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Due to the shortage of qualified employees and economic hurdles, lawn care hiring can feel like a challenge.
However, the knowledge you’ll gain from this lawn care hiring guide, will show you how to overcome these common obstacles.
In this lawn care hiring guide, you’ll discover how to:
Not sure if it is time to focus on lawn care hiring?
Even in the best job markets, finding the right employees takes time. Which means, you should start looking now, regardless of where you’re at.
Although, before jumping into lawn care hiring, there are a few things to consider.
Timing matters more than you might think. Because when you hire new employees, it takes time to:
When correctly done, all of those factors will help you find a quality team member who will:
If it feels like there is a shortage of qualified candidates, it’s because it’s true!
On the surface, there is a deficit between people leaving the workforce and people entering the workforce.
Add in some unique economic conditions, combined with a competitive marketplace, and it can be a challenge.
But all hope isn’t lost. If you know how to attract the right candidates, you can seamlessly build your team and grow your business.
You know that marketing applies to winning new business, but it also applies to lawn care hiring too.
Just like standing out from the other lawn care companies in advertising, paid job postings help you attract the right talent.
You can easily do organic or paid placements on all the major job boards like LinkedIn, Indeed, ZipRecruiter, Glassdoor, and more.
Although, even though ads might help to attract more attention to your listings, the key is making sure your job descriptions compel the right candidates to apply.
Writing the best job description makes all the difference and should include:
While you don’t “have to” include the wage in the job description, providing a wage range can greatly aid in attracting top talent.
In addition, including the company culture/values as well as everyday expectations are other ways to find the right applicants.
How well do you know your vendors?
Chances are they know people in your field that have experience.
A referral from a vendor can often be a really easy way to find local talent.
You’ve already got a network of family and friends who use social media.
Which means, a quick social post that you are hiring can be a quick way to find local candidates.
If you want to try this method, try posting something like this:
So your job postings and referral network have helped you find some great candidates. However, hiring a new employee requires an additional set of skills.
It is time to move forward and find the right candidates.
Phone interviews are a great way to help you screen for the right people.
The phone interview process can be fun, but it really starts with having a good list of questions.
You should also ask about their work history and experience in the industry.
Remember, if you get a bad feeling on the phone it probably isn’t going to work out down the line.
However, if the conversation goes well, and you think they would be a good fit, it is time to bring them in for an in-person interview.
Though, keep in mind, some candidates may get a little nervous during interviews. Spend a few minutes building some rapport before jumping into the more challenging questions.
Now that you’ve screened your initial candidates on the phone it is time to interview them in-person.
This is your chance to confirm what you heard on the phone and expand on some of the questions you’ve already asked.
Here are a few additional things to consider:
Compensation isn’t everything, but it’s still a huge factor for potential employees considering your company.
The problem is, businesses think they can't afford to pay their best employees what they’re worth. However, despite this common misconception, you can pay employees a great wage while still maintaining profits.
Check out these easy strategies to pay your crews a competitive wage:
Are your best employees leaving?
Here are a few simple ways to increase employee retention:
Instant invoicing
Better scheduling
Manage your clients and employees all in one system
Feeling overwhelmed with all of the day-to-day tasks? Then, it is probably time to get an administrative assistant.
The best administrative assistants will help you to:
Company culture is critical for businesses who want employees to take pride in their work. A great company culture can help determine:
Here are some things to consider for lawn care hiring and culture building:
Take a look at how this applies to your lawn care business:
Dealing with a problem employee can be the hardest part of owning a business.
Depending on the issue, you’ll usually follow these steps before letting an employee go:
As always, it’s important to thoroughly document everything.
Also, it’s equally important to give the employee a chance to redeem themselves. During their probationary period, regularly meet with them to provide feedback and document their progress (or lack thereof).
Hiring the best lawn care employees is easier than you think. Although, the hard part is keeping them motivated.
For the lawn care and landscaping industry, this seems to get harder every year.
This guide is here to help you pinpoint and eliminate any lawn care hiring problems in your business.
Using these expert strategies, you can level-up your lawn care hiring game and start snagging the top local talent today!
Related: 5 Simple Fixes to Your Main Lawn Care Hiring Problems
Originally published March 8, 2019 7:00 AM, updated May 19, 2023 1:24 PM
Tags: Business Operation
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