Best practices for recruiting qualified FM employees
Danika Melia, Executive Recruiter at Becker Wright Consultants, said it has become increasingly difficult in recent years to attract qualified FM talent, largely due to strong demand and a shortage of candidates who have all the skills retail companies are looking for, including experience in new construction.
The dearth of qualified FM candidates mirrors the broader trend seen in other industries during a time of nearly full employment in the United States. According to a 2018 statistical reference guide for recruiters put out by the online job board Glassdoor, 76 percent of U.S. hiring managers say attracting quality candidates is their No. 1 challenge, and that is a major reason why the average cost per hire in the U.S. is a whopping $4,129.
“Trying to find qualified employees for our clients has been a real challenge,” Melia said. “It’s night and day trying to get someone to call you back now versus 10 years ago. It seems like everyone is gainfully employed. And people use the term ‘facilities manager’ so loosely sometimes. Companies are looking for people to wear more hats than before, and the industry is moving at a much faster pace, so they’re really looking for these FMs to come in and hit the ground running.”
Here are some tips for FM professionals in the highly competitive market.
• Join LinkedIn groups. A quick search on LinkedIn reveals several networking groups for FM professionals that can be used to identify good candidates. These groups include Facilities Management Group, Facilities Management Network, Facilities Management Professionals International and Corporate Real Estate & Facilities Management Professionals.
But don’t just target members when you have an opening. Instead, make sure your company is active in these groups by sharing your company’s accomplishments and what it has to offer employees. Encourage your FM professionals to do the same.
• Focus on important industry events. Professional associations like PRSM are invaluable resources for targeting qualified candidates, so attend events like PRSM’s conferences armed with business cards and a good elevator pitch about what makes your company special. Recruiters should also try to obtain membership directories and lists of event attendees and should reach out to speakers at major events.
“Those are people who are notable in their field, so they’re the ones to reach out to, and they’re usually open to having recruiters and other companies reach out to them,” said Beth Oddan, Chief Executive and Executive Search Consultant with Hellotalent, Inc. “And it’s amazing the amount of membership lists or directories you can get access to even if you are not an attendee.”
• Look outside the retail industry.Separate the must-have skills from the nice-to-have skills, and you might find suitable FM candidates working in other industries such as at distribution and fulfillment centers and other stops along the supply chain. “The wider you can make the hiring funnel in terms of broadening who you’re open to, the more successful you will be,” Oddan said.
• Stay in touch. If you identify a good candidate during a time when your company doesn’t have a job opening in FM, reach out to them anyway and stay connected with them until a position opens up. Doing so allows you to develop a relationship with that candidate and can keep your company top of mind when they decide to look for another job.
“A lot of it is building and maintaining relationships,” Melia said. “So much of it is done through email now, but sometimes you have to actually pick up the phone and make a connection instead of just having your email sitting in their LinkedIn inbox.”
• Make recruiting a team effort.Recruiting top talent shouldn’t be solely the job of a recruiter or the HR department. Remind your company’s executives and other employees that they should be on the lookout for qualified candidates at industry events, alumni gatherings and other settings, and that they should be telling prospects what they like about your company. Having a program in place that rewards employees financially when a referral makes it through three or six months on the job incentivizes them to seek out qualified candidates.
“You’ll have better results as a recruiter if your hiring manager is really an engaged partner in recruiting,” Oddan said.
Once you’ve placed a recruit and they have proven themselves with your company, ask them if they have any former coworkers or friends who might be interested in a new job. “Once they have the job and they feel secure in it, then they feel free to provide referrals or make introductions,” Melia said.
• Tout your company online. Ensuring your company’s website is well designed and you’re highlighting the achievements of your company and its employees on social media are good ways to get the word out to prospective employees that your company is a desirable employment destination. Job candidates increasingly research companies before they apply for jobs, so it’s important to highlight your company’s workplace culture and the benefits of working there.
• Visit nearby schools. Establish relationships with professors and job-placement specialists at colleges and trade schools in your area that have good FM programs, and ask about participating in career fairs on campus. Ask instructors if your recruiter or an alumnus from that school who works for your company can make a presentation in class about your company to FM students, and seek out alumni groups that include FM professionals.
• Do a little sleuthing. Make a list of your top competitors for FM talent and another list of companies whose FM practices should be emulated. Use LinkedIn, companies’ websites and other resources to map out those companies’ organizational structure so you will know whom to target for each level of job opening. Where did their FM professionals and executives go to school, and do those schools have alumni associations? Where did they begin their careers? Did any of your company’s employees graduate from the same schools or work at the same companies?
By: Nick Fortuna
