The COVID-19 pandemic and other social factors have made it harder to retain qualified employees, and even harder to find them.
We’ll get straight to the point; you need qualified employees. But how do you find them? How can you make these positions attractive to new, reliable employees?
➔ Read now: Top Tips to Finding the Right Candidate
ThomasNet gave some insight into the priorities of today’s job seekers, so you can get a grasp on what they’re looking for with their next position.
7 Priorities of Today’s Job Seekers
1. Remote Work
The ability to work from home is a huge factor in what job seekers are looking for in a position. This eliminates the fear of getting sick at work among your employees, making it a safer environment for all.
While not every manufacturing job can be done from home, there are still opportunities to offer some remote work for admin tasks.
➔ Read now: How to Take Manufacturing Digital
2. Workplace Safety
Getting sick at work is a burden for both your employees and your business. It brings up several avoidable problems. Providing them with personal protective equipment (PPE), adherence to hygienic policies, and notifying employees of any positive test results will help maximize the safety of your workplace.
Taking these measures is more attractive to potential employees.
3. Mental Healthcare
The pandemic has caused several issues when it comes to mental health. Employees are becoming more vocal about their mental health needs. They’re turning to their employers to have a clear understanding that breaks, even while working remotely, are necessary to maintain a stable mindset.
If you can offer mental health support for your employees – whether it’s in the form of regular breaks or a competitive health insurance policy – this will set you apart from your competition.
4. Flexibility
Job seekers are looking for flexibility, both in the time they work, and where they work from. Flexibility is highly regarded among applicants. While it may not be possible for every position, there are still some ways to introduce flexibility into hours – can you give employees paid time off for appointments, childcare dropoff, or other necessities? This alone will make your positions more attractive.
5. Organizational Preparedness
No one wants to work for an unorganized company. Especially if you run into problems within your supply chain, or other internal components of your business, job seekers expect to be protected. They want you to have that “Plan B” in case things don’t go according to plan.
6. Value Alignment
Company culture is a huge deciding factor when it comes to job seekers. Your company should be vocal on diversity and your values. In doing so, you’ll be able to align yourself with the values of the applicant and relate to them on a level further than employment.
➔ Read now: Why Positive Work Cultures are More Productive
7. Meaningful Work
Employees don’t like being “just a number” within a company. They want to represent something, do something meaningful, and have an impact on the world and community around them. While not every position is someone’s dream job, it’s important for employers to communicate with the applicant to show the value behind every position.
This doesn’t mean that you have to be solving some lofty world issue with your business, but every business should have core values. Why does your business do what it does, beyond just making money? That’s what new employees are looking for.
Job seekers today are becoming more vocal about what they want in a position. This opens an opportunity for employers to listen and act according to these needs. Modifying your hiring process to fit these needs is the best way to attract new, qualified, and reliable employees.
Looking to fill contract, temp or ready to hire positions? Check out our Build Your Workforce page to see how Strom Minnesota can help you find qualified candidates to fill your open positions.
Build Your WorkforceStrom Minnesota is an engineering and technical recruitment agency that specializes in high-skilled job candidates for highly technical positions. We facilitate contract employment, project staffing, temp-to-perm and direct hire opportunities. Industries served include IT, engineering, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering and manufacturing. We are affiliated with Strom Engineering, a national staffing and recruitment agency.
