{"id":62197,"date":"2024-10-17T11:25:56","date_gmt":"2024-10-17T18:25:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/?p=62197"},"modified":"2024-10-17T11:36:51","modified_gmt":"2024-10-17T18:36:51","slug":"dealers-chart-challenges-of-dealing-with-an-employee-favorable-market","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/the-week-in-imaging-twii\/editors-blog\/2024\/10\/dealers-chart-challenges-of-dealing-with-an-employee-favorable-market\/","title":{"rendered":"Dealers Chart Challenges of Dealing with an Employee-Favorable Market"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

When we last visited the topic of hiring and retention a few years ago, conditions were especially favorable toward job hunters. It was the era of the Great Resignation, an extended period when four million members of the workforce were switching jobs each month. And while the dust has settled and unemployment (discounting 2020) has reached its highest level since 2017, it remains historically low.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

We\u2019re all aware of the dearth of available salespeople, but sourcing technicians, admin and other roles also remains a challenge. Big box retailers and online behemoths are opening warehouses\/distribution centers throughout the country. Amazon, for instance, now pays fulfillment and operations staff $20.50 an hour\u2014an increase of more than 50% in the last five years\u2014according to its website. That sets a wage baseline for that tier of employees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As we continue this month\u2019s State of the Industry report on hiring and retention, we asked our dealer panel if the current hiring climate has prompted them to change any aspects of their hiring practices. Beyond offering a competitive salary, we asked about the strategies they\u2019ve followed to ensure they can find an optimal fit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Cynthia Bennett, Impact Networking<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

For a major dealer such as Impact Networking, the core strategy centers on balancing both skillset and cultural fit. According to Cynthia Bennett, vice president of talent acquisition, the current hiring market conditions has prompted Impact to expand its teams and restructure roles to ensure that experienced employees can concentrate on strategic initiatives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBy delegating certain tasks to lower-level roles, we enhance overall efficiency and allow our seasoned professionals to leverage their expertise more effectively,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Vern Hydorn, NBM<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Not being able to source experienced salespeople has never been a concern for NBM. The Burlington, Massachusetts-based dealer is quite content to bring in individuals who represent a good cultural fit and have the qualities that can be molded into effective selling. Vern Hydorn, vice president of sales, prefers having individuals who have zero selling experience in any industry. That way, the new hires can learn the NBM way of doing things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hydorn performs all of the initial interviews, and those he deems worthy of a deeper look will have a second interview with one of NBM\u2019s sales managers. \u201cWhen they come back in for the second talk,\u201d he noted, \u201cit\u2019s less about whether we think they can do the job and more focused on \u2018Hey, is this someone we want to work with?\u2019 On the service side, I think it\u2019s flip-flopped\u2014we\u2019re more concerned about their experience, knowledge and skill set. They\u2019re on the road a lot and they\u2019re kind of lone wolves.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Rosa Solares, AIS<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Working with a local high school to develop a work-study program has alleviated some of the challenges for Las Vegas-based AIS when it comes to finding people. According to Rosa Solares, director of culture and talent management, the hiring philosophy is more strategic, with the long term in mind as opposed to a quick-fix hire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sticking to their guns, and hiring for culture first, is what ensures AIS the most optimal fit. \u201cCulture and talent are king, above all else,\u201d she said. \u201cWe\u2019ve passed on some highly skilled and successful candidates in the past, because unfortunately they were not the proper cultural fit for us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In response to the considerable lack of technician candidates, AIS decided to grow some on its own, so to speak. In May of 2023, the dealer launched a service technician apprentice program. Working from a list of candidates culled from attending job fairs, AIS invited a handful of mechanically-inclined candidates to a lunch-and-learn session. The process ended up yielding two young technicians who have been with AIS for more than a year. At the start of this year, a few incumbent employees in warehouse and logistics were put through the program.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis has worked out quite well for us, and is really important given how hard it is to find techs in Las Vegas,\u201d Solares added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Larry Weiss, Atlantic Tomorrow’s Office<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Given the sometimes-costly consequences of hiring the wrong person, dealers such as Atlantic Tomorrow\u2019s Office in New York City rely on DISC profiles to evaluate if the applicant\u2019s profile matches \u201cwhat success looks like at Atlantic,\u201d notes President Larry Weiss. The dealer is also moving toward using another profiling tool, the culture index, which he termed “the DISC profile on steroids.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re going to rely more and more on looking at the successful profiles in the respective positions that we have, and matching it up with the profiles of our job applicants,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re using it as a basis to interview. We\u2019ll stop interviewing them if [applicants] don\u2019t match the profiles we\u2019re looking for.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Erik Crane, CPI Technologies<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

CPI Technologies of Springfield, Missouri, takes great pains to ensure new hires do not upset the chemistry of the current team, notes Erik Crane, president and CEO. An optimal fit is essential to maximizing productivity and efficiency. Skills are a plus, but new hires can be taught the CPI way of doing things.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe continuously train all employees,\u201d Crane said. \u201cIf someone doesn\u2019t have a certain skill but meets all other criteria we feel we can train them up on a skill or two.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
Deb Dellaposta, Doing Better Business<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Dealers such as Doing Better Business of Altoona, Pennsylvania, incorporate an extensive interview process to ensure candidates mesh with its culture and team, notes Deb Dellaposta, president and CEO. \u201cThis is more important to us as we can teach skills and experience will come with time,\u201d she said. \u201cWe are very protective of our culture.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

