Written by: Xander Kirby (@green_industry_guy)
The spring rush is upon us, and hiring is one of the greatest hurdles we all have to deal with in the coming weeks. Hiring is one of the least favorite things for most lawn and landscape business owners. It usually comes with fear, disappointment, turnover, or frustration at the lack of people actually showing up for an interview. I once had a day where we had scheduled 8 interviews, and only 2 actually showed up.
Over the last 2 years, we have seen a huge increase in retention and in quality of candidates that would walk through our doors. I learned from hiring over 100 different people for my business, that I was making a couple key mistakes and thinking about hiring in the wrong way. Here’s a few changes that I made, and they made a huge difference.
I started to recruit, instead of hire
Everyone has a “now hiring” sign in front of their building or posted on their social media accounts. In the world that we live in today, you’ve got to do a lot more than blend in if you want to bring in quality people to your organization. I recommend that you start changing the way you think about the entire process. “Now hiring” screams you are desperate, and possibly lazy. By switching to a recruiting model, people will feel desired, wanted, and appreciated for the person or employee they may be at your company. Think about your favorite college football team. They got the players they have because they were the best at casting a great vision, having a great connection, and recruiting the heck out of the player. I know it’s not the same, but if you can have the mindset shift, you’ll see a change in the way you find and recruit great employees.
Referrals from trusted connections
Do your best to change the way you post about the openings at your company. Instead of posting “now hiring,” make a great looking short video, post it to your business and personal channels, and tell people that you are looking for recommendations from your friends, family, and colleagues for people that they would recommend. Some of the longest tenured people who are on my staff are people that OTHER people recommended to me. These people know you. They will talk to your future employee for you. Use your network to help you find great people. Think of it like a giant spider web. It grows and grows to catch as many things within it as possible.
I hope these couple of tips help you transform your business this upcoming year. Please connect with me via social media or email if I can help in any way!
