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By Amy Elise Humphries

In spite of all that 2020 presented the shortline industry—and the world—Association companies reported that the chief threat to their profitability was an inability to attract a skilled workforce. The only other issue that broke apart from the pack of industry worries was the ag economy, and it garnered a feeble response compared to the challenge of staffing your operations.

You have employed a series of creative strategies to find the right people, but in the spirit of bringing you more, we call upon the expertise of Amy Elise Humphries with Driven Digital. She offers you these tips on turning your company’s website into a powerful recruitment tool.

Step One: Create a Careers Page

Careers pages are becoming increasingly important as a hiring tool. They account for 94.1 percent more hires than they did four years ago. A stagnant careers page with dated job postings, broken links, old news, and outdated content can result in good candidates leaving your website.

Kristine Sexter, an expert in manufacturing workforce development, suggests manufacturers market job opportunities on their website with the same focus they bring to marketing their products. It is an entry point to the opportunities and the culture.

Consider too everyone who might look at your careers page. Strive to design a resource in which they will see themselves as a fit regardless of their gender, experience level, or ethnicity.

Step Two: Make Your Process Mobile-Friendly

Nearly 54 percent of people who apply to manufacturing jobs do so on a mobile device. If your career pages are not mobile-friendly, you are missing qualified candidates. Today, 77 percent of Americans own a smartphone, edging higher than those with a desktop computer. Job seekers use mobile devices, and companies can recruit more competitively when they accommodate that preference.

Step Three: Simplify

Job seekers are committed to finding a job but are limited by time. Sexter advises: “Do not bury, nor make it difficult, for right-fit talent to find a list of your current openings and apply for them.”

A hard-to-use application process will shape how applicants see you as an employer. They will not hesitate to abandon an application process that is overly complex or difficult, especially if they have an alternative. Provide a simple way for them to upload their resume.

Research suggests that reducing the time it takes to complete your application by 10 percent can increase your applicant pool by 2.3 percent for mobile job seekers.

Step Four: Showcase Your Culture

Why should someone want to work for your company? Job seekers today want to know more about a company’s culture and reputation. You need more than a list of openings and responsibilities to hold their interest.

Share your company story with compelling content that distinguishes your organization. Post photos of the company picnic, your employee of the month, longtime employees, retirement parties, etc. Highlight your employer brand with information on company growth, benefits, job training, and community stewardship—anything that might resonate with the people you want to attract.

“Employees feel greatly honored when they know that their achievements are placed prominently on the main website for the whole world to see,” Sexter says. And, “research shows that customers, and potential customers, greatly want to do business with companies who value their workforce.”

Remember, focus on selling career opportunities online as fully as you focus on selling your products. Take some time to review your website and ensure that you are optimizing these strategies:
● Build, or build out, your careers page.
● Make it mobile-friendly.
● Simplify your application process.
● Showcase your company culture.