task for lower-level positions and hiring managers put something simple out there without much thought. Before seeking candidates, ask yourself these essential questions:

1. What specifically needs to be done?

2. How will success be measured? People want to know they are going to be a top employee if they strive for success.

3. Why would the right person want this job? What does your company offer that others may not?

4. What are the common attributes of your top performers? Define the hard skills, soft skills and personality that your top people share. This may require interviews with current employees.

After doing your research, write a job description that focuses on hard skills, soft skills, what you would be willing to train, what your company will offer in return, and how the employee will be measured for success.

A job description that focuses on these attributes will be welcoming to someone that was not specifically looking for your advertised position, but knows they would be able to succeed if they were to be hired for it.

Treat Candidates Like Potential Residents

When hiring for a new position it is very easy to treat applicants like faceless resumes you have to accept or discard. This can be harmful to your company for multiple reasons.

The top reason being that applicants have friends and family members that might be a better fit for your company culture. If they had a great experience with you, they are likely to tell them about your opportunity if it didn’t work out for them. At the very least you might get a resident referral!

Make sure that everyone who applies is given a genuinely fair shot at being considered, and that he or she receives follow-up and CLOSURE regardless of the outcome. The goal for each phone and in-person interview is to have the person enthusiastically interested in getting your job, even if they are not a good fit.

Finding the right talent for your apartment community can be arduous, but extremely rewarding if the process is approached correctly. Factors such as resident happiness and employee turnover are effected by the hiring of the best job searchers on the market.

For more information on hiring the largest sector of job searchers out there today CLICK HERE. 

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3 Ways Recruiting and Disneyland Are Similar

Posted on May 18, 2014 by Hire Priority

If your family does Disneyland right you know that it takes strategy to navigate the expansive world of castles and cartoons come to life. Surprisingly, several principles for a successful trip to the park are also required for employers to hire the right candidate for a job. Next time you’re hiring, remember these tips as explained with examples form Disneyland:

1. You must have a plan.

Disneyland is overwhelming without a plan. There isn’t enough time to ride every ride, so you have to pick and choose. Part of this plan is usually arriving early in hopes of beating the lines and packing in everything you want to do.

Recruiting successfully takes a similar strategy. Do you know exactly what you want from a candidate for an apartment job? Have you prioritized the steps you need to take to find this? Without a strategy beforehand, you will reduce your chances of accomplishing everything you would like. Just like in Disneyland—those who plan ahead will prevent headache later.

2. Take a time out.

In the land of Mickey Mouse and fairytale castles, you and your kids may be hesitant to take a break. But if you don’t, then you risk getting burnt out and tired sooner. Take a break, get a snack, re-apply some sunscreen, and you will be refreshed to enjoy the park once again.

When recruiting, employers must also take a break to step back and evaluate candidates. Too often, employers rush to make a hiring decision, which compromises their judgment. An employer may feel pressure to find a new employee and settle for someone who is less than ideal. On the other hand, an employer may get over-excited about a prospect, hiring before they have the chance to consider other candidates. A time out—in Disneyland and in the office—may be just what you need to get a fresh start and some perspective.

 3. Sometimes a long line is worth the wait.

One of the most disheartening feelings in Disneyland is arriving at a highly anticipated ride and discovering that you can barely see the ride from the end of the line. Usually, if a ride has a long line then it means that it is popular. And sometimes, these rides are worth the wait. Perhaps it will end up being you and your family’s favorite event of the trip, remembered for years to come while you quickly forget the wait it took to get there.

Candidates don’t usually physically stand in lines when employers recruit, but you may have a long line of job seekers who have submitted their resumes online. For some positions, the number of apartment job applicants can be overwhelming and difficult to sort through. As with the lines in Disneyland, sometimes it’s worth waiting for the right candidate rather than settling for one to avoid the wait.

 

The hiring process may resemble a roller coaster sometimes, but implementing these tips will make sure you are well prepared and do not rush into any hiring decision. As with a trip to Disneyland—you don’t want to go through the recruiting process too often; you want to find candidates that are a benefit in the long-term.

