August 2, 2024 Becoming The Manufacturing Employer of Choice

Although manufacturers face unique hiring challenges in the current labor market, you can still land stellar talent.

If your manufacturing organization is hiring, chances are you’re not alone. Drive through any industrial park and you’ll likely find more than a few “Help Wanted” signs. And that demand for labor won’t go away any time soon, as Baby Boomers continue to retire en masse, leaving organizations with fewer qualified candidates to hire.

A dwindling labor pool is challenging enough. Couple that with the fact that most manufacturers’ open jobs need to be performed in person and many candidates still want remote or hybrid work, and it’s easy to see how manufacturers face an uphill climb.

In addition, many manufacturing companies employ lengthy hiring processes that consist of multiple steps, greatly increasing the likelihood of “candidate drop-off” when applicants withdraw from an application or interview process before the employer can decide on an applicant’s candidacy. The reasons for drop-off vary, but some of the most common include: the candidate received a job offer before your interview process concluded, the candidate didn’t receive clear information about next steps in the process or the candidate did not receive a response to his/her application within a few days.

While manufacturing companies have their work cut out for them, forward-thinking businesses can gain an edge over their competition in landing top talent by employing a few quick and easy best practices.

Implement these processes today to become an employer of choice:

Employ a high-touch interview process: Many candidates, especially for hourly positions, often feel disrespected by potential employers due to poor communication. To prevent this potential pitfall, assign an employee, preferably in your HR department, to manage your recruiting and hiring process. Establish standards for response times (as an example, “We will respond to all candidates who apply to a position at our company within 48 hours.”) and ensure your team is answering candidates’ questions every step of the way. Remember that the knowledge you take for granted may be completely foreign to job applicants, so be patient with them.

Be efficient: The best candidates in any job market will often have more than one employer competing for their services. If you like a candidate, chances are the manufacturer down the road from you will like him/her too. With that information in mind, make every effort to streamline your interview process. The best bet is to interview candidates once and make a hiring decision within 24 hours.

If you must conduct an additional interview or administer a skills test, ensure you’re maintaining constant communication with the candidate between appointments and limit your number of interviews to two.

Lastly, when you make a job offer, do your best to make it so attractive that it’s a quick and easy decision for the candidate to accept. You want new employees to be excited to work for you; one of the best ways to do that is to make a strong job offer.

Market your work environment and culture: The most desired companies possess excellent cultures and ensure the world knows how great they are! Manufacturers have some catching up to do in this area. As one CEO of a mid-sized company said to me, “The idea of company culture is still very new to our industry. I now recognize I must develop and nurture a positive work environment in order to attract and retain workers.”

A strong culture will attract people to your organization, making it a magnet for talented people. Some of our clients with hybrid or fully on-site staff have such a sterling reputation that candidates are excited about coming into an office every day.

A quick note of clarification that culture is not an occasional pizza party or a ping pong table in the break room. Those are nice things, but they don’t make your work environment better than another. Your culture is reflected in your company’s core values and how you care for and develop your employees, among other things.

I encourage you to see the enormous opportunity in the face of difficult circumstances for manufacturing companies such as yours. Show candidates that you care, implement an efficient candidate evaluation process and help folks understand why your company is an employer of choice. Then watch how your company stands out from the rest.

Clark Harvey is founder and president of Arrowhead Talent Solutions, a full-service, national executive search firm specializing in professional-level positions in the manufacturing industry. With nearly 20 years of recruiting experience, Clark connects companies with candidates to help both achieve their highest potential.

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