Ryan Senter
Management Services Committee Member
Hibbs Electro-Mechanical, Inc.
Madisonville, Kentucky

No matter how you receive your business news, talent acquisition and retention remain a consistent topic across all professions. Record low unemployment may be cause to celebrate in some respects but can create a very challenging and competitive environment for new talent. Additionally, retirements both necessitate finding new team members and expose the exponentially widening skills and experience gap.

Our industry is no different and may even be at a more considerable disadvantage due to the specialized qualifications necessary for traditional electromechanical equipment repair. 

So, how are we going to solve the problem?

Start with a Plan
Some people improperly define succession planning by limiting it to an exit strategy and concentrating on the narrow vision of, “To whom will I transition my business when I am ready to retire?”

Succession planning is a more dynamic process involving regular review and strategy adjustments that prepare your business for future success by internally creating or externally procuring new leaders. EASA’s Management Services Committee has provided several articles on leadership, establishing a solid foundation of what those strategies look like. Combining desired leadership qualities with your cultural fit, personal effectiveness skills and technical requirements should give you a good start to defining your talent expectations.

Retention and acquisition of talent is an intentional process and commitment to a plan. In our company, one crucial part of our program ensures we regularly evaluate our team and encourage upward mobility or cross-training.

If you need help getting started, look for succession planning templates online or in print media. You may even consider hiring a consultant.

Additionally, dozens of EASA members are involved in the Roving Chief Executive program, and you may be able to collaborate on the topic with the members of a joined group. 

Embrace Engagement
Employee retention and acquisition are intentional acts. In our company, we have a Recruiting Plan and Coordinator. We use a team approach to recruitment and consider it similar to a college athletic recruiting experience.

But, how do you get the right candidates to consider your company and make the visit? Beyond the typical job fairs, you have to be sure to use your resources and engage with a wide variety of organizations and educational institutions within your community.

Community colleges and high schools are ideal places to start. Our state (Kentucky) has a career and technical education program affiliated with the high schools where students get specific program lab experience and the opportunity to earn dual college credits. We have found this to be a reliable pipeline for talent by using co-ops and apprenticeships.

In your community, meet with counselors, placement staff, advisors and program coordinators. Let them know what type of students you seek. An obstacle I faced was needing to change the mindset of the academic institutions in our area from “the student is the customer” to “the student is the product, and the industry (or the job market) is the customer.” Most of these institutions have advisory boards and welcome local industry participation in shaping curriculums and programs. 

Other helpful groups for recruiting are local and regional Economic Development Centers and Chambers of Commerce.

Now it’s your turn. In the upcoming Management Pulse Survey, tell us about your successes and challenges in the talent acquisition and retention arena.

Upcoming Management Pulse Survey Questions On a scale of 1 to 10, where “1” is“not an issue” and “10” is “our topissue,” how big of an issue is talent acquisition for your company? Do you have a succession plan? Yes, we have one and we areactively working on it. We have an “understood”succession plan, but nothing official. We do not have a succession plan. If you have a succession plan, how often do you review it? Regularly When circumstances dictate Rarely to never We do not have a plan. Do you engage with local and regional community resources to aid in recruiting? Yes No What types of additional resources concerning talent acquisition and retention interest you? Resources for working with area schools Resources for working with economic development centers Succession planning resources Other:

Categories: Technical topics

Tags: Human resources Employees

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