Both the U.S. Census Bureau and Workforce 2000 have been telling us that the 16- to 24-year-old population has been shrinking for the past few years. So it’s not your imagination that you’ve had a difficult time finding young workers and an even bigger challenge trying to find good young workers. The most effective way to attract today’s crop of bright and conscientious young people is to develop a recruiting plan. Your effort will pay off in better employees and lower turnover rates.
Let’s look first at how you advertise.
Putting up the old “help wanted” sign tells young people that you are desperate. Somehow it also seems to convey that your only requirement is that they can walk and talk at the same time. Certainly you want more. After all, a successful season depends on good workers. One of the simplest ways to prepare the ad is to ask yourself three questions: Who are we? What do we offer? What do we want?
When answering the first question, really try to sell your operation. Also, remember the things that matter to young workers. Key expressions like “family owned” and “locally operated” at smaller ski areas really strike a chord. At larger resorts, selling international appeal in the ad will attract interest. All of today’s teens and young adults want to work someplace special. Think about the qualities that attract skiers to your mountain and express those in the ad.
Question two might be more difficult to answer. Specifically, what do you offer that is appealing to young workers? If you can’t answer that question, ask some of your current crop of good, younger workers. You might be surprised at what matters to them. Flexible hours, fun working conditions and discounts on lift tickets are some of the more obvious benefits. But how about “nice people to work with” and “an opportunity to learn and grow.” I really enjoyed an ad I read recently that says, “We will teach you many skills that you will be able to take with you to all your future jobs. You will learn to work with a wide variety of people. Every day you will have to be responsible for thinking on your feet.” You are probably offering that already, but when advertising for workers, you have a unique opportunity to sell the job.
The third and last question to answer—What do we want?—needs a very specific answer. Remember, young people are very good at living up to expectations. But if they aren’t given any, why are adults surprised when they do so little? Write down every thing you want. Perhaps, “We hire only workers who can smile even when they don’t feel like it, will come in on time, function responsibly and can work with a wide variety of people.” The more explicit you are, the more interesting you will appear and the better the crop of possible employees you will have to choose from.
When the three questions are answered to your satisfaction, put them together. Finish this newly written ad with the statement, “If you are one of these special people, call us.” It is important to put in that word special. It is what every young person wants to be.
The next step is to decide what to do with this rather large ad. Naturally, the best places to display the ad are where the potential recruits are. The most obvious choices are the local schools. Get in touch with the school and find a teacher or coach to function as a contact. They know the students and they know who will follow through. Teachers and coaches are valuable resources and can be well worth the discounted lift tickets you can offer them for their services.
Another relatively untapped source are the youth ministers at local churches and synagogues. And in exchange for their help, an offer of special prices for one of their youth functions would go a long way. Once you get some names, a quick, carefully worded follow-up phone call will hook them: “I was telling your youth minister that we only hire young people who can function independently, are punctual and responsible. He said you might be one of those people. Would you be interested in coming in to talk about the jobs we have available?” Think how the young person on the other end of the line will feel to hear that. It’s a tactic that really works.
It used to be possible to collect information on a student’s attendance and grades with a call to the high school. Many schools, however, won’t make that information available without a signed consent form from the student. The best thing to do these days is call the school and find out if there’s a form to fill out to get, at least, attendance information. It can be quite helpful—studies suggest that students often attend the first job they land with the same regularity as they attend school.
Another effective recruiting place is the resort’s Web page. Don’t just sell activities. Have one of your current young workers design a recruiting page. This really is their media and it works for them. If the local school has a media club, a small donation can usually get them to create a radio ad that will speak to young people. Of course, it should be aired on the radio station preferred by young people in the area. Also consider the impact of speaking directly to a high-school class. It might be worth offering to teach a class on “Interviewing For a Job” or “What Employers Look For.” If it’s possible, take along one of your current young workers. Let them explain what it’s like to work at the ski area and don’t forget the application forms, they’ll come in handy. Young workers are much more likely to apply to a business with which they have some familiarity.
One last thought on getting good workers: Go after the good ones who got away. Young people are very transitory and the grass always looks greener on the other side of the fence. It usually takes about a week for them to realize they made a mistake, but pride prevents them from admitting to it. You can break the ice with a letter that says: “Hope the new job is all you expected. If it isn’t, I just want you to know we miss you and would welcome you back on our team anytime.” When they return, and they often do, you’ll have a trained worker who has lost a bit of the wanderlust.
Once you’ve determined that your recruitment ads sell the resort and its opportunities, appeal to your target group and spell out what you want, it’s imperative to take the next step and fine tune how you respond to a potential recruit. Make sure the person answering the phone listed on the ad knows how to respond to questions about the job. Find out what happens to the calls that come in. If they aren’t going to the right people, change the system. This first contact is too important to just take for granted. Many young workers won’t call back if they get a brush-off over the phone from someone who doesn’t know there are jobs available or can’t find the person in charge of interviewing.
Good recruiting is too important to be overlooked when there’s a dearth of young workers. If some attention is given to this process, you can greatly improve the quality of candidates that come knocking on your door.
Look for part two of this article for tips on how to retain good young workers in the January, 2000 issue of SAM.
