finding workers

denjen

I hire into a manufacturing setting. I need to increase the production staff by 50%. This region has a 2.5% unemployment rate.
Does anyone have any tricks or tatics that have worked well for them in the past. We are not looking for warm bodies. This is not an assembly line. It is bench work reading blueprints (which we do train to do)

HR Hat

I'm not in industry, but you might consider having a "Career Fair" or "Open House" at your facility, advertising the event on the radio and in newspapers.

This might attact more candidates than usual, and If you can show applicants the actual work area, what they'll be doing, etc., you might snag more of those who do show up.

Good luck!

HR Hat

System

How about visiting community service organizations and religious institutions? These are the places where unemployed individuals will seek services from. My experience has been that they welcome this information and some of them will even facilitatate informational sessions. Don't forget to take advantage of other free advertisement resources in your area, like WorkSource/Employment Security and community news papers. Some of the best employees we've hired came from employee referrals. We have an Employee Referral Program that offers a monetary award to our employees who refer applicants, if they are hired and are successful, at least thru the introductory period.
Good luck!

denjen

Great suggestions. Keep them coming.

HRQ

Referral bonuses, referral bonuses, referral bonuses.

We pay $100 after the new employee completes 90 days of employment.

We joke that all of our employees' friends and family are already working for us. They're all tapped out.

joannie

We went the referral bonus route also. $500.00 total. $200 paid when new hire completes orientation and $300 when new hire successfully completes the 90 day introductory period.

We tried a $1500 sign on bonus, but had better luck with the referral bonus.

HRQ

Boy, do I dislike sign on bonuses. It gives such a desperate vibe. We offered them when we were in a huge pinch for bus drivers and I do not believe it made a whit of difference. We were also extremely sensitive to how other employees would take it if they found out. ("Why didn't [i][b]I[/b][/i] get a sign on bonus?")

We post colorful flyers in our lobbies for parents to see, offering tuition credits for referring people to work for us. We present it as "we are growing!" We feel it is better for parents to see we are going through a growth spurt rather than just plain suffering from staff turnover. Sometimes it really is from growth spurts, but not always.

We also post "we are growing! Career opportunities!" banners outside the schools to promote walk-in applicants. Our centers all have pretty huge street visibility.

Susan in La

You might try vocational-technical schools, or even high schools that have vocational programs. Around here we have some seniors completing in January, even though they don't graduate until May.

allsteaks

Just curious, have you done a wage and benefit analysis to make sure you're competitive in your market? Can you offer new employees stability, enough to draw them away from other employers? If your unemployment is nonexistent (2.5% is) your choices are relocating people to your area or drawing from other employers. If you compensation package is attractive, I'd get some advertising going right away.

denjen

Yes to everything. The advertising only works so long. That seems to dry up the market after a couple of months.

ACU Frank

I see you're in Nebraska...

Have you tried recruiting displaced 'Husker athletic department employees? I hear there may a several looking for work.

denjen

funny. I don't think we could afford their severance package. I did cheer for Muzzo Sat. but not loud enough.