ensure it is a worthwhile learning experience for them. But that time investment will lead to better job performance and may encourage the intern to join your company as a full-time employee following graduation.
Invite the high school FFA group or turfgrass students at the area community college to tour your facility. Tat expanse of beautiful green grass is impressive, and for an added punch, mow a strip or two nearby the open house site, because nothing smells better than fresh cut grass. Let them meet your team and learn a little bit about the company—who you are and what you do.
Work with the local middle school STEM class instructors to set up a day of hands-on learning on your sod farm. It’s never too early to plant the seed of interest in a future career.
Make It Easy to Apply
Face it, nearly all potential new hires are going to check out your company by visiting your website. Make sure your landing page is an interesting, inviting peek into your company and your company culture. For potential applicants, that first impression can draw them in or turn them off.
Remember the first time you saw a sod harvester in action? A wide area mower? Pretty impressive, right? So, include some video clips on your website of your team operating the tools of the trade. Te entire process of harvesting, loading, and transporting turfgrass sod—just a normal day for you—can be the hook that draws a potential employee to your company.
Make it easy for them to see what you have to offer in job opportunities. Set up a specific section for it—Job Opportunities, Job Openings, Join our Team, Careers. Pick the title that best fits your company culture and the range of positions you wish to fill.
Post open positions on the landing page for that section. If there are none currently, but you’re always looking for excellent personnel, say so. And invite those folks to submit a resume or design a specific application form to seek out the skill sets you want. Once you’ve reviewed what they submit, you might even consider creating a position to bring that individual to your team.
Review your application form. Make it user-friendly so an applicant can provide basic information for a field position or upload a resume for a managerial job. Te application form should bring in enough information to help you weed out unqualified candidates—but not be so time-consuming to complete that it turns off good potential hires.
Encourage candidates to apply online. Track that section daily! TPI Turf News March/April 2023
Review and Reach Out
If you have the technology that makes it easy to apply for a position online, you probably have set up an automated email response when an application is submitted. Tat’s a good thing because potential employees want to know that their application has been received. But it’s just the first step.
Ideally, you or your hiring manager will review applications within 24 hours of receipt. Develop a process to follow up on that review. It will be apparent that some applicants will not be a good fit for your company—let them know it and be sure to do so respectfully. Some applicants will grab your attention. Let them know you are interested and set up an interview by phone or Zoom.
Talk dollars and benefits. Some of you include a salary range in your job postings. If your company doesn’t do so, hiring managers recommend discussing salary expectations early in the process, preferably during the initial phone or zoom interview. Potential benefits should be part of this stage of the process, too. For many applicants, the opportunity for family health care coverage through their employer will balance a lower starting wage.
If the applicant’s requested salary range is higher than your pay scale, even considering your benefits package, and you don’t see a path within your company to allow them to quickly hit that range, it’s best to reveal that, stop the interview process, and thank them for considering your company. You don’t want to waste your time—or theirs—by investing in multiple interviews that won’t result in a hire.
If the applicant would be qualified for a different position that would fit their salary expectations should an opening became available, you may want to ask if they would like you to keep their application on file.
Bring Them In
If interaction during the phone or zoom interview goes well, arrange for an onsite interview. Te smartphone is the lifeline of the younger generation and an increasingly important tool for workers of all ages, so use it. Establish a text line of communication at this point of the process. Text the applicant to confirm the details of this onsite interview—the place and time; any materials they should bring with them, such as a valid driver’s license; and the name and smartphone number of the person they will be meeting. Adding a photo of that individual is a nice touch, too.
When the onsite interview is set for several days after the initial contact, some hiring managers suggest texting a reminder the day before or the morning of the interview. Other hiring managers recommend not sending a reminder, stating they believe it’s important to gauge the applicant’s level of personal responsibility and commitment at this stage of the process.
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