RECRUITING IS STEP ONE IN WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT by Nicole Mitchell, editor, The American Mold Builder
O
ne of the biggest struggles for any industry today is in attracting quality candidates for open job positions. When searching for employees, it’s critical to understand what individuals are looking for in a potential workplace and how job searchers find information. From salary and benefits to community involvement, today’s employment applicants want it all. SET THE STAGE WITH COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT Showing up and being involved in the community surrounding a mold building facility does more than inspire current employees; it helps get the word out about the company as well. Wepco Plastics is just one example of a manufacturing company that believes community involvement is beneficial.
“One of our four core values is impacting our community,” said Amanda Wiriya, manufacturing support director at Wepco, in the AMBA Workforce Playbook, which now is available to AMBA members at www.amba.org. The company has a strong history of partnering with local high schools and universities to promote careers, collaborate with nonprofits, participate in career fairs, bring students in for facility tours and more to engage in its community. But connecting within a community doesn’t have to be restricted to school visits and plant tours. More creative ways manufacturers – especially those in remote areas – still can interact with their communities is by collaborating with other manufacturers or simply handing out referral cards. “Don’t forget that you are offering more than a job – you are offering them a career in manufacturing with many wonderful benefits,” Wiriya said.
M.R. Mold & Engineering educates through MFG Day activities. 12
the american MOLD BUILDER | Issue 1 2022
The yearly Manufacturing Day (MFG Day) celebration gives those in the industry the perfect excuse to get involved in their communities. For MFG Day 2021, Wepco provided a variety of events for both its employees and the surrounding area – including facility tours, networking events and a competition for a $5,000 grant for educational institutions. “Manufacturing Day events address the manufacturing career myths heads-on,” Wiriya said. “That’s one of the biggest challenges to date.” Some might argue that community activities aren’t necessary since they don’t always directly result in hiring. However, those at Wepco argue that it always is worth it. “Connections created and professional relationships maintained are where the true value lies,” Wiriya said. “Our name and reputation precede us because we make the effort to be consistently and passionately involved.” By connecting with its community, Wepco has helped spread local awareness that manufacturing careers can be creative, diverse and well-compensated, addressing one of the greatest misconceptions that those outside the industry believe. CHOOSE THE RIGHT CHANNELS TO PROMOTE OPENINGS Before sharing an open position just anywhere, mold builders should look into which channels have been successful for other companies in the industry. According to the AMBA Workforce Playbook, the top recruitment channel for mold builders is Indeed.com and similar job promotion sites, such as LinkedIn or Glassdoor. After that, according to the Playbook, the majority of jobs were filled via employee referral and word of mouth. Another easy way to promote job listings is to place a career page on the company website. This gives those interested in a company an easy way to navigate to open positions. Also, linking the company career page to the company’s LinkedIn job opening drives clicks to the company websites.
