Giving the right impression
to job applicants
Hiring good employees is the foundation of any successful
business and also is key to controlling your Workers’ Compensation
costs. According to the employment agency, Hudson, more than four in 10
workers are looking for new jobs. Moreover, 60% of the men and 52% of the
women think it will be easy to find a new job. With heavy competition, it
behooves employers to spruce up the impression they project to prospective
employees.
Our strategic partner, HR That Works!, provides a checklist for
first impressions – how employers represent themselves to job applicants,
as well as existing employees. Here are some of the pointers:
Job postings – What
message do you send out to job applicants? If you were to compare your ads
with the others out there, what makes yours stand out?
Your website – Job
applicants will review your website to see what message you have put on
it about your employee relations. If you have no message, that in and of
itself speaks volumes.
Community press releases
- Are you constantly announcing the promotions and successes of your employees
in industry and local business periodicals?
Industry and association
awards – Do you hold yourself out to the public as a great place to
work? If so, how have you proven it? How do you show it? Where are the articles
and awards?
On your vehicles, in your
stores, in your advertisements -How are you using your existing “billboard”
space to brand your company?
Telephone greeting –
How is the phone answered? How about starting with “It’s a great
day at _____! My name is ____. How can I help you?”
The waiting area –
How are job prospects treated while filling out a job application or waiting
to be interviewed? Are they treated like one of your most important clients?
Is their name on a welcome board? If not, why not?
Your working environment – What does it say to someone just by looking
at it? Does it show on it how your employees are acknowledged? Are their
pictures on the walls? Are client letters on the walls? Are employee awards
on the walls?
The interviewing process
– The way in which you interview someone causes him or her to want
to work for your company, or not. Do you conduct the interview in a clean,
well-lit place? Are you well organized and is it a rigorous process that
makes folks understand this is a “special workplace” or simply
an effort to get it over with?
Orientation process – Management gurus will tell you the first 90
days of employment can make or break employee relations. How fine-tuned
is your orientation process? Are you clear about its purpose? How are newcomers
included into the team, group, culture and so on?
The employee entrance – It is amazing how many employees walk through
a de-motivating entrance every single day! Ask a simple question, is your
employee entrance adding to employee motivation or not?
Uniforms – Whether it is affinity clothing or your dress code (casual
vs. conservative) – what we wear speaks volumes.
The quality of employee performance begins with the quality of the hire.
Employees are evaluating you as much as you are evaluating them. Companies
that are best at building and retaining their workforce recognize the importance
of a positive first impression. |