Hiring: It all starts with a good job description
There is no escaping talk of the shortage of employees in the trucking industry. It’s not just drivers and technicians anymore. I am hearing of difficulties finding people to fill a variety of roles at fleets, dealerships, repair garages and leasing companies.
Finding the right employee can be difficult, but there some things you can do that will make it easier to find people who are a good fit for your business and its culture.
I am going to devote the next several blogs to helping you attract the right people to your business.
It all starts with the job description and the job posting. But be aware these are two separate and distinct things. You could bottom line it by saying that the job description is rather boring, while the job posting is designed to turn heads and get noticed.
The purpose of the job description is to make sure everyone in your organization is in agreement on what the job duties entail. It contains:
- Major areas of responsibility
- Primary objectives
- Specific tasks the person is expected to perform
- Required knowledge and skills the applicant needs to bring to the job
- Information on the work environment
It is almost clinical in laying out the specifics of the job.
Then there is the job posting. This is your chance to “sell” your organization to potential employees. It tells your company’s story in a way that will be attractive to people who are a good fit for your culture.
Think of the job posting as a way to display the personality of your business. Your job posting needs to be visually appealing to applicants because studies have shown that job seekers spend about a minute reviewing a job posting before deciding to apply.
Make sure your posting uses proper key words. In other words, it has to be searchable. Interestingly the terms mechanic and diesel mechanic are searched more frequently than diesel technician, even though the industry has moved to calling the folks who maintain and repair trucks technicians.
Here are a few tips to make sure your posting gets noticed:
- The job title needs to be searchable
- Be honest and don’t exaggerate the role
- Make sure the posting is free of gender and age bias
- Describe the position comparable to other jobs in the industry
- Tell the applicant why they will want to work for you
- Share your mission, values and vision
- Include your past successes in the industry
My final piece of advice is make the application process easy. So be sure your posting contains a link to both your company and to an online application form.
In my next blog, I’ll be giving tips on resume screening.
