To beat the great resignation, leaders must transform their recruitment process

Richard Tyson 

In recent days, we have been hearing much about “The Great Resignation.” Surveys show that a job change is on the minds of nearly half of all U.S. employees. One cannot walk down any city street without seeing “Help Wanted” and “Now Hiring” signs, often with hourly wages of $15 per hour or more posted as enticements for new recruits. Desperation for filling entry-level positions has reached the point of taking virtually any and all applicants.

“Just get me a warm body,” one CEO recently implored. Unfortunately, the warm-body approach to solving his recruitment needs has proven far from effective. He reports that such newcomers often only last a few days before moving on. It seems that the grass is perpetually greener elsewhere, especially since so many options pay more than he can offer.

So what can this CEO do in the midst of this crazy job market? Is the only strategy to increase wages beyond what others are offering? There must be a better way!

The good news is that today’s challenge is not new. Years ago, a client approached me in a similar state of despair. He complained that he was experiencing a severe shortage of entry-level employees. His company manufactured tanks for trucks used in mining operations and he needed people who could bend sheet metal. It was hard, dirty work, but until recently he had enough workers to do the job.

However, he now found that the young people whom he hired didn’t stick. After a paycheck or two, they quit. The CEO attributed this to a lack of maturity and commitment. “These dang kids,” he said. “They just want to make a few bucks and go blow it. It’s not like the old days when young people wanted to work.”

My client’s frustration led me to ask: “If you could find a young person who would stick, where might you find him or her?” He thought for a moment or two, then responded, “Panguitch.”

“Panguitch, Utah?” I asked, “Why Panguitch?”

The CEO replied, “Because those kids have been raised on farms. They know how to work — and they would probably love to get off the farm.”

My next question surprised him. “Have you tried recruiting there?” He replied that he had not.

We then discussed the possibility of participating in high school job fairs in rural areas, as well as offering the possibility of having his company help soon-to-graduate high school seniors find housing and college education opportunities in his area.

My client decided to give this strategy a try, and to his delight, he found a new source of entry-level folks who came to work for him — and stuck. As this became standard practice for his company, he enhanced the program by helping defray college tuition for those who sought advancement in his enterprise. Over the years, several advanced into engineering and management positions.

So, what solved my client’s problem? He shifted from recruitment with extrinsic-only motivators (primarily pay) to intrinsic motivators (investing in the needs and desires of recruits). He started seeing his young entry-level employees through their eyes.

When my client identified rural farm kids as his target, he thought about what would lead them to leave home to come to an urban area to work. He correctly determined that some of them would want to leave and get away from life on the farm. He added the perspective of their future lives and careers. Most probably hadn’t thought much about this, but he painted the picture of how his entry-level jobs might lead to new opportunities, both within his company and beyond.

World-renowned business author Clayton Christensen has suggested that as we consider our customers, we should ask ourselves, “What job are they hiring us for?” Effectively, my client shifted his thinking regarding recruitment to, “What job is the recruit I seek hiring me for?” By defining the answer to that question as providing a path from the farm to education to a career, he provided what his target employee wanted, as well as solved his recruitment concerns.

In today’s challenging environment of recruiting and retaining employees, one of the best questions to ask potential new hires is, “What job are you hiring me for?” This will no doubt take them aback since they are seeking to be hired, not to be offering you a job. But by asking this question and pressing for an answer, you will find what the applicant wants now and in the future. This will help move the interview to how taking the job — and staying with it — will lead to mutually beneficial outcomes.

Richard Tyson is the founder, principal owner and president of CEObuilder, which provides forums for consulting and coaching to executives in small businesses.