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Continually Recruiting: Attracting the Best Healthcare Candidates

Posted on April 6, 2014 by James G. Lenhardt, CPC, CTS

 

Continually Recruiting:

How to Attract the Best Healthcare Candidates in Houston

 

The best recruiters know that finding the perfect person for a job starts well in advance of a position opening up. Employers who recruit top talent are constantly recruiting, through marketing themselves and upping their desirability as a place to work.

healthcare recruiting

Even in a job market experiencing as much growth as that of the Houston healthcare industry, if you aren’t continually recruiting you won’t be able to hire the best person for the job. Here’s how to create a recruiting strategy that is constantly drawing from a talented candidate pool:

1. Market Yourself as an Employer

During the hiring process candidates are not only trying to impress you as their employer; but you should seek to impress them as well. Multiple employers seek after the best of the best candidates and you need to have a competitive edge in order to get their attention.

What does this look like? To start with, your website is one of the most effective marketing tools in your arsenal. Make the most of it by having a way for potential employees to submit their resumes online, along with a running list of current job openings. Additionally, your website should make it clear why a talented candidate would want to work there. Job perks, company achievements, and positive reviews can all be subtly marketed to catch the eyes of candidates.

2. Test the Waters

Practice makes perfect – and this is true when it comes to recruiting. How do you know if a job posting will speak to the right type of person for a job? Or if the best candidates are even clicking on your job listings? One way is to test the waters of your pool of applicants. Trying out job postings with different key words or perspectives can help you mine valuable insight into the healthcare job seeker market for when you do need a new employee.

What if you aren’t hiring right now? Even if you don’t need a new employee at this moment, you can still post jobs and follow up with candidates. You never know what will happen: people quit, people get fired, and testing the waters could reel in an applicant that’s a perfect fit.

 3. Keep in Touch with Applicants

Following up with applicants is a good policy to have as a recruiter, and candidates will take notice. Thanking candidates for their application, and letting them know in a timely fashion if you’ve chosen to go with someone else will be appreciated by those applying.

How does this pay off? Healthcare job applicants who you don’t hire may be right for a position in the future or are potential customers – and keeping in touch with them is one way to leave a positive impression.

 

These success of these 3 recruiting strategies lies in their ability to draw candidates 365 days a year. Continuous recruiting attracts the best candidates by getting a leg up on your competition, preparing for unexpected job vacancies, and not losing out on someone who could be perfect for your company.

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4 Ways to Make to Most of Online Recruiting

Posted on March 30, 2014 by James G. Lenhardt, CPC, CTS

4 Ways to Make The Most of Online Recruiting

recruiting

The days of recruiting in newspapers and print ads have largely passed—today, if you aren’t recruiting online you aren’t getting the best candidates. Recruiting online successfully takes a careful strategy: you have to know where to post and what to post in order to attract talent.

1. Use Your Website

Most employers have job listings on their websites, but usually they are buried and difficult to navigate. Your website is one of the first places a job seeker will look, so maintaining up-to-date job openings and an easy way to apply is crucial.

What’s more, if a job seeker is coming to your website to apply for a position then it means that they are interested in working with you specifically—if  not, they wouldn’t have taken the time to seek you out—and having specific apartment job openings on your website is the best way to connect with candidates who are going out of their way to find you.

 2. Check Candidates out Online

Most candidates are online in one form or another, and checking out their profiles can give you some insight if you are wondering whether to call someone for an interview or make them a hiring offer. LinkedIn is probably the best place to start checking out a candidate’s credential’s– this is where they should list all of their work experience in one place.

 3. Use Social Media

The use of social media as a recruiting tool is growing, and if there are any social profiles associated with your apartment properties you should post openings there (and if you don’t have any social profiles perhaps it’s time to join!) The people who follow you online are a great recruiting resource because they are already interested in you and can be a way to spread the word about an available apartment job.

 4. Get Creative

Good recruiters know that it’s not just candidates who compete in the job search process—employers should also seek to stand out in order to attract the best talent. One way to do this is to get creative with the way you promote your open jobs: try making videos, sharing a testimonial of someone who has a similar job, etc. Don’t just list an open job—make the best candidates want to work for you.

Candidates today are looking online for jobs, which means that in order to attract applicants, recruiters have to post online; and what’s more you should make promoting jobs online stand out in order to attract the best of the best candidates.

 

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