Best Practices to Attract, Recruit, & Hire Associates

Investing time in developing a Best In Class Recruitment Program

I have asked many leaders throughout my career what their role is in hiring a new associate on their team. Some of the answers I have received in large publicly traded organizations I have worked in are that it’s not my job; however, it is every manager's responsibility to be part of the recruitment process. The most important relationship any associate will ever have is with their immediate manager, and this relationship needs to start with potential candidates' early interactions with your company.

What is the role of the Hiring Manager in the Recruitment Process?

I firmly believe that Hiring Managers have a crucial role in the recruitment process, including attracting, recruiting, and hiring. If you have a Human Resources Department, this is in partnership with them; however, any associate's most important relationship is with their leader, starting from the initial contact with that potential candidate. In the Cross-Industry Compensation & Benefits Survey report, HARDI along with 22 other distributor associations that service 959 distribution companies with 10,000 locations, participated confidentially, by providing critical information that Industry Insights, Inc. reported on in 2022. This biannual survey will have its latest findings published in May 2024. The number one primary concern/issue that these companies reported was that 72.7% were concerned with finding qualified employees. This is a staggering number. So, out of 959 distribution companies that answered the survey, 697 are focused on finding associates. You need to answer how you differentiate yourself from those 697 distribution companies. After being in recruitment for 30 years, I recommend actively involving the Hiring Manager, from the very beginning of the hiring process.

What can the Hiring Manager focus on when looking for the best candidates?

The Hiring Manager can articulate the company's culture, mission, and vision along with sharing the roles and responsibilities of the position through word of mouth, posting on their social media accounts, connecting with potential candidates through networking, and sharing why they choose to work for the organization. This is critical and can be leveraged to explain why the candidate should apply to the company.

At a previous company, my team put together a referral program with the Hiring Manager that we shared with all associates to help tell their personal stories of why they worked for the company and rewarded them when a referral was hired and stayed with the company for 90 days. This was a valuable network of potential candidates that came from our associates, whom we respected and who showed their commitment to the business's success based on their performance. These success stories of associates joining the company could be captured and shared with internal associates and external potential candidates via the company website, LinkedIn, or a video that can be leveraged to attract potential candidates to apply and engage current associates to continue their careers with us.

How do you start the Recruiting and Hiring process for a position?

The first step is for the Hiring Manager to define the job description. This would include the job title, purpose, duties and responsibilities, required qualifications, preferred qualifications, and working conditions. Once this has been completed, the position can be posted. It should include the job title, introduction to the company, brief job description, top benefits being offered, job location, and how to apply. This will ensure the candidates know what to do in the position and understand more about the company. According to the 2022 Cross-Industry Compensation and Benefits Survey, the following are the top methods to fill open positions successfully:

I have found that leveraging Internet job boards has been highly successful regardless of the industry in which you are recruiting for positions. My go-to boards have been Indeed and Zip Recruiter, which will post your jobs for free if you have them on your company website. As mentioned above, associate referrals are the second most successful method of filling open positions and have also been a critical part of my recruitment strategy.

What do you do once you have candidates apply to your open job posting?

If they have one, Hiring Managers, in partnership with their Human Resources Department, should develop interview questions based on the current job description they have created. These questions should include behavioral questions that align with the company's culture and mission and specific functional skill questions to verify their job competency. Here are some questions that I have asked of candidates during an interview:

• Can you share a specific example of when you had to deal with a customer who was unhappy when returning a product, how you handled it, and what the outcome of that customer interaction was?

• Please describe a time when someone you worked with was not contributing fully and how you addressed it.

• How do you ensure you produce the best possible results on a project or day-to-day task?

• Can you share with me what you know about our company?

These are just a few questions that can further give insight into a candidate’s background.

Who should extend an offer to a candidate?

Once you have identified the candidate you would like to move forward with for an offer, you should work with your Human Resources Department (if you have one) to finalize the salary you will be offering the candidate. I have found that having the Hiring Manager extend the offer to the candidate continues to build the relationship between that individual and their leader. How exciting is it for the Hiring Manager to call the individual who they have selected for the position and share this great news about the fact they are receiving an offer to join the company? The Human Resources Department can follow up and answer any questions the candidate might have regarding benefits, vacation, orientation, etc.

Attract, Recruit, and Hire Associates

As a Hiring Manager, being active in the process, from creating the job description, sharing with your network, developing the interview questions, interviewing the candidate, and extending the employment offer, is all an essential part of being a manager, which is to engage with your associates from day one. Managers' roles in ensuring they hire the best candidate are critical in developing the relationship with their new hire. Being intentional with your time as a manager proactively will leave your new hire to the company feeling valued and engaged even before their first day. Candidates invest time and effort into the interview, and the Hiring Manager should do the same.

HARDI provides our members with best-in-class training programs, both public and private, and customized eLearning programs relevant to the HVACR industry. If you’d like to learn more about these programs to engage and retain your associates or discuss how to attract, recruit, or hire associates, contact HARDI’s Talent Development Team.