1. Finding & Chasing Purple Squirrels:
How to Hire the Right People in a Challenging Labor Market
Dale Kreienkamp
Vice President, Human Resources
Lutheran Senior Services

2. Our Time Together Today
The Labor Market
The Pipeline of Candidates
The Hiring Process
Special challenges

3. The Purple Squirrel

4. Today – It’s all Purple Squirrels

5. Midwest Job Openings Up, Hiring Down
Jobs available, but employers finding less suitable or few applicants
Feb
2015
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey

6. St. Louis Job Expansion Barriers
Shortage of Skilled Workers (3rd Year at Top)
Economic Conditions and Government Regulations Decline
Lack of Transportation Access Rising

7. Functional Area Skill Shortages – Effective Rate
Skill Trades, Manufacturing/Maintenance, & Patient Care have top effective rates

8. Top Middle Skills Job Advertisements
Source: Burning Glass Labor Insight, analysis of online job ads over year ending June 2017.

9. Top 10 Job Applicant Shortcomings
Soft Skills also in top job ads:
Communication Skills
Problem Solving
Teamwork
Writing
Hard Skills Matter:
Applicants with
Business/Industry Knowledge
& Technical Skills
will have an edge

11. The Pipeline Everyone needs to be a recruiter!!!!!
Your entire leadership team and staff need to believe this and participate
If you wait for applicants – you’ll starve!
Use as many strategies as you can based on time and resources
There are no “silver bullets” to fix this

12. Strategies to consider
Employee referrals
Employee referral bonuses
State unemployment agencies
Social events
Schools
Churches
Veterans
Diversity recruiting
Your website
Video
Radio
Post card mailings
Sign on bonuses
Virtual career fairs

14. Application Process Do you know what positions are really open?
Do you have a discipline of reviewing and talking about openings on a regular basis?
Are the openings posted, ones someone would want to work?
Or, have you posted a job for every Friday & Saturday night from 4-11 p.m.?
Do you know how long each position has been open?
If it’s been open more than 120 days is it time to re-think what you’re looking for
Do you know your problem areas, i.e. those with the highest turnover?
Have you looked realistically at the manager of those problem areas?

15. Application Process
How easy is it to apply for a job with your organization?
When someone applies, how quickly does the applicant get a response?
How available are your team to interview?
Do you make time to meet the candidate’s schedule?
Is there someone always available?

16. Interviewing Turnover reduction starts with employee selection
What do you want to learn from the candidate?
Their job skills, training needs required
Interest in the organization beyond just a job
Cultural fit – E.g. if your culture is team based, are they a “team player” or an “individual”
Not to be confused with “do they look like us”
Availability – Does their schedule match our needs

17. Interviewing
Avoid
“Ah, I see you have a pulse, and you can start this week, wonderful! Let’s give it a try…”

18. Interviewing
Are your managers who interview trained in how to interview?
If not, train them
Do you use “behavioral based” questions?
Traditional:
“What would you do if…”
We learn what the applicant “tells us”
Behavioral:
“What did you do when…”
We learn what they “did” in a similar situation

19. Job Preview How realistic are you in your review of the job?
It’s about balance
Include both positives and negatives in a factual way
Be realistic, do not go overboard either way
Try not to lead the candidate and be careful about making commitments you/we cannot keep

20. Peer Interviews Does your team participate in the selection process?
This can be a good way for staff to buy in on new hires
If they participate, they are more likely to work to help someone be successful
If you use Peer Interviews
Prepare them for their role, i.e. training, training, training
Let them know what you expect from them in the process
Legal – Make certain they know questions to avoid
Getting their input on the candidate

21. Special Challenges Assessments
Do you use a pre-employment assessment as part of your process?
Must be used consistently
Eliminate candidates that aren’t a good fit for your organization
Improve the quality of candidate that we were hiring
Provide a guide to interviewers for targeting questions
Assessments will reduce your candidate pool
They are a long term solution
Is your organization ready and patient enough?

22. Special Challenges Compensation – Money, Money, Money
Are you competitive in the market?
If not, what is it costing you in turnover?
What if a candidate wants more than your current staff make?
Consider
How good do you think the candidate is? I.e. will they make a significant positive contribution? Or, are they “filling a hole” in the schedule?
Are the current staff who this candidate wants to be paid above “star performers”?
If you don’t match their request, will they accept, but continue looking for a job that pays more?

23. Special Challenges Drop Outs Candidates will say “yes”, but then…
Fail to show up for their pre-employment physical
Fail their drug test
Have a criminal background that keeps you from hiring them
Have a criminal background that make you not want them
Pass all of your pre-employment requirements, but not show up for their first day
Do you know how often this happens in your organization?
Do you know what the cost of drop outs is to your organization?