Recruiting RV Surveyors SWOT Strengths – Promote internally – Thorough planning Weaknesses – Little experience in contract bids – HR Manager has no staffing skills Opportunities – Well established company that is well known in the auto industry Threats – Unstable – dependent on sales trends in auto industry How would you recruit the needed employees? To fill surveyor positions I would go to colleges in the areas we are surveying and see if I could recruit from a pool of people ready and willing to use newly acquired skills to fluff their resumes.
I would also look within the company and see if any employees had skills sets relevant to this task, who could also take the time to abandon their current jobs for a few weeks. I would consider putting ads on job sites such as Monster or Craigslist, with the understanding that you would likely get very unqualified applicants to fish through. Since they are in a bind, though, it might be a good idea. Looking for employees in areas near the survey locations would be a better idea, because then the travel time would not be as daunting.
There is the possibility that the individuals live close enough to avoid paying for extra housing, which would be a point in the recruiter’s favor. I would also try to make the job more appealing in some way to encourage applicants to sign on. They might be able to work out a deal with the campgrounds to let surveyors stay on location, perhaps for a reduced cost or even free. That would not only cut down on gas and housing costs, but would strategically strengthen the team unit. They would be in constant proximity, and on off hours could hang out, hike, do some team building.
Or, perhaps we could provide the teams with a few RVs of their own to sleep in. Evaluate the suggestion that Getz recruit employees by placing an ad in the Cleveland newspaper. Placing an ad in the Cleveland newspaper runs the same risk as the job-site option. You would get a lot of under qualified, desperate applicants who are not prepared for the task. More importantly, the locations are not in Ohio. It would be easier to attract people who are already familiar with Lake Mead, Cape Hatteras, and Smoky Mountains National Park.
What should the firm do if they are unable to recruit sufficient employees for the job? The firm should consider combining positions. Surveyor IV, for example, could be blended with Surveyor I. He has a lot of dead time where he just stands around waiting for data to be compiled. Instead, he could explain the process to the RV owner, take pictures while he waits, then explain the findings. If that is not sufficient, the firm could then talk to government officials about a possible extension. This would look unprofessional, to be sure, but their options are limited in this case. Job Requirements Travel for Training * Harsh conditions * Communication skills * Provide their own housing and food * General automotive knowledge * Legible handwriting * Leadership skills * Outdoorsy types Rewards * 4/40 * Split shift * No benefits – sick days * Pay is low * Paying for travel times Sources * Students – Parks & Rec * “internship” * Park employees Methods * Public sector agency * Job fair * Website of campground * Newspapers in Cleveland * Magazines for RVs – takes too long to get approval/publications/etc Job Redesign * Revise rewards – work something out with campgrounds
