4 Tips for Warehouse Employers with Hard to Fill Jobs

While technology has allowed for tremendous advancements in warehouse supply chain efficiency, there are also other factors that make or break a business -- most importantly, a motivated, hard-working staff. Top warehouse businesses around the world still depend on hiring the right people for the right job in order to maintain productivity. Because a business is only as efficient as the workers they hire, and many warehouse opportunities are so niche, it's often difficult to fill the necessary positions.

In this guide, we’ll illustrate four tips designed to help employers find and hire the right candidates for important, hard-to-fill warehouse jobs so you operate at maximum efficiency.

1. Include as much detail in job descriptions as possible

Warehouse jobs can vary a lot from business to business. For example, the duties of a forklift driver for one company may not necessarily require the same skills as driving one for another. When you are creating a job posting, be as specific and up front as possible about expectations and qualifications necessary to perform the duties. Bullet point format works well in job descriptions because it acts as an easily digestible checklist for applicants. You can then create long-form explanations underneath the bullet points if necessary.
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Including as much detail as possible in your job descriptions can be a major time saver because it helps to ensure that only qualified candidates apply.

2. Know the Red Flags to Look For in the Hiring Process

The hiring process isn’t particularly fun for anyone. Hiring managers and decision-makers are tasked with the time drain of conducting interviews and reviewing resumes in addition to their normal job duties. It’s important to know which red flags to look for so the team doesn't have to repeat the hiring process.

• Late arrival to an interview. 

Warehouses that operate efficiently all have one thing in common: a team that shows up on time and is ready to get to work. Showing up to an interview on time is the easiest way for candidates to prove they are up to the job and indicates that they respect your time.

• References that don’t answer the phone.

Asking for references from former employers is important in the vetting process. We recommend keeping an eye out for candidates that submit contact information for an individual that is not tied to a business or references that don’t answer.

• Complaints about previous bosses or coworkers.

Teamwork is an important factor of warehouse work. Collaborating and working together often involves getting over disagreements and moving on. Constant complaints about bosses or coworkers is often a red flag that indicates the candidate does not work well with others.

Read our 5 Commonly Asked Interview Questions for Temporary Positions for more interview ideas.

3. Ask Detailed Questions in Online Applications

Some warehouse jobs have very specific requirements that may even be regulated by law. It’s important to ask detailed and specific questions in online applications to avoid sifting through unnecessary details. Some example questions include:

• Where did you receive your certification for [insert necessary certification]?
  
• How many years of experience do you have working in this role?
  
• List your last 4 employers and dates of employment.
  
• List the names and phone numbers of three (3) references that we may contact.
  

Oftentimes, asking these specific questions can be better than asking for a resume when hiring warehouse employees for hard to fill jobs.

4. Focus on Brand & Culture for Hard-to-Fill-Jobs

The Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) has a few interesting case studies that focus on recruiting and retaining warehouse workers. They argue that “brand and culture” play a major role in hiring warehouse employees. The case study includes an interesting example of a company, Romark, that offers competitive pay for its warehouse jobs. The company saw employee retention and hiring skyrocket after implementing two policies: air conditioned warehouses and allowing employees to remain on the clock while at lunch. 

Read more about How to Create a Desirable and Productive Work Environment for more ideas surrounding good work culture.

Summit Staffing’s Team of Expert Recruiters Can Staff Your Hard to Fill Jobs.

Summit Staffing has the experience and expertise to develop a custom staffing solution to meet your needs. We work on projects ranging from customers that require a single temporary associate, to managing a 24/7 onsite operation with over 1200 temporary employees. By combining work ethic with state of the art technology, Summit Staffing has become the supplier of choice for hundreds of companies, large and small, throughout the Midwest including many publicly traded and international corporations.

Contact us to learn more. ​