Recruiting for Manufacturers

 

Hiring the right employees is central to the success of a business. Finding the right people to hire in manufacturing has become an increasing concern for many. The “growing skills gap” and “closing the gap”, you’ve all heard of it, and you’ve all probably experienced it for yourself. It feels impossible to find applicants who possess the right skills to fill a position you are in need of. This problem exists for a number of reasons.

Manufacturing jobs have a general misconception about them. They are still pictured in the general public as dirty, industrial work, involving aggressive manual labor for very little pay and very little satisfaction. Children are no longer raised with the belief that manufacturing jobs can become stable careers. The skill set involved in manufacturing is rarely taught at home or in school. Families are more likely today to hire a handyman or specialist to make small fixes in their homes instead of doing it themselves. This has shifted most households away from teaching their children this kind of skillset.

The Manpower Group’s Talent Shortage Survey has identified positions in the manufacturing industry, specifically engineers and technicians, to be in the “top 10 hardest jobs to fill” since 2009.

In fact, in 2009 a poll done by the Foundation of the Fabricators and Manufacturers Association (FMA) showed the majority of teenagers had “little or no interest in a manufacturing career”, the reason being they “seek a professional career”.

History has undoubtedly shaped the view of manufacturing to be a place where careers cannot be built. For those of you who work in the industry, you know this is not the case. It does however make it exceptionally difficult when trying to recruit new workers. The ever looming “silver tsunami” is upon us and it is important to attract, hire and hold onto the right people. As if that wasn’t difficult enough, recruiting new employees is like trying to sell any kind of service. You have to be at the right place, and just at the right time. Especially in today’s world where, with access to the internet, anyone looking for a job can see that their possibilities are boundless.

If you are a small to medium sized manufacturer recruiting can be even more tiring because it is not something that necessarily needs to be done consistently. Especially when replacing key long-term positions. There new tools and technologies coming out every day that help recruiters find new applicants. Without a regular recruiting process is it hard to find the employees you are looking for.

Once more, hiring new employees is time consuming and quite frankly, expensive. Especially when you end up hiring the wrong one. Hiring the wrong person can have a huge negative impact on the current state of the business and the moral of existing employees. A 2016 Career Builder survey stated that on average, one bad hire cost companies 17,000 dollars.

 

 

The most important step to finding the right employees is knowing exactly what you’re looking for. Crafting clear, concise, up to date, and accurate job descriptions is the best way to do this. Accurate job descriptions will help to weed out any applicants that do not meet the specified qualifications. They also create a standard of expectations candidates/future employees can be held accountable for.

Job descriptions should include personality traits that you expect to see in the positions you are looking to fill. These should be traits that help to embody not only the work ethic you are seeking but the culture of your work environment. This way you can sort out applicants that only match the core competencies required and will align with your company’s values.

Proper job descriptions have long term applications as well, so it is in your best interest to take the time to outline and define exactly what you need from your employees. Legally, job descriptions are the first line of defense against faulty unemployment claims. Aside from legalities, job descriptions can be used for performance management, training, employee development, compensation, control, and recognition.

Due to the competitive workforce, you want to make sure you are giving candidates the best information you have to offer in regard to your business. The 2016 CareerBuilder survey identified what candidates expect to see in job listings:

Job postings are advertisements for your company, you have to sell the position if you want to beat the competition. Tell applicants about exciting parts of the job, maybe it’s collaboration and teamwork with other employees, the ability to travel, interesting projects with clients, really great benefits, or maybe it’s your company’s vision to impact something larger than the product or service being produced.

We all know that a business is only as good as its employees. Having the right people in the right place, in line with your company’s goals is key to a successful business. Ultimately you want to find employees whose talents and skills can be grown and nurtured, and who will complement one another. Invest in your people, and they will invest in you.

 

              

 

At MTEC, our seasoned leaders are passionate about forming bonds with your team to understand the needs of your business. If you are struggling to find the right employees or are in need of recruiting assistance, we have a long history of working with clients to provide these services. Give us a call at 845-391-8214 or contact us here for more information