…it’s only what your employees say that matters.
The age-old axiom, “The best advertising is word of mouth,” still rings true. You can see ten billboards, watch 52 commercials for the new Flab-Buster 5000 on TV, and do nothing. But if you suddenly notice that your next-door neighbor has lost 35 pounds and looks shockingly good in her bikini, and she gives all the credit to the Flab-Buster 5000, you’re going to order one.
The same axiom is just as true when it comes to recruiting workers. You can brag how great your culture is and how fantastic the jobs you’re looking to fill are on your business’s Facebook page and your recruiting site and not see any bump in your application flow. That’s because all your competitors are bragging just as much about their jobs on their social media and their website’s recruiting tab, so all of this simply becomes white noise to those you’re desperately trying to attract.
However, when your employees brag about working for you on THEIR social media sites, …well, that’s where the magic happens.
Their friends and followers trust them, not you. It’s what they say that drives the results.
FOUR STEPS FOR LEVERAGING EMPLOYEE SATISFACTION TO RAMP UP YOUR RECRUITING
1. HAVE A FACE-TO-FACE WITH YOUR BEST WORKERS – Individually, call your top workers in for a private conversation, or take them out for lunch. Tell them how much you appreciate their efforts, how you rely on them, and what that means to you and the rest of the team. Then ask them what it is about working for you that they enjoy. Tell them to be specific and suggest that they speak to you about these things as if they were talking to a friend.
2. LISTEN FOR THE GOLD – If Casey says, “I feel really good when our customers tell me that I’ve made their day,” that’s GOLD! If Javon tells you, “I’m learning a ton here, and you always work around my class schedule,” that’s DOUBLE GOLD!
3. CHANNEL THEIR INNER SPIELBERG – Ask them if they will help you find other superstars by making a short 10-to-20-second “Here’s the reason I love working at SuperTaco” video you can post on your recruiting page. When they do this, compliment and reward them appropriately. (Everyone leaps to their feet to help a boss who makes them feel unique and valued.)
4. SWEETEN THE DEAL – Ask them to post their video on their social media outlets and hashtag you or your business. That deserves a reward. If they go beyond that and provide a link to your recruiting page, that deserves an even bigger reward. And for each application that comes in as a result of their efforts, well, that deserves a Ferrari. (You get where I’m going. Don’t be cheap.)
It’s a brutal war for labor in this post-pandemic climate. To attract the best and the brightest requires that you take steps that your competitors aren’t taking. Getting your A-players actively involved in your recruiting is one sure way to stand out from the pack.
