Employees are the most important investment you make for your green industry business. Attracting good workers is essential to your company's long-term success. Not only do they perform the bulk of your work, but they are a valuable source for new ideas, publicity, and future company managers. To hire good employees and ensure your business's success, make sure to:
1. Allow for Phone Applications
Allowing prospective workers to apply by phone not only makes it easier for them to apply but also helps you to identify more committed employees. Listen to the way in which applicants talk about their work history and select those who express a passion for lawn care. If an applicant describes himself or herself as a hard worker, efficient, or innovative, he or she sees lawn care as a job, and is thus unlikely to make a committed, long-term employee. On the other hand, if the applicant takes pride in lawn care work and talks about specific aspects of the job that he or she loves doing, he or she sees this work as a career; you can count on such applicants to make great long-term employees.
2. Put Your Ads in the Right Places
Craigslist and CareerBuilder are great tools for attracting large numbers of employees, but don't underestimate the value of offline recruiting. Identify your best current employees and anything they have in common, and advertise in places that many of them frequent. This will make it easier to attract more employees who are like them. If many of them live in the same neighborhood or housing complex, advertise there. If many of them play on the same sports team, advertise at the parks and community centers where they play.
3. Make Your Ad Simple
Attracting employees is like any other form of advertising: the easier your ads are to remember, the more successful they will be. Ads that contain long, detailed descriptions of working conditions, wages, and benefits are difficult to quickly read and retain. However promising the job may be, prospective employees are unlikely to respond to such ads. Opt instead for simple words and pictures that will give viewers a good sense of what the job can offer. In place of detailed information on pay scales and benefits, simply write "starting wages $10 plus benefits." Rather than complex descriptions of working conditions, include a picture showing employees doing ordinary lawn care tasks. Then provide a phone number or email address for further questions.
4. Use Keywords in Your Online Ads
The better you anticipate what prospective workers will be searching for, the more applicants you will attract. Terms like "irrigation," "fertilizer," "lawn maintenance," "lawn care," "green industry," "mowing," and "weed control" are more likely to attract employees who are committed to landscaping and specialize in particular fields.
5. Take Care of All Employees
Happy, secure employees are the best advertising that any company can offer. Offer your workers good wages, generous benefits, and ample opportunities to advance. If your workers feel like respected members of your business, rather than resources to be used, they'll be more productive, more loyal, and more likely to encourage friends and family members to apply for a job. As lawn care is a seasonal industry, one of the best ways to show your employees you care is to help them find work in the off-season, preferably with a local company. Not only will this help them financially, but it will give them an incentive to stay in the area and renew their contract with you the next year.
