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Vigilance pays off

How to improve your recruiting close rate

Your company has a recruiting director, a presence at area colleges, and takes advantage of PLANET’s Student Career Days. From your perspective, your internship program is above average, yet getting a top recruit to say “yes” can be like pulling teeth. What seems to be the problem?

It could be any number of issues, according to Ed Furner, CLT, client representative for Mariani Landscape in Lake Forest, Illinois. Prior to graduating from SUNY-Cobleskill 4½ years ago, he had interned with three companies and did a fair amount of research before joining Mariani. In addition to his duties at Mariani, Furner is chair of PLANET’s Emerging Leadership Network and a member of its Student Career Days and Industry Recruiting committees. He is also a member of the Landscape Management Specialty Group.

A successful recruiting program requires being vigilant in several areas, including designing an internship program that meets the needs and expectations of student interns, says Furner. “I had both positive and negative experiences when I was an intern. Mariani had the best program because it allowed me to experience various aspects of the company, and I was assigned a mentor throughout my stay. Having a mentor — someone a student can talk with — is especially important. This may be an individual’s first taste of the corporate world, and one bad experience has the potential to tarnish an otherwise good learning experience. Mentors can help a student intern through a difficult time.”

He continues, “They can also expose an intern to life beyond work. Companies in the Midwest sometimes struggle to compete with those in Florida and Southern California where water, beaches, and ideal weather act like a magnet to prospective employees. Yet, every area has its advantages and strong points, and recruiters should make every effort to introduce an intern or another recruit to them.” As Furner points out, the Chicago area had plenty going for itself beyond its notorious cold winters and woeful Cubs. Lake Michigan has several nice beaches, and Chicago has a plethora of museums, restaurants, and entertainment, enough to entice even the most adventuresome recruits.

“Ask interns and other recruits what they enjoy doing and match their hobbies with area offerings,” he suggests. “Even if the location of their favorite sport is a couple of hours away (e.g., skiing or hunting) just knowing it’s available may tip the scale for the recruit.”

Still, the bottom line for a recruit is starting a career, and Furner believes that one mistake employers often make is failing to adequately demonstrate a potential for career advancement. “If the recruit’s choice comes down between two companies, one in Southern California with little career advancement opportunities and one, say in the Midwest, with lots of career advancement opportunities, he or she will likely go where there is opportunity. In the four years with Mariani, I have held three positions, and I see plenty of growth opportunity in landscape maintenance and other areas, if I choose. Having this growth potential was important for me, and I would wager it’s important for most people. One way to talk about growth opportunities is to introduce a recruit to as many company employees as reasonably possible and have them share their growth experiences.”
With that said, Furner emphasizes that getting people to relocate is still difficult and that’s why having a strong regional recruiting program is essential.

Other tips

“If I were a recruiter, I would advise an intern to experience different companies and different parts of the country before settling on a job,” says Furner. “Then, if that individual selects my company, he or she will have a broader work experience and likely make a more valuable employee.

“Be sure to budget your internship program as an overhead expense. More than anything else, your program should be a recruiting tool that is designed to give interns a broad, comprehensive look at your operation.”

Being on PLANET’s Student Career Days Committee, Furner is a strong advocate for participating in that event’s Career Fair. He also recommends that employers take a close look at the Green Industry Conference (GIC) as a recruiting opportunity. “Over the years, the GIC has developed several opportunities for employers to talk with students, including the very successful student-employer roundtable event. Each year, I see more and more students going to GIC and where there are students, there should be company representatives.”

That’s the key for any recruiting effort, he adds. Have a presence where students are looking. Then, once you get them to your facility, learn as much as you can about them and be open. If it’s the right match, an offer will stick and the new employee may be with your company for years to come.