When we last visited the topic of hiring and retention a few years ago, conditions were especially favorable toward job hunters. It was the era of the Great Resignation, an extended period when four million members of the workforce were switching jobs each month. And while the dust has settled and unemployment (discounting 2020) has reached its highest level since 2017, it remains historically low. We\u2019re all aware of the dearth of available salespeople, but sourcing technicians, admin and other roles also remains a challenge. Big box retailers and online behemoths are opening warehouses\/distribution centers throughout the country. Amazon, for instance, now pays fulfillment and operations staff $20.50 an hour\u2014an increase of more than 50% in the last five years\u2014according to its website. That sets a wage baseline for that tier of employees. As we continue this month\u2019s State of the Industry report on hiring and retention, we asked our dealer panel if the current hiring climate has prompted them to change any aspects of their hiring practices. Beyond offering a competitive salary, we asked about the strategies they\u2019ve followed to ensure they can find an optimal fit. For a major dealer such as Impact Networking, the core strategy centers on balancing both skillset and cultural fit. According to Cynthia Bennett, vice president of talent acquisition, the current hiring market conditions has prompted Impact to expand its teams and restructure roles to ensure that experienced employees can concentrate on strategic initiatives. \u201cBy delegating certain tasks to lower-level roles, we enhance overall efficiency and allow our seasoned professionals to leverage their expertise more effectively,\u201d she said. Not being able to source experienced salespeople has never been a concern for NBM. The Burlington, Massachusetts-based dealer is quite content to bring in individuals who represent a good cultural fit and have the qualities that can be molded into effective selling. Vern Hydorn, vice president of sales, prefers having individuals who have zero selling experience in any industry. That way, the new hires can learn the NBM way of doing things. Hydorn performs all of the initial interviews, and those he deems worthy of a deeper look will have a second interview with one of NBM\u2019s sales managers. \u201cWhen they come back in for the second talk,\u201d he noted, \u201cit\u2019s less about whether we think they can do the job and more focused on \u2018Hey, is this someone we want to work with?\u2019 On the service side, I think it\u2019s flip-flopped\u2014we\u2019re more concerned about their experience, knowledge and skill set. They\u2019re on the road a lot and they\u2019re kind of lone wolves.\u201d Working with a local high school to develop a work-study program has alleviated some of the challenges for Las Vegas-based AIS when it comes to finding people. According to Rosa Solares, director of culture and talent management, the hiring philosophy is more strategic, with the long term in mind as opposed to a quick-fix hire. Sticking to their guns, and hiring for culture first, is what ensures AIS the most optimal fit. \u201cCulture and talent are king, above all else,\u201d she said. \u201cWe\u2019ve passed on some highly skilled and successful candidates in the past, because unfortunately they were not the proper cultural fit for us.\u201d In response to the considerable lack of technician candidates, AIS decided to grow some on its own, so to speak. In May of 2023, the dealer launched a service technician apprentice program. Working from a list of candidates culled from attending job fairs, AIS invited a handful of mechanically-inclined candidates to a lunch-and-learn session. The process ended up yielding two young technicians who have been with AIS for more than a year. At the start of this year, a few incumbent employees in warehouse and logistics were put through the program. \u201cThis has worked out quite well for us, and is really important given how hard it is to find techs in Las Vegas,\u201d Solares added. Given the sometimes-costly consequences of hiring the wrong person, dealers such as Atlantic Tomorrow\u2019s Office in New York City rely on DISC profiles to evaluate if the applicant\u2019s profile matches \u201cwhat success looks like at Atlantic,\u201d notes President Larry Weiss. The dealer is also moving toward using another profiling tool, the culture index, which he termed “the DISC profile on steroids.” \u201cWe\u2019re going to rely more and more on looking at the successful profiles in the respective positions that we have, and matching it up with the profiles of our job applicants,\u201d he said. \u201cWe\u2019re using it as a basis to interview. We\u2019ll stop interviewing them if [applicants] don\u2019t match the profiles we\u2019re looking for.\u201d CPI Technologies of Springfield, Missouri, takes great pains to ensure new hires do not upset the chemistry of the current team, notes Erik Crane, president and CEO. An optimal fit is essential to maximizing productivity and efficiency. Skills are a plus, but new hires can be taught the CPI way of doing things. \u201cWe continuously train all employees,\u201d Crane said. \u201cIf someone doesn\u2019t have a certain skill but meets all other criteria we feel we can train them up on a skill or two.\u201d Dealers such as Doing Better Business of Altoona, Pennsylvania, incorporate an extensive interview process to ensure candidates mesh with its culture and team, notes Deb Dellaposta, president and CEO. \u201cThis is more important to us as we can teach skills and experience will come with time,\u201d she said. \u201cWe are very protective of our culture.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":166,"featured_media":62198,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[80,1650,82,1638],"tags":[3572,108,3392,2897,764,1206],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62197"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/166"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=62197"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62197\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":62200,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/62197\/revisions\/62200"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/62198"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=62197"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=62197"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.enxmag.com\/twii\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=62197"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}