One of the biggest challenges staffing firms and agencies alike face in a calendar year is the season. And no, it’s not winter, spring, summer, or fall! It’s about seasonal staffing where businesses are trying to bridge the void of their workforce by hiring more staff and to accommodate their clients’ needs more.
What we’ll share in this blog post are a few of the most-effective strategies that kept staffing firms afloat before, during, and after the dreaded season.
1. The Earliest Birds Catch the Biggest Worms
Preparing early is one thing, but starting early is another. Most staffing agencies make the mistake of overpreparing, leading them to takeoff later than they planned to.
Whatever niche you’re in, starting early is always better than starting on time. Get resumes earlier, conduct interviews sooner, and narrow candidates down faster. Try starting earlier to be ahead and beyond your competition.
If seasonal hiring is already a pain in the neck, coming a few spots later is a lot worse.
2. Avoid the “One Size Fits All” Mindset
One of the most common mistakes staffing firms make is they treat everyone – candidates and clients-wise – in the same way. This can appear faster and more efficient, but not for long, especially when clients start complaining about misalignment on what they initially wanted.
Approach every client’s needs specifically. Just because you’ve niched so far down, doesn’t mean all your clients have the same goals.
Understand what your clients need more, and finding seasonal staff members that fit what they need will instantly follow.
3. Attitude > Aptitude
Because it’s seasonal work, you rarely need to find the “best of the best” from your pool of candidates. Although work quality should always be there, reliability is a more profound trait you need to look for in seasonal staff.
Mediocre-quality work will always weigh lighter than inconsistency in terms of completion and delivery. So, when choosing seasonal workers, go with candidates who have better and more visible reliability.
It’s also a good idea to come up with a killer strategy that would attract the best and top candidates regardless of the season!
4. Optimize and Enhance Your Job Posting
Job posting isn’t meant to be difficult. In fact, most staffing firms practice “what-you-see-is-what-you-get” when it comes to their clients’ job posts. This makes everyone’s lives easier.
However, when it comes to seasonal staffing, you need to make sure you capture everything the client needs. This includes the appropriate information for candidates to take the bait.
One thing you can do is to ask the job posting author to shadow the worker or the position to gain better insight and be more goal-oriented in composing the copy.
5. This Time, Don’t “Go Outside-the-Box”
What do courier services, retailers, and event management companies all have in common? They’re geo-specific industries! In case you haven’t noticed, these are part of the industries that hire seasonal workers, especially by the end of summer, because they expect heavier flow of customers right through their front doors.
Instead of reaching far out, why not try to place the red dot in your local space? Make local advertisements, join job fairs, post flyers, or do whatever you can to engage workers in your local space.
What you’re looking for might just be around the corner!
6. Don’t Just Pay, Be Creative!
Seasonal hiring calls for seasonal perks! People are attracted to things they don’t normally see, so why not spark a new flame up and have bonuses or incentives for work done?
And when you look at it, employees aren’t really asking for the moon. In fact, most of them value paid time off, (PTO), flexible and remote work options, and paid family leave!¹
So, get creative in crafting benefits that would seem an advantage to your seasonal workers!
7. Asking Help from Technology Won’t Hurt
Most firms hire in the tens of seasonal workers, some hire in the thousands. Using technology to streamline the application process, narrow candidates down, and present you with only the most qualified can save you time, effort, and resources.
Shuffling through numerous applications can be time-consuming. With a system or software to help you manage through the sea of candidates, you’ll be able to work on better, higher value activities and tasks.
8. “Same Time, Same Place, Every Year”
It can be extremely tedious to look for new hires yearly, especially since you’re diving in a busy season. So, what you can do to save time and effort is to invite candidates that seem fit every year. Some candidates might even be good for regular employment!
By doing this, you eliminate the need, effort, and time to hire more people, and just focus on what you don’t have in your candidate pool.
9. Source Candidates Looking for a Seasonal Contract
In sales, you wouldn’t insist on a product or service to a potential customer without asking the right questions. This not only helps you understand what they need, but also helps you save a lot of time. The same thing applies to seasonal staffing.
You’ll be able to cut corners appropriately by looking for candidates who prefer seasonal work. Instead of generalized job posts, consider underscoring the seasonal part of it to get filtered applications and proposals, slimming your options even further.
10. Consider Old-Timers
Staffing firms should be the firm believers that the top skills are mostly gotten through experience. Why not tap into the realm of retirees who have rich experiences to offer?
They’re going to be on seasonal spots, so you don’t have to worry about acquiring or retaining them. Besides, most retirees’ skillsets are more honed, more seasoned, and more versatile than today’s current workforce.
11. Double-Check Your Existing Contacts
For firms that have been in the business for long, good-attitude and healthy candidates have gone and passed by. In the business, closed doors aren’t usually locked –most are ajar! Whether you tap into previous candidates or ask for referrals, they sure can lend a hand in finding people you need!
To add to tapping into previous candidates, you may also contact existing seasonal staff you have for referrals, too! Don’t be afraid to ask everyone, it does no harm!
Did you know: for every 100 applicants, referrals generated more than 70 percent of good hires compared to non-referrals?²
Most businesses crumble in the face of workforce shortage, knowing not what to do. Equipping your firms with the right strategies will move your boat across the ocean of hardships smoothly, carrying it over until the next season.
ALLIED INSIGHT IS THE BEST STAFFING PARTNER YOU CAN HAVE THIS SEASON
With seasonal staffing hiring becoming more complex, Allied Insight can be your go-to for comprehensive and foolproof marketing processes. From strategic staging to resource optimization, we’ll be prepared to orchestrate everything for you, from A to Z.
It’s our goal to elevate your brand through the best marketing practices we know. We will fill the gaps missing from your marketing infrastructure through accessibility, impact, and development. Touch base with us and gain better knowledge on how to elevate your brand!
References
1 Tyler, Kathleen. “What Employees Want.” Society of Human Resources. 08 Jan. 2022. https://www.shrm.org/hr-today/news/all-things-work/pages/what-employees-want.aspx
2 Gautier, Kate and Munasinghe, Lalith. “Build a Stronger Employee Referral Program” The Harvard Business Review. 26 May. 2023. https://hbr.org/2020/05/build-a-stronger-employee-referral-program
