By a show of hands, how many of you are looking for more people to add to your team?

When I ask that question in a room full of HVACR business owners, 99 percent of people put up their hands. Some put up both hands to express the urgency of the situation.

It’s hard to find people and even harder to find good people to add to your team to grow.

To help HVACR business owners, I’ve put together this list of nine great hiring sources. Use this as a monthly checklist to make sure you are tapping all sources that you possibly can. (You’re probably doing some of these some of the time, but are you doing all of them all the time?)

NO. 1: HELP WANTED ADS

This is probably not a surprise, but you should be placing help wanted ads in whatever sources are available to you. Whether online or in your local paper, people automatically go to these sources to find jobs. Pro tip: if you are not having any luck with this source, or if you just aren’t finding great people with this source, don’t stop using it. Instead, you should change your ads.

NO. 2: SOCIAL MEDIA

Get onto social media and post that you are looking to add to your team. Post this on your company’s Facebook page, your personal page, your Twitter account, and your LinkedIn account. And don’t just do it once in a while — do it often. Not everyone goes onto social media the same time you do, so make sure you’re posting these things throughout the day

NO. 3: TRADE SCHOOLS

If you have a local trade school, inquire there about how to reach out to its students who are just graduating, as well as the institution’s alumni, to post your help wanted ads. They may have a job board, a job fair, or even a magazine for their alumni. Also consider opportunities to speak to the school’s students whenever possible.

NO. 4: TRADE SHOWS OR HOME SHOWS

Chances are, there are shows in your area where other home service companies will have tables or put on demonstrations. Those employees may be looking for other work (or they might not be). Start with an introduction and tell them that if they are ever looking, you’d love to talk. Sometimes it’s just a matter of planting a seed in their minds. A few years later, when their jobs take a turn for the worse, they will remember you and reach out.

NO. 5: COMPETITORS

Are your competitors hiring great people? Find a way to connect with your competitors’ employees and offer them a job. Approach them when you see their trucks parked in the neighborhood, or stop by where a bunch of their crews eat lunch.

NO. 6: YOUR OWN EMPLOYEES

People tend to hang out with other people who are just like them. So ask your best employees who they know that they’d like to work with. Offer a recruiting bonus if their referral is hired. This is also a powerful retention strategy because people love to work with their friends.

NO. 7: YOUR OWN NETWORK

Did you know that most people know, on average, about 200 people? So, the 200 people you know each know about 200 additional people. Although there might be some overlap, that’s potentially 40,000 people who are separated by just one level. Surely, one or two of those 40,000 people are great potential employees who are looking for jobs right now. Just make sure you ask everyone — from your cousin to the receptionist at your dentist’s office. Don’t ask them if they are looking for work, ask them if they know someone who is.

NO. 8: YOUR CLIENTS

This is a surprising way to find employees, but it’s also pretty simple. After all, clients see the good work you do and how professional and helpful your staff can be. So whenever you hand out a packet of information about your company and the services you offer, you should also hand out a hiring card that invites them, or people they know, to apply.

NO. 9: EVERYBODY

We’ve covered a lot of people in the above points, but we haven’t covered everybody yet. There are many more people you encounter on a day-to-day basis, from the person who pumps your gas to the waitress at a restaurant to the girl at the mall kiosk to the salesman who sells you your company trucks. These people are skilled people who you see in action every day. And even if they aren’t HVACR-licensed professionals, you know they have customer service or sales skills, so they may fit well in other roles in your company. Always be ready with a hiring card or brochure and invite them to look into a long-term career at your company.

SUMMARY

Every HVACR company needs more employees, but sometimes it can feel like a struggle to get them.

The good news is, great employees are everywhere, if you only know where to look. Use this article as a checklist and review it constantly to make sure you are looking everywhere for your next superstar employee.

Publication date: 6/18/2018

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