While we’re still in the early spring months, many employers across the country are starting to vamp up their headcounts ahead of the summer rush.
Many public employers in parks and recreation departments are looking to hire hourly, summer talent to help fill various roles—like lifeguards, maintenance crews, festival workers, and more. When it comes to hiring some of these specific roles, like lifeguards for example, employers need to get an early head start, as these roles may require specific certification and training.
For employers who are just looking to fill hourly positions, in general, you’re not alone. “Hiring thousands of hourly positions is a top-of-mind challenge for organizations looking to fill open positions in our tight labor market,” says Greg Summers—Executive Vice President of high volume RPO at Cielo—in an e-mail to Recruiting Daily Advisor. Summers offers some great advice for all employers looking to fill hourly roles.
Hiring Hourly Workers En Masse
“The competition to attract quality talent in hourly hiring is typically heightened in times of low employment, and since the qualifications of many hourly candidates are a match for the majority of open positions, organizations need to find a way to help the best candidates rise above the noise,” says Summers.
He adds, “[t]he answer to overcoming these challenges is implementing a new, more efficient process that’s driven by artificial intelligence (AI). This new approach prioritizes high volume and high quality.”
AI Helps Speed Up the Process
“Talent Acquisition (TA) teams should consider incorporating tactics like programmatic advertising, assessments and matching, interview self-scheduling and reporting into their approach,” says Summers. “Using technology that gives TA teams the ability to measure candidates against data from current high-performing employees will highlight which candidates are most qualified.”
“Additionally, instead of simply posting job openings on job boards, TA teams should look into smart ads to reach specific candidate demographics by targeting them where they spend their time online—such as Facebook, Google, Snapchat and Instagram,” adds Summers. “This ensures that organizations capitalize on mobile technology and the experience all stakeholders demand today.”
For employers who currently do not have the AI solutions in place to attract hourly workers, consider these other tips, as outlined by contributor, Kelly Creighton:
Host Job Fairs
If you want to attract a high number of hourly, seasonal employee candidates at one time, host an event where interested parties can come and ask questions and fill out applications. Doing this is a great way to get a lot of applications at once. If needed, you can even host the event virtually online.
Start Your Process Early
Don’t wait until a week or so before the summer months hit to solicit applications for seasonal work. Make sure to start a month or two in advance. Otherwise, your competition might get the more desirable candidates. Starting early will also give you plenty of time to weed out unqualified candidates and to provide new hires with appropriate training.
Ask Your Current Employees for Referrals
When searching for seasonal employees, your current employees could prove to be an invaluable resource. Ask around to see if anyone knows of someone who’s looking for seasonal employment.
Cater to Students and Retirees
Most of the individuals who are searching for seasonal work are high school students who want something to do during summer break, college students who are in between semesters, and retirees who need some extra cash.
So, cater a lot of your job announcements and descriptions to them. And remember that retirees have most likely had decades of work experience, so they’ll be reliable and bring a wealth of knowledge to the table.
Assess Your Seasonal Needs
And finally, before requesting applications and sending out general job announcements, make sure you have a clear idea of what you need your hourly, seasonal employees to do on a daily basis. Will they help with customers, placing orders, managing inventory, or something else? Look at your numbers and customer feedback from the previous year to help you assess where you’ll need the most help for the upcoming year. Doing this will also help you write clearer and more targeted job descriptions and announcements.