These days, the labor market is getting a little tight for seasonal employees, but that doesn’t do anything to change the fact that a lot of companies nationwide need some holiday help, and are struggling to try and figure out how they are going to do it. Jonathan Means, the president of TrueBlue Workforce Management Group, mentions how a lot of “big retailers are already out there laying seeds in the marketplace for local talent.” This isn’t just retail, though, he adds, so any business in any sector could be having trouble recruiting top talent.
Along with your recruitment advertising in the Bay Area, one good thing to do is try and use every one of the resources at your disposal to reach out to people. For example, some people may have frowned at the idea of using social media to shout out seasonal job openings only a few years ago, but now, it’s common. As long as you create an easy pipeline for potential applicants to go through after a social media interaction, you have a whole new job pool at your disposal.
It doesn’t all have to be online either, especially if you are a small local business. There are tons of community organizations and local networks, from churches to the Chamber of Commerce, that can spread your message. Of course, when you do these things, make sure that you make clear what some of the job’s perks and your company culture are.
Even with all the new methods available to try and attract talent, some of the older ones are still valuable, like referrals. Referrals are especially handy if you have a large workforce. If you want to add a little bit of extra motivation, consider some sort of referral bonus for your current employees. Don’t forget to work with referrals for future hiring needs as well.
One final note, which is probably something you’re afraid of, is upping your compensation. The fact of the matter is that the workforce knows at this point that a bunch of companies need support during the holidays. This puts the ball in their court as far as choosing who to work with. It may be a good idea to get the lay of the land as far as what others are paying, to see if you’re going too low to interest talent. Another thing worth considering is finding other benefits if you can’t pay, like remote or telecommuting work. More and more people are considering this a viable reason to work for less for a better work-life balance.
