Use your website to hire, pt. 2

Chris Heiler

Last month, Chris Heiler gave his first two tips on how to use your website to find good employees. This month he gives the final three. To read part one of this column, visit lawnandlandscape.com and search “Use your website to hire.”
 

No. 3: Maintain up-to-date job openings. To increase the number of candidates you generate from your website you’ll need to go beyond the basic Careers page. Give candidates more information about each position so they understand where they may or may not fit.

I suggest creating a unique page and job description for each role, including administrative and managerial positions, as well as field labor positions. Here is a recommended outline:

• About your company
• Position description and responsibilities
• Compensation and benefits
• Skills and experience required
• Who the specific position will report to
   

For a great example, view Native Land Design’s page bit.ly/nldhire to attract branch managers.

Your recruiting motto should be “always be recruiting,” so keep these pages updated even if you’re not currently hiring for the position. Always be on the lookout for talent.

No. 4: Use web forms to screen and collect candidate information. Now it’s time to take your recruiting to the next level and introduce time-saving automation.

Your website should generate qualified job candidates just as it should be generating qualified sales leads. This requires a web form on your career pages. Completing a short web form is painless for a candidate. Asking them to print out your three-page job application and fax it back is not. Asking them to email or call is a waste of time.

I suggest using a short “pre-screening” form. Only ask for enough information to qualify a candidate and move them to the next step in your recruiting process. Don’t require them to complete your entire job application. This shorter form will convert at a much higher rate because it’s less overwhelming and scares fewer candidates away.

There are two types of job seekers: active and passive. An active job seeker may be willing to complete an extensive application form but the passive job seeker – typically already employed (and most likely your best candidate) – will not. They won’t risk you calling their current employer.

For examples of pre-screening web forms see Native Land Design at bit.ly/nldhire and Landscape Leadership at bit.ly/landscapejobs.
 

No. 5: Put a formal follow-up process in place. Just as you have a formal process for following up with new sales leads, you also need to create a follow-up process for new job candidates. Your follow-up process could look something like this:

When a candidate fills out a web form, they are instantly sent an automated “confirmation” email. You can also set expectations by including “next steps” in the process or even requesting they forward their resume.

One person within your company should receive an instant notification via email when a job candidate completes a web form.

This person should score or grade the candidate as quickly as possible, either moving the candidate to the next step or removing him or her from the process. Grade the candidate using the information in your pre-screening form, by reviewing their resume and by reviewing their profile on LinkedIn. You can grade using a number or letter scale. I use a star rating scale. If a candidate is a four or five stars, they move to the next step. If not, they go no further.

Move the qualified candidate on to the next step in your recruiting and hiring process within 24 to 48 hours. Maybe you send them a full job application to complete, or schedule a phone or in-person interview.

This follow-up process will look a bit different for every company. The point is to have a process in place that quickly qualifies or disqualifies candidates and efficiently moves them to the next hiring stage.
 

Wrap up.

I acknowledge we are faced with very real challenges when it comes to “finding good people” for our companies. However, let’s stop shooting ourselves in the foot by being more proactive as recruiters. We can start by elevating the importance of our website. Start with these five basic recommendations and your company’s website will soon be attracting qualified job candidates instead of scaring them away.

The author is the founder of Landscape Leadership, a digital marketing agency for green industry companies.

Hire Power is a monthly column designed to help you recruit, hire and retain the best talent for your company. We’ve got a rotating panel of columnists ready to give you practical, tactical advice on solving your labor problems. Email Chuck Bowen at cbowen@gie.net with topic ideas.