Editor’s note: This article covers ways to hire in-house maintenance staff. For tips on how to find a third-party maintenance service provider you can trust, click here.
For asset-heavy companies, achieving operational and business success is closely tied to the efficiency of their maintenance management. Furthermore, a key determinant of efficient maintenance management is that such organizations require a skilled maintenance workforce to actualize their set goals and objectives. Finding these skilled workers requires a strategic approach that we’ll discuss in the following four steps.
1. Search in the Right Places
In today’s highly competitive job market, it is crucial to adopt a proactive and targeted recruitment strategy right from the outset. By directing your efforts towards the appropriate channels, you can expedite the process of finding and attracting the maintenance talent you desire.
Tip: Skilled maintenance workers tend to congregate in specific locations, both online and offline. Familiarizing yourself with these gathering spots can significantly reduce the time and effort required to discover qualified candidates.
Online platforms such as forums, industry-related fairs, meet-ups, and LinkedIn serve as excellent resources for connecting with potential maintenance professionals. A few notable examples of such forums include the Association for Asset Management Professionals (AMP) forum and Maintenance Ops.
These platforms host dynamic discussions on various topics, engaging maintenance workers at different stages of their careers. By actively participating in these conversations and registering for free, recruiters can identify promising candidates and establish contact with them.
This proactive approach can bypass the traditional method of waiting for applicants to approach your HR department, leading to more expedient and favorable outcomes in your recruitment efforts.
2. Utilize technology
In the realm of facilities management, where efficient hiring plays a crucial role in operational success, manual and paper-based recruitment processes have long been time-consuming and prone to errors. However, the emergence of AI-based recruitment solutions has revolutionized the way employers in the facilities management industry approach talent acquisition and recruitment analytics.
Facilities management recruiters are increasingly turning to AI to automate their hiring processes, reaping the benefits of faster and cost-effective recruitment strategies. When seeking skilled maintenance workers for facilities management roles, integrating AI technology into your recruitment strategy can bring advantages tailored to the industry’s unique needs:
- Swift screening: AI-powered systems enable the rapid screening of thousands of resumes within a matter of hours, significantly reducing the time it takes to identify qualified candidates. This expedited process ensures that critical positions in facilities management are filled promptly, minimizing operational disruptions.
- Bias mitigation: Leveraging machine learning capabilities, AI technologies help minimize the impact of human bias in the candidate selection process. By identifying patterns and continuously improving results, AI systems ensure fair and unbiased evaluations, enabling you to build a diverse and inclusive workforce.
- Skill matching: AI-powered recruitment tools use advanced algorithms that can analyze job requirements and match them with candidate skills and qualifications. This capability helps identify the most suitable maintenance workers with the specific expertise needed for facilities management tasks, enhancing overall operational efficiency.
In the field of facilities management, failing to explore AI recruitment solutions may mean falling behind the curve while your competitors gain a significant advantage—which isn’t good, especially amidst the worker shortage we’re dealing with.
According to Forbes, over half (55%) of recruiters already utilize AI solutions to optimize their recruitment strategies. Entrepreneur also highlights the steady rise in the deployment of AI-based recruitment methods.
3. Emphasize the Offered Benefits
In the field of facilities management, the scarcity of skilled maintenance workers presents a significant challenge for organizations aiming to attract top talent. To successfully overcome this hurdle, they must emphasize the unique qualities that make them exceptional employers.
One effective approach to showcasing an organization as a sought-after workplace in facilities management is active social media engagement with potential maintenance hires. The objective is to transparently communicate the benefits and advantages for maintenance workers who join the company.
These benefits extend beyond monetary compensation and should encompass specific elements that appeal to skilled maintenance professionals:
- Professional development and training opportunities: Maintenance workers value continuous growth and opportunities to enhance their skills. Offering comprehensive professional development programs, specialized training, and certifications demonstrates a commitment to staff advancement, making the organization an attractive choice for ambitious and talented individuals.
- Competitive benefits package: In addition to competitive salaries, organizations should provide a robust benefits package tailored to the needs of maintenance workers. This includes health insurance coverage, retirement plans, and other perks that address their well-being and long-term security.
- Inclusive and supportive work environment: Emphasize a workplace culture that fosters inclusivity, diversity, and teamwork. Promoting a supportive environment where maintenance workers feel valued, respected, and empowered can significantly enhance their job satisfaction and loyalty.
- Work-life balance and flexibility: Recognizing the evolving expectations of maintenance workers, organizations can offer flexible work arrangements, such as flexible schedules. Providing opportunities for work-life balance demonstrates an understanding of their needs and can be a decisive factor in attracting and retaining top maintenance talent.
4. Leverage Your Network
One often overlooked but valuable resource in the quest for skilled maintenance workers is your existing network. It is highly likely that your current maintenance employees have connections and know individuals who would be well-suited for your company. Harnessing this internal network to implement an employee referral program creates a win-win situation.
Research conducted by Apollo Technical indicates that employees hired through a referral program are more likely to stay with the company for an extended period. In fact, up to 45% of employees hired through referrals remain with the company for more than four years, compared to only 25% of those hired through job boards and traditional channels, who stay for longer than two years.
In Conclusion
By adopting these strategies and staying ahead of the competition, organizations can overcome the challenges posed by the labor shortage and position themselves as employers of choice in the facilities management industry. Remember, attracting top maintenance talent doesn’t only require proactive recruitment efforts—it also requires creating an environment where employees thrive and feel valued.
Bryan Christiansen is the founder and CEO of Limble CMMS. Limble is a modern, easy-to-use mobile CMMS software that takes the stress and chaos out of maintenance by helping managers organize, automate, and streamline their maintenance operations.