​10 Tips for Finding Your Perfect Skilled Employee

Finding employees to perform skilled jobs can be challenging. While college graduates may have studied toward particular careers, turning theory into practical work skills can prove difficult. Recent graduates usually do not have the real-world experience needed to be successful in their jobs. So, how does a company find a skilled employee and fill openings? Here are some tips.

1. Partner with Schools & Community Colleges

You need skilled employees. High school graduates from families that are unable to afford four-year college educations need jobs. By working with the local community to offer internships and apprenticeships in your trade, you can create the perfect skilled workers for your organization.

2. Invest in Training

Training can be costly and time-consuming, but more often than not, it is very much worth the investment. If you continually put money toward a training fund, and you include that fund in your annual budget, you can produce the type of workforce that your company needs to grow and thrive.

3. Raise Base Salary Offerings

The cost of living has increased. $25,000 doesn't go as far as it used to. For some people, that salary may mean that they would need to work two jobs in order to make ends meet. When a lawn care company raised salaries to $45,000 a year, they were able to fill four positions that had been open.

4. Improve Benefits

Improving benefits is another good way to attract skilled workers and specialized staff. If your company can't afford fringe benefits like company cars, home allowances, and paid holidays, consider offering less costly benefits that are still attractive, such as paid time off and subsidized meals.

5. Hire Contractors

Consider hiring contract workers. Contractors are flexible and can be quite skilled, with experience on a variety of jobs. In the short-term, they usually cost you less than permanent employees. Plus, you can save time and money on training. Besides, you can always make them permanent later on.

6. Provide Certification Reimbursement

By offering such options, you can ensure that your employees are licensed and certified for the type of work that you need them to perform. You can tie reimbursement to length of service perhaps. Doing so helps provide students with clear career pathways and helps you fill empty positions.

7. Learn How to Talk about Transferable Skills

So that new college graduate has never lifted a shovel but can figure out the exact angle that posts need to be at to create a sturdy foundation. Learn to talk in a way that unearths any unmentioned or unpromoted skills. You may be surprised at how well you can train someone with the right background.

8. Offer Internships to Students

Give college students a chance to learn the skills that you need and save money. By offering paid or unpaid internships, you can help those engineering and construction majors gain practical experience in the field, giving you a larger pool of employees to select from with each graduating class.

9. Develop an Effective Screening System

It's important to come up with a recruiting system that separates the wheat from the chaff. To do that, you will need to develop cost-efficient screening methods that help you determine whether someone is a good fit. Be sure that prospective employees have both the skills and values necessary for the job.

10. Work with a Recruiting Agency

When you work through a recruitment agency, there's no need to run background checks, check references, or conduct preliminary interviews – it's done for you. You save time, and time is money. Recruiting agencies also have access to the best talent, including skilled workers who are employed elsewhere.

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