Give the people what they want

Standing out in the battle for talent

According to Jody Underhill, CEO of Rapid Hire Pro, a recruitment agency specializing in the home service industry, one of the biggest challenges to finding great talent today is the fact that the best people aren’t looking for work.

“The really talented people already have jobs and aren’t perusing job listings,” he says. “So, not only do you first have to find a way to appear on their radar, but you also then need to make a compelling case as to how and why your opportunity is even worth considering leaving where they’re at.”

While Underhill admits it’s a big task, he says it’s not insurmountable.

Meeting candidates where they’re at

Because the happily employed aren’t likely to spend time on job boards, employers need to expand their recruitment efforts.

Both Underhill and Marsha Akpodiete, an HR coach at Paychex, agree that social media is key to finding talent.

Akpodiete encourages employers to establish a presence on industry-specific websites and platforms. “There are countless pages on Facebook and Instagram that are very narrowly focused. Search for ones that align with the role you’re trying to fill,” she says, “It’s a great way to present the opportunity to an entire audience of potential candidates.”

Regarding the actual post, Underhill advises always including an image. “If you specialize in cabinets, feature that work,” he says. “People are drawn to the type of work and craftsmanship they admire. In a way, a wellchosen image can be your first qualifier in attracting prospective candidates.”

Making it about more than money

Because competitive pay is a must-have for any serious employment offer, it falls to employers to offer and promote benefits that appeal to potential candidates.

Underhill says, “You want to highlight anything you’re doing that makes it easy or enjoyable to work for your company. That may be uniforms, a stocked break room, company vehicles, training, an established career path, PTO and so on. People are looking for better experiences, and things like this are key to framing the experience you’re offering.”

Akpodiete adds that Paychex recently conducted an employer survey in which they were asked to identify benefits of increasing importance to employees. Employers identified retirement plans, tuition reimbursement, stipend, student loan repayment, and childcare support.

“The key,” she says, “is creating a package that works for everyone on some level. Childcare may not be a priority for all, so you need to have options that address other needs so every employee can partake in your benefits.”

Reaping the rewards of reframing

After dealing with ‘abysmal turnover’ in 2021, Kris Mannale, the business relations manager at Fitzpatrick Painting and Construction in Albany, OR, set some ‘audacious hiring goals’ for 2022.

He says, “We needed to add 20 to 25 team members by late spring to hit our financial goals. But more important, we needed whoever we hired to stay.”

After efforts via traditional hiring channels, including Indeed, Monster, Craigslist, and postings at local paint outlets, came up short, Mannale contacted Rapid Hire Pro.

“They took our stale post and made it more engaging and visually appealing,” he says. “They framed the benefits just right and began running and boosting our ads on social platforms we hadn’t been using. Their recruitment process is almost fully automated and includes a way for candidates to basically interview themselves online but, I’ll be honest, I was so hungry for candidates that I did a bit of an end run and reached out to everyone who showed an interest before they got to the video portion. After 8 days, I had interviewed about 40 candidates and hired 15. Our team had jumped from around 50 total staff in spring to more than 100 team members by August. “We retained 77 of them through 2022.”

Beyond the sheer volume of hires, what’s noteworthy is that the company didn’t change their pay or benefits to achieve the numbers. Mannale says, “It was all a matter of reframing the opportunity to be more appealing and putting it in front of the right people, including those who weren’t even looking for a job.”

With the help of Rapid Hire Pro, this reworked Facebook recruitment ad for Fitzpatrick Painting and Construction resulted in 15 hires in 8 days.

PATTI LAPORTE is the director of product marketing at Shurtape Technologies and is responsible for leading the product development and marketing of the masking and paper tapes category for both the Industrial and Consumer & Craftsman Groups.

Shurtape.com

Q:What type of painter’s tape works best for masking self-cleaning paint?

A:The term ‘self-cleaning paint’ refers to paint formulated with a new technology that is gaining favor as a durable, high-performance exterior paint option. The benefit of this new formulation is that it repels substances such as dirt, dust, stains, mold and other organic materials that can otherwise damage paint and dull its vibrancy over time. However, some of the beneficial properties that make this type of coating so appealing also create challenges for pros relying on their usual go-to tapes to stick to it. It seems the same components of the formulation that repel certain substances, also repel many adhesives, including those found in traditional painter’s and masking tapes. As a result, standard tasks such as hanging poly sheeting and taping off trim or windows aren’t always so simple.

The good news is that some tape manufacturers have stayed ahead of this curve and developed what are referred to as high-bond tape products specifically engineered to work with self-cleaning paint.

High-bond tapes feature an aggressive adhesive capable of holding strong on self-cleaning paints even in tough conditions. For example, high-bond tape securely holds poly sheeting in place during exterior spray painting or in windy conditions.

Another bonus of these types of tape is that their higher level of adhesion allows them to adhere to not just self-cleaning paint but to other challenging surfaces including uneven substrates, painted wood, aluminum, steel, brick, stonework, concrete and vinyl. That versatility means pros aren’t forced to buy a specialty tape that only suits one purpose.

Because exterior painting often requires tapes that can easily conform to rough and inconsistent surfaces, stretch and tear-resistance are important considerations when choosing a product. The good news is some highbond tapes are designed with a crepe paper backing that makes it quick to apply and easy to shape around corners and angles when masking doorways, windows and other exterior features.

One note of caution for pros trying out high-bond tapes for the first time: due to the high adhesion, it’s important to test these tapes on any surface before use.