Each year, in conjunction with the Elite Dealer issue, we ask our nominees to provide a glimpse into the biggest challenges that they face. While we don’t have a comprehensive breakdown by topic, we can tell you that the clear “winner,” by far (approximately 25% of our Elite Dealer list) cited the ability to recruit quality talent.
This comes as no surprise. A recent report from the Labor Department indicated there are currently 0.8 unemployed workers for every job, meaning there are more positions available than people to fill them. That continues a historical trend that has been ongoing since topping out at about 6.5 unemployed workers to every job opening in mid-2009, roughly the height of the Great Recession.
That 0.8 pool, of course, contains candidates who are not seeking employment, lack education and training, or have other impediments to becoming gainfully employed. Thus, we might argue that the pool of employment candidates is closer to 0.5 per job, leaving many businesses scrambling to find recruiters or scouring colleges/trade schools to fill their needs…or in many cases, not fill them.
Here is a sampling from our Elite Dealers that underscores the growing concern of finding/recruiting quality employees. Spoiler alert: our February issue’s State of the Industry report will contain a full package examination of finding and maintaining top-tier performers.
Coordinated Business Systems, Burnsville, MN: We have had an internal recruiter for two years now and we are also using our inbound marketing platform to market our company to the candidates we want.
WCC Business Solutions, Clearwater, FL: With unemployment at an all-time low, finding quality talent to join our team has been particularly difficult to do during the past.
Les Olson Co., Salt Lake City: Our greatest challenge is recruiting the right talent to add to our team in every position. We are working with professional recruiters to help grow our ever-expanding team.
Integrated Office Technology, Santa Fe Springs, CA: IOTEC’s biggest challenge is hiring and maintaining a full sales staff. Most of the sales reps find the technology part exciting but the cold calling and canvassing are overwhelming.
Shamrock Business Solutions, Dublin, CA: We are working on filling open positions on the sales and service technician teams. (Parent company Flex Technology Group) is working on expanding its recruiting team to better handle Shamrock’s staffing needs as they continue to evolve and as both companies continue to expand nationally.
Alpha Laser & Imaging, Evansville, IN: Although we have the very best team we’ve ever had, seeking new personnel has been tough. Our industry is unique and can be difficult for some to grasp but ultimately finding the right people with great personalities, hard work ethics, a willingness to learn new things amongst other qualities, can sometimes be hard to find. This year, we have made improvements to our hiring process specifically a pre-hire screening where our policies and expectations are put forth to eliminate any uncertainty. It has helped.
Kraft Business Systems, Grand Rapids, MI: With the growth we have experienced in the last 18 months, the challenge remains finding qualified candidates to fill openings in all departments. We have developed a company-wide recruitment campaign encouraging our employees to talk about Kraft and bring them in to see our business and culture.
Fraser Advanced Information Systems, West Reading, PA: We have worked to refine our processes of selection and review of new sales staff. Through our company’s value proposition and marketing of our core values and goals, Fraser has been able to increase the number of qualified, talented candidates coming through our interview process, allowing us to be very selective when making new hires. We have also placed greater emphasis on our employee referral program for referring salespeople. All employees who refer a salesperson receive double the incentive upon hiring and a successful introductory period.
Smile Business Products, Sacramento, CA: With the unemployment rate at its lowest in years, we have a hard time hiring experienced and educated people to meet the demands of our growth.
Eakes Office Solutions, Grand Island, NE: Obtaining and retaining great employees is crucial for any growing organization, and regardless of the reasons for open positions, the hiring process is likely one that never ends. Eakes has invested and expanded its utilization of talent acquisition software to help us find, pay, develop and retain great employees. It streamlined our application and testing processes while increasing our onboarding efficiencies.
Millennium Business Systems, Livonia, MI: We’ve partnered with GreatAmerica’s Path Share to aid us in hiring the right people who will be successful in our environment.
Flex Technology Group, Mesa, AZ: The acceleration of our business has caused some growing pains that require additional personnel. We’ve built a recruiting team that is helping us fill the additional careers and opportunities. This team will play a key role in fostering our growth initiatives and it will continue to help us as we continue to expand our business nationally.
Advanced Office, Irvine, CA: With unemployment figures at record lows and a strong economy, many businesses are competing for top talent. Since we work hard to hire top-notch individuals who will share and champion our values, it can sometimes take a while to find that perfect person for a role. To meet this challenge, we have hired a Talent Acquisition Specialist to bring consistency to our hiring process and focus on finding the best people. We are enhancing the brand marketing to attract more top-tier candidates and we are implementing training programs company-wide to grow our current employees.
Copiers Plus, Fayetteville, NC: Our industry is changing and we have to ensure that our sales and service staff are prepared to combat the new challenges facing our customers. We are prioritizing degrees and certifications in network technology along with helping our current employees grow in their expertise through year-round training programs.
Novatech, Nashville, TN: The biggest challenge today is finding more great people to keep up with our growth. We are solving the problem through internal training programs and career pathing our current employees. By promoting from within and hiring/training new employees we have been able to keep up.
Imagine Technology Group, Chandler, AZ: Our biggest challenge will be to continue to hire the top talent and keep them engaged. ITG is focused on developing training programs for every position to encourage employee development and allow us to continue to grow from within. We are working with an external HR company to assist us in providing our employees with skill development, career path development, and personal growth.
Offix, Gainesville, VA: Searching, finding and retaining top-quality candidates is always a challenge. We try to meet it by offering ongoing training, human resources programs to ensure employee satisfaction, referral programs, and through the institution of an ad-hoc committee to constantly evaluate and improve the benefits offered to our team.
