These tips provide great insight on how to hire hourly workers, especially in a world catered to salaried individuals.
How to Hire Hourly Workers
It seems like everything 'hiring' these days is geared towards helping the corporate world thrive. When it comes to hiring hourly workers, finding the right people for the job can be trickier than decoding your grandma's secret pancake recipe. Here are some key points to consider when looking for local talent.
1. Job Boards are a Thing of the Past
Ever find yourself drowning in a sea of resumes, desperately trying to fish out the perfect hourly worker? Maybe it's because your #1 sourcing strategy uses job boards to find talent. In the past 25 years, job boards have failed to evolve. Job boards focus far more on catering to salaried positions, which doesn't help you. More than likely, you're receiving far from local, unqualified applicants, wasting your time and costing you money.
It may be time to take a couple of steps back and examine your sourcing strategy. Have you tried to find applicants by using your current employee network? Encourage your employees to bring in their friends, family, or that guy they met at the gym who's surprisingly good at assembling IKEA furniture. Have you looked at online job board alternatives, like Juvo Jobs, to help you find local talent in your neighborhood? These days, new tech always comes up with the 'next best thing,' even in the hiring space, so it may be time to expand your horizons beyond the typical job board when looking for new hourly workers.
2. Ditch job descriptions
You've just spent hours writing a job description so good, even Spider-Man would ditch his spidey senses to apply. Yet- no one (not even Spider-Man) applies. Consider this- No one reads job descriptions these days. Especially in the hourly hiring industry, workers are more than likely quickly applying to jobs without reading a single word, willing to work for the first employer to respond.
In an age where video is so prominent and resounding, why not use it to hire too? Instead of writing a long job description, simplify it into a quick video. Here, you'll have the ability to showcase your personality, give applicants an inside look into the workplace, and better be able to describe the job responsibilities and roles. Upload the video online (to a place like YouTube or Vimeo) and post the link in the description box. Better yet, use a hiring tool like Juvo Jobs to upload your video directly to your profile so all job seekers can view it with ease.
3. Simplify the Application Process
No one wants to fill out a novel-sized form when they could be binge-watching their favorite show. Do you really need an hourly worker to fill out a personality test? Or better yet- do hourly workers even need a resume? People don't hire pieces of paper anyways; they hire people. Even if you had the perfect resume sitting in front of you, that person may not be the right fit. You can't gauge hard work, problem solving skills, or customer service in a resume, so it's better just to pivot straight into an in-person interview or quick phone call when you see an intriguing application come through. Pro tip: Streamline the process, make it mobile-friendly, and watch the applications roll in like the tide.
4. Text Your Potential New Hires
Here's a fresh idea to spice up your recruiting game: Engage faster with text messages! Move over, carrier pigeons; it's all about speedy, efficient communication. Not only that, your applicants may be too scared to pick up when you call. In fact, 90% of Gen Z are anxious about speaking on the phone. Using a method of non-verbal communication, such as text or mesaging through the Juvo Jobs app, removes that awkward later of communicating, resulting in a higher chance of you getting a response.
5. Effective Onboarding Experiences
Congrats! You hired your next hourly employee. Now what? Those initial days are crucial, like the first date of the job world. Not only does your new employee have to make a good first impression, you too should be making an effort to put your best foot forward the second they walk through your door. Offer extensive training when needed and don't leave them hanging. Pair them with another fun employee of yours to teach them the ropes. Make it memorable, and you'll have an employee for life.
6. Create Retention Strategies
Let's be real, finding hourly workers is just half the battle – keeping them is the real quest. Turnover costs can be expensive, especially if you're a small business, so it's important to develop a solid retention strategy. Focus on providing fair compensation. Look at what others in the neighborhood are offering and see if you can match the same hourly rate or better. Offer flexible work arrangements, because everyone values a good work-life balance. Promote a healthy workplace culture that emphasizes employee treatment and provides your employees with opportunities for advancement. No one wants to be a dishwasher for life!
Of course, other renention strategies, such as offering benefits (think PTO and health insurance) or opportunities for career planning/mentoring to prevent burnout, can help keep your hourly employees long-term.
So there you have it, the ultimate guide to hiring hourly workers. It's a wild ride, but armed with these insights, (and with the help of Juvo Jobs) you'll be the hiring maestro in no time. Develop those strategies, implement them like a pro, and you'll have a stable workforce that rivals the Avengers' loyalty to Tony Stark. Happy hiring!
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