Is there a particular season, or time of year, when your business peaks and you could use a few extra hands? If you’ve used seasonal employees before, you know that not just anyone will do. You want good workers, reliable people who have the skills and experience you need.
If you haven’t had good luck with hiring seasonal employees in the past, you may want to consider these seven tips to finding superstar seasonal workers when the annual rush is on.
Think High Unemployment Rates will make it Easy? Think Again…
Jennifer Lemcke, chief operating officer of Weed Man USA, said that regardless of unemployment rates, seasonal hiring is still a challenge. “We’ve experienced pockets of the country where it was very difficult to hire,” said Lemcke, “it’s been hard to hire in Detroit.” Despite Michigan’s high unemployment rate, many Michiganders are still eligible to collect unemployment. So the motivation to find temporary work, which may negatively affect those benefits, just does not exist.
In an effort to find candidate’s who truly desire a seasonal position, companies need to be focused in their job search. When you’re only offering seasonal employment opportunities, narrow your search to candidates who just want to work for the season—that way, both you and the candidates will have the same expectations. “We have tapped into graduating university students who are taking time to figure out what they want to do,” says Lemcke. With so many colleges and universities in Michigan to choose from, try calling the career services offices of the closest one to see what kind of help they can offer.
Seasonal Staffing Requires Creativity and Communication.
Regardless of the actual job duties, seasonal positions require the same thing of employees: be a quick learner and willing to roll with the punches. Additionally, employees need to be counted on to be reliable and dependable. If you’re working with a staffing agency, they can match you with people whose personalities match your needs as well as their experience does.
Many companies find top candidates for their seasonal jobs; but once hired, the employee struggles in the position. Why? “One of the most common mistakes is throwing seasonal hires on a sales floor with minimal training or onboarding, viewing them as a way to fill a schedule rather than as company representatives to serve your customers,” says Nels Wroe, partner and product director at SHL Group, a vendor of talent assessment tools. In simpler terms, don’t think that putting someone into a job is good enough. Make sure you show—and tell— your seasonal employees what to do, how to do it, and any other expectations you might have.
Be strategic With Your Resources.
Instead of working with multiple staffing firms, try working with one exclusively. If your peak season occurs at the same time as many others, staffing vendors may not be able to focus completely on your staffing needs as they are trying to fill the seasonal needs of multiple clients. However, if you are able to give one agency all of your business, they may repay your business by focusing on finding you the best seasonal workers.
If you’re able to talk to candidates and find out who is most likely to return for another season, hire them; it will mean having to find fewer people when this seasonal surge happens again. Many companies may realize that one or more of their seasonal workers could be terrific candidates for their permanent positions. Keep an eye on them and evaluate their performance over the season, then decide whether they’d be a good full-time fit.
Still feeling intimidated by the thought of hiring seasonal help? Contact The Wood Companies! We can help you with a strategic staffing plan by evaluating how many people you need, for how long, and then find you top talent. Whether you need temporary staffing in South Bend, or seasonal staffing in Southwest Michigan, The Wood Companies can meet your needs.
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