Recruiting and attracting drivers to the transport industry - How to guide
Culture
December 20, 2022
Unemployment in New Zealand is currently the lowest it has been since 1986. The availability of jobs to those unemployed means the transport industry (as well as the rest of New Zealand businesses) are struggling to fill vacant roles.
How you decide to attract and recruit drivers is up to you, but here are some ideas that might help you get the best talent in the door.
When you put a job ad out, that’s it, right?
What is written in the job specifications is what the potential new employee gets.
Your company brand is more than that, how are you seen in the industry, by competitors and by potential staff? How do you promote your company? What connections do you have to local schools, community groups or charities?
When deciding on where to work, 85% of job seekers say the reputation and brand of a company is important. Consider what your brand looks like to those outside of the company.
Are you aware that 92% of individuals trust referrals from people they know?
And four times more likely to take some action based on their friend’s advice?
Having a driver referral program can take advantage of the amazing friends and family of the team you already have. Incentivising staff with bonuses or rewards for referral can help, while also ensuring the team know their opinion is valued. Having someone connected to the team means a smoother cultural fit and lower advertising costs.
Your top sources for the best talent are your current employees. If you have an open position available, it is a great idea to ask your current employees to openly share it with their existing networks. Your current employees’ warm referral stands a big chance of bringing in a batch of loyal and hardworking employees.
Think about if you had a great source of candidates with experience before you even had to advertise. Wouldn’t that be the dream?
Think about how you can re-engage your unsuccessful candidates for other roles or those who only want flexible positions. Perhaps you could pitch to past employees or make space for those seeking internal promotion.
A talent pool is an organised database of everyone who has the qualifications, attributes, and cultural fit that you want in your organisation, but who currently aren’t on the payroll. Instead of rejecting them straight away, think outside the box about designing and utilising a talent pool to make the most of people who love your company enough to apply in the first place.
Social Media. Love it or hate it. It is your best chance of connecting with the next generation of candidates. Think about the platform you use, and their demographic. There were 4.35 million social media users in New Zealand in January 2022, about 89% of the country. But not everyone uses Facebook, just as not everyone uses TikTok. If social media and digital advertising is not your vibe, (fair enough), but don’t throw in the towel. Hire someone who is the right person for the right demographic of the staff you are wanting to hire. You will be able to concentrate or engage with a small audience that enables you to focus on quality customer service while nurturing your relationship with them. Rather than just putting another job listing on Trademe again and hoping for a different result.
At Success Formula, we believe that interviewing, especially face-to-face interviews plays a vital role in your employee selection process. If you do it effectively, chances are that you’ll easily determine whether a certain applicant’s skill, personality, and experience meets the requirements of the job. It can be costly to get it wrong.
Think about opportunities to share commonly asked questions as part of the interview invitation, offering virtual flexibility, and considering potential interview bias. Also, if you are not pre-screening your candidates you are wasting everyone’s time. Reach out for more ways to really level up your interview process.
At Success Formula, among other things we do, we always emphasise candidate care. As a company, looking after the interest of your candidates plays a vital part in your everyday activity. After all, if your candidates aren’t happy to sign the dotted line and join the team, it means that you haven’t done your job.
Think about the gap between their application and their start day. Where are the gaps? Where could these be compressed? And what do you need to do to keep communication up through those periods?
Maintaining close relationships with your future employees and keeping them informed on anything important is the bare minimum. Consider how you develop trust, improve communication, and get them involved early to keep them excited about their new job.
At Success Formula empower organisations and institutions to change themselves. We focus on safety, culture, and leadership in New Zealand's transportation and logistics sector. We partner with teams and other organizations to define desired goals and behaviour, measure performance and prioritise available opportunities, and set strategic goals meant to maximise these opportunities.
Reach out to Kelly McLuckie (kelly@successformula.co.nz) or Jenni Ross-Janett (jenni@successformula.co.nz) for more information on how Success Formula can help you and your company recruit and attract the best new team members.
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