Page 29 - Plastics News November 2020

talent acquisition strategy and determine how best to likely find some great candidates for this role. Not only
change and update it to meet today's needs. You can do will it help get your company out there and increase the
this using company resources or can engage external pride existing employees have in working for you, but it
talent acquisition experts to help you. get started down will also make the employees that are helping you with
the path in this “new normal.” this important strategy feel great about their ability to
Devising – and sticking to – an effective sourcing strategy contribute and even better about the company.
shaped by today's conditions will serve you into the And don't leave the social media thing entirely up to
foreseeable future and will likely continue to be employees. Ensure company leaders are also actively
effective even after the pandemic has exited the scene. networking on social media, especially on sites like
This could include adapting to technologicaly advances LinkedIn, posting frequently with items of interest and
that can broaden your search and improve the interview educational value. Stay away from controversial topics
and on-boarding process, whether the process is virtual as much as possible, especially those that are polarizing
or in-person. the nation these days. You want your company to be as
Describe your company – and the position you seek to fill welcoming and inclusive as possible and to be able to
– in a positive, flexible manner. attract a broad range of talented people. This helps in
the overall positioning of the company, as well as in
It is recommend that as part of the development of a new building a network of like-minded individuals and peers
recruiting strategy, you also take a look at how you that can be a great source of candidates.
describe your company and its culture. The goal here is
to position your company as a great place to work.
Perhaps you can include testimonials from existing
employees discussing how they feel about working for
you, in terms of workplace culture, the opportunity for
advancement, flexibility in work schedules when
needed, benefits and other characteristics that you feel
set your company apart. You want to project an image of
your company as one people want to work for.
It's also important to create a concise and relevant job
description. Help potential applicants clearly
understand what will be expected of them and avoid the
use of generalities and the business buzzword of the
week. In this way, you will be able to attract applicants
that are more likely to align with the need you are trying
to fill. Make your company competitive in the hiring
And finally, don't put too many limitations in the marketplace
description. For example, specifying that an applicant If you have followed the suggestions above, you are well
must have "X" years of experience in the industry is a on the way to positioning your company as a great place
limiting factor. What's more important are the soft skills to work. Now you need to make sure that your
a new employee might bring – adaptability, flexibility, compensation package is competitive. It should reflect
tolerance for ambiguity, the confidence to be a self- your culture – for example, do employees get paid time
starter and good character are some of the more off to do volunteer work? Are you offering flexible work
important ones and are the skills most in demand today. hours for parents struggling with kids still at home as
You can teach someone about the plastics / packaging / schools figure out how to reopen? Does your company
printing industry, but it's harder – if not impossible – to support any philanthropic efforts? Are you working to
change their character to ensure they fit in with the rest have a more sustainable business with a smaller
of your team. environmental footprint and incentivizing employees to
Expand your recruiting reach. contribute to that effort? For many job seekers, it's not
Use your social media presence to draw attention to your only about money and benefits. It's also about work/life
organization? Don't have one? Then take the necessary balance and support for causes that are important to
steps to get your company out there on social media. Poll them.
existing employees to find out who is active on their Balance remote and on-site work
personal social media and is interested in helping you
Especially during the pandemic, many companies have
develop or advance the company's social media put infrastructure in place to accommodate remote
presence. Especially among younger employees, you will workers on a long-term basis. Obviously, a press operator

NOVEMBER 2020 29 Plastics News