The manufacturing industry currently has more than half a million open jobs today. 2.4 million jobs are expected to go unfilled over the next decade. In 2018, trade construction alone added 280,000 jobs. With companies rushing to fill these roles, it’s uncommon to hire the wrong people, which will end up costing more in the long run. Here are three things you have to consider when hiring in the manufacturing industry:
1. Hire candidates with the right skills for the right job.
The biggest recruiting challenge for manufacturing companies is finding candidates with the right technical skills — not only that, the candidate should have the skills necessary to fulfill the duties they will be assigned to. Manufacturing companies tend to have a high turn-over rate because new employees lack the right skills to do their jobs. To help you find the right candidate, display the job description early in the selection process and provide an overview of the day-to-day activities they’ll perform. This will provide the candidates with clear job expectations and will allow you to use those criteria to screen candidates as early as the online application.
2. Seek out candidates who will fit your company’s culture.
When recruiting for your next team member, always consider your company’s culture. Ask if their values, beliefs, behaviors, and experiences align with your company’s environment and vision. One mistake manufacturing companies make is hiring based on their resume alone. Hiring employees that aren’t culturally fit tends to lead to poor work quality and decreased job satisfaction, which results in high turnover rates. On the other hand, employees that mesh well with the culture and share the same values will most likely stay with the company for a long time and show superior job performance. To find out if the candidate fits well with the company’s culture, take them on an on-site tour. Assess their comfort levels in different environments and ask them about their experiences and how they like to work.
3. Pick candidates who communicate well.
Little is said about how important communication skills are in the manufacturing company. Poor communication can create unproductivity, bad quality, and personnel problems. In a machine-filled plant, communication is considered a “soft-skill,” many of the problems in manufacturing are symptoms of bad communication. The right candidate should be able to communicate effectively within the team. Seek out candidates who can work with their co-workers troubleshoot issues and achieve greater goals.
These three qualities will help you find a strong team player that will help with the overall success of your company. Incorporating them in your hiring process is important but can be a lot of work. In a fast-changing industry and an increase in the workforce demand, companies fall into the trap of hiring fast and wrong. Partnering with a recruiting firm will save money on bad hires and keep in-house HR staff focused on the HR side of the business.
ISS Executive Search Partners specializes in direct-hire recruiting globally in the Manufacturing Industry for all functions. ISS Executive Search Partners has the industry expertise and knowledge to help you hire the right person the first time.
We believe in building partnerships which allow our firm to directly align with your organization’s values, processes and brand image. Our approach is consultative and strategic. Our goal is to find the best talent. Our process and strategies are clear, precise, methodical, consistent and successful! Let me share in detail what that looks like and how we can add value to your organization’s recruiting initiatives.
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