ONE OF THE MAJOR challenges facing pet businesses is finding people to a) apply, b) show up for interviews and c) to get through training. “Ghosting” isn’t just a term used in dating when someone stops communicating with you. Job applicants and new hires just disappearing has become a big headache. Here are some strategies to help you find the love of a true teammate.
1. Keep your ears open for people you encounter and enjoy engaging with when you’re out and about. Say something like, “You’re so great at your job! I wish I had a team member like you.” You’ll find out if they are either perfectly happy where they are or are ready for a change. Maybe they feel underappreciated, or they are looking for extra work.
2. In your job posting, share what you can do for them. Of course, list job requirements, but to attract highly interested applicants, share more about why they would want to work for you. Share that the team can bring their pets to work, they can get discounts, or perhaps you have additional perks.
3. Don’t be so picky when sifting through initial applications. If you spot two or three things that stand out about the person, reach out. You can always train skills.
4. Pick up the phone. Call an applicant out of the blue. See how they handle the conversation. Keep the conversation light. Say that you received their application and would like to know why they applied. If you like what you hear, keep the conversation going. If you have to leave a message, tell them to call you back. If they don’t, toss the application.
5. While on the phone, explain that the first step of your interview process is for them to record a 3-minute video on their phone and send it to you. In this video, they need to state their name, share the best quality they would bring to your business and then tell how they can make an impact with that skill if they were hired. Give them 24 hours to text or email it to you. This puts the ball in their court and requires them to meet a deadline.
6. Toss them some easy projects. If it’s a sales associate position, have them work a sample table in your store for an hour. Give them some basic guidelines and then see how they interact with customers and whether they can get across the important things you wanted them to. Observing them in action tells you more than a sit-down interview.
7. Pressed to hire multiple people at once? Host an “Open Interview Day.” This is a great way to quickly go through applications while meeting people face-to-face, have a quick conversation and then move them onto a project like picking something from the store, doing some quick research on the product and then selling it to you. There’s lots of ways to run group interviews, and it all depends on the position you’re trying to fill.
8. Offer promising candidates the opportunity to work for a trial period. At our doggy daycare, we’ll bring in two to four potential dog handlers at different times throughout the week. This allows all team members to work with them and assess which person will be the best fit. Give the applicant a few core things they need to do, provide them with the opportunity to ask questions, and experience their work ethic and abilities before committing to a formal offer.
9. When you’re ready to make an offer, or just shortly after, make sure to communicate your vision one-on-one with them. Share the back story of your company and the direction you want to take the business. This will help connect the applicant to your business and may strengthen their commitment to you.
10. Always keep applications flowing in. Even when you’ve done an interview, and the person is in their training phase, still keep talking to potential hires on the phone and having them send in their video messages. This will give you some backup options in case your current trainee doesn’t work out as planned.