3 Ways to Avoid a Hiring Emergency in The Busy Season

Man applying for pest control job

Whether a seasoned technician suddenly decides it’s time to move on or a new addition to the team jumps ship; when a hiring emergency catches you off-guard, it can be stressful for a number of reasons.

Being short-staffed can add strain to employees who are over capacity, damage relationships with loyal customers, and take your focus off of what matters most: growing your business. Even worse - when you’re desperate, it also becomes harder to make good hiring decisions. Settling for the first warm body in the door is tempting, but a bad hire can have even more devastating consequences on team morale, customer retention, and your bottom line in the long term.  

Take advantage of the time before your busy season to put steps in place to prevent a hiring emergency from holding your pest control or lawn care business back this year.

1. Create hiring processes for your team

Once the busy season kicks in, it can be difficult to ensure that every candidate is held to the same high standard.

Creating detailed processes for every step it takes to recruit and hire a new employee is a big up-front commitment, but it can help you distribute the weight of these tasks and make sure nothing falls through the cracks when time is tight:

  • Interview checklists
  • Process for reference checks
  • Process for rejections
  • Process for job offers

It may even help you realize holes in your process where candidates are falling off the bench.

Not sure where to begin? Download our free Hiring Checklist for pest control and lawn care businesses to get a comprehensive list of everything you need to have a healthy hiring strategy.

2. Refresh your job descriptions

Today’s job hunters can instantly compare hundreds of job openings at one time. Are yours standing out?

Your job descriptions should:

  • Focus on impact: The nitty gritty details of the day-to-day responsibilities for each position are important, but they don’t belong in your job descriptions. Instead, focus on the impact this person will have on the team and on your customers.

  • Highlight perks that appeal to your target audience: Free soda in the fridge and bean bag chairs in the breakroom can only get you so far. Flexible scheduling, autonomy in the field, and hands-on problem solving are two unique job perks that come with pest control and lawn care technician jobs.

  • Give applicants an idea of what it’s like to work for you: If you’re looking for someone who will fit right in, give them an idea of what it’s like to be a part of the team!
     

Learn more about how to make opportunities stand out to your next all-star technician with our FREE download of The Guide to Hiring & Retaining Pest Control Technicians.

3. Create an employee referral program

Who better to recruit great employees than someone who already knows what it takes to excel on the team? (Bonus: Studies show that referred employees are more likely to stay at their jobs longer than non-referred employees.

Incentivizing employees to share opportunities with friends and family can help you fill openings faster, with people who have already been vetted by your current team. At Coalmarch, we offer an up-front bonus to employees who refer a candidate that we hire, as well as a second bonus on the one-year anniversary of the new hire.

Build Your Bench

As the busy season comes around, it’s easy to shift your focus to preparing your team for incoming calls, sales, and setting the expectations for what five-star customer service looks like. But if you’re not keeping an eye on your hiring strategy, you could find yourself facing a hiring emergency. This can put you in a bind at any time of year, especially if that emergency happens during your busy season.  

Finding the right person takes time and dedication - two things that are likely being invested elsewhere during the busiest part of your season.

If you need help keeping the bench warm with high-quality candidates who are ready to step up the moment you need them, don't wait until you're in the throes of your busy season!