Now, perhaps more than ever in the last 10 years, is the best time to be in the market for a new job. Not only is unemployment nearing historic lows across much of the nation, but wage growth has been improving. According to Trading Economics and the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, wage growth last December rose 5.20 percent year over year.
That combination is music to the ears of employees who are seeking to improve their financial situation. It also stands as a challenge to office technology dealers in not just their hiring practices, but the programs and overall compensation package they currently offer their current employees.
Attitudes toward employment are also changing, and not just the desire for millennials to have more flexibility with remote opportunities. Tenures have become more fluid among that generation, and Generation Z behind them is also causing more employment volatility.
According to a study by recruitment firm Randstad US, more than a third (43%) of Generation Z employees (age 22 and under) have accepted a job, only to “ghost” the employer by not showing up because they got a better offer after the fact. Millennials and Gen X employees, by contrast, fell to 26% for ditching, while Baby Boomers accounted for just 13%.
This, of course, is just a fractional glimpse of the overall market, but does shed light on the challenges HR departments face in sourcing employees. “Ghosters” ultimately are doing the employer a favor by flaking out early on, before the company has a chance to invest in training, but it is still a drain on time and resources.
We asked our panel of HR and dealership executives if market conditions have impacted various aspects of their hiring practices, and what qualities they seek from an experience versus a cultural fit perspective.
The Right Fit
“We always look for people who have skills and experience, but ultimately, we want to find someone who fits our culture,” noted Kevin Fries, human resources manager for Eakes Office Solutions of Grand Island, Nebraska. “If we can find the right fit—they’re intelligent and maybe have a little experience—we can teach them the rest.”
The cultural fit, to Fries, embodies people who have a high level of integrity and embody the core values set forth by Eakes. “That’s more important to us than someone who has 25 years of experience,” he added.
The evolving employee has caused Offix of Gainesville, Virginia, to enhance certain aspects of its approach. Matteo Recanatini, director of marketing, also stresses the cultural fit element to ensure the level of employee is on a par with the strong commission structure available to sales reps. The dealer tries to zero in on candidates who are looking to be long-term solutions to its needs.
Hitting sales numbers takes a back seat to the caliber of personality. “One of the questions we ask during a one-on-one interview is ‘What can Offix do for you?’” he noted. “We’re trying to enhance the skill sets that people have to close the skill gaps that might exist, and to really develop leadership. We feel that everyone has the opportunity to be a leader in different ways, even the quieter people. We want to tease that out of them so that we’re more successful in retaining our talent.”
While the market is kinder to job seekers these days, it doesn’t follow that they necessarily have employers over a barrel. Josh Britton, vice president of operations for imageOne in Oak Park, Michigan, notes that employee retention has been high and most new hires have been a product of growth-driven opportunities. In those instances where imageOne has shopped for new talent, the response to postings has been extremely abundant in number and quality.
“We have very particular expectations and standards, and we’re very meticulous in our process,” Britton said. “We know we’re going to be doing a lot more interviewing. We’ve never had a problem getting the right candidate to fill the funnel. The positive press surrounding what it’s like to work here, our philosophy and the way we treat people have come full circle.”
Muscle Memory
Sales is the most challenging position to address, due to the level of competition for qualified candidates, and imageOne maintains a brisk process when filling a rep role. In the past, the dealer used a more procedural-driven process that wasn’t as responsive as needed, but acting more expeditiously is “muscle memory” for the dealer now, Britton added.
As in many other cases, a cultural fit rules the day. “That’s your ticket to enter the game,” Britton said. “We really don’t care what your skills are if we don’t think you’re a good culture fit. We have passed on numerous, exceptionally qualified people from an experience and skills perspective because they did not demonstrate they would be a good culture fit for us. Once in the game, then we’re diving into skills, competency, background, experience, goals, etc. We try to balance our gut feeling with actual data.”
In a city such as Nashville, where Novatech has high visibility and a strong reputation, the dealership seeks to leverage that awareness in its recruiting efforts. Rebecca Graham, HR manager for Novatech, notes the company does well with prospects who have engaged with the company through LinkedIn and other social media platforms. Such candidates have some level of industry awareness and appreciation for the success Novatech has enjoyed.
“We find that those people just get it, they appreciate the balance cultivated at Novatech to work hard and have fun, too,” she said.
