When it comes to recruiting manufacturing is a sector unlike any other. Not only are the skills of the workforce important, but also the culture. Hiring for a manufacturing business is very different than hiring for a tech company — or even a grocery store. When hiring for a manufacturing position you need to select a candidate who will work well with your team and get the job done. The big question is: How can you find out who is the right fit for the manufacturing job before you hire them?
1. Make sure you look good to candidates
For your hiring efforts to work out, you need to position yourself to look like a good employer. Make absolutely certain that your online profile makes you look like a good place to work. Let them know you value your employees.
Remember This: The manufacturing industry is battling a bad reputation. Many young people, who are perfect for manufacturing jobs, do not understand that we’re not living in the 1900s any longer. They can earn a great wage in a clean environment. If you can showcase how you help them live their dream, then you can attract great talent.
2. Find A Hiring Partner
The challenge is that you’re busy. Do you really want to spend 100 hours reviewing all the places you can post a job OR should you simply hire someone who already does that; every day? If you value your time, then you really should find someone who can help hire for your business. That doesn’t mean adding an HR department to your staff, but you can get by with recruiters in your area who do much of the pre-screening for you.
3. Get Started Early
From a conventional logic standpoint, it may not make sense to recruit before you have an open position, but there is a ton of wisdom in finding staff before you need to. Think about it like this, you’d like money upfront; right? Yes. Your staff and future staff are really the same as money. If you lose an employee and their position isn’t filled for several weeks, then you may need to slow down orders. Doing so will lose money. Understand? Your people are money because they make money for your business.
The point I am trying to make here is that, as a business owner, you need to spend 1-3% of your time looking at available talent. This time will come back to you threefold because each person you talk with is either a potential hire in the future, someone who can add a service which will bring in new business, or someone who will learn about your business a could refer your company to where ever they do get hired.
4. Use Social Media to staff your manufacturing shop
First of all, if social media is not your favorite thing, then find a hiring partner. I recommend staying away from relatives who have a social media account because the truth is, their “Facebook Friends” and “Instagram Followers” are more than likely not people you want to work for you.
To make the best use of social media, you need to advertise to a targeted group of people. In some cases, you can narrow down who sees your ad by criteria; including their current employment status.
Also, thinking outside of the box a little bit, you do not need to restrict your hiring efforts to the exact job post. You can make a general statement in your social media post to let people know what your company produces. From there, the right candidate will be encouraged to dig deeper and look into possible positions at your company.
Lastly, if you choose social media, be sure your team shares the post with your audience. It is likely that your team will be friends with like-minded people who may be looking for employment. Ask your team to share the post or include them in the comments and ask them if they know anyone who is looking for work.
5. Offer training and apprentiships opportunities
Do you know why not everyone can do what you do? They can’t do it because they don’t have the experience. As a manufacturing business owner, you take pride in producing a usable from raw material. Why not apply the same principles to your team. If you see someone who has potential, but no skill yet, then why not give them a chance? They ultimately could end up as a dud, but if you can grow their skills and capabilities, then you will be a hero in their eyes. As an added benefit, the business will end up saving a ton of cash because you will be paying less for someone who has fewer years of experience. With that money saved, then you can continue to build your company, brand, sales, and make more opportunities for your community’s newer workforce.
