How to Create a Recruiting Brochure

Unless you have a recruiting brochure, you are not serious about adding people to your team. Quit whining about how hard it is to find people until you produce one.

It is a mystery why so many plumbing companies fail to produce a recruiting brochure. This is a document that sells your company as a place of employment. It sells the job candidate and it sells the candidate’s spouse. If you have a great candidate and do not hire him on the spot, the brochure marinates. If done right, it strengthens the desire to work for your business. Here are items you can include in your brochure…

·     Company Mission and Vision

Your company mission is the guardrails of your business. It states what you will do and what you won’t. It gives your company’s purchase. Service Nation’s mission is “to help contractors improve their business and financial performance, leading to a profitable exit strategy.” 

What is your mission? If you lack a mission create one. Who do you serve? How do you serve them? What makes you special?

Accompanying your mission is your vision. This is a picture of what the company will become. It should be inspirational and aspirational. People should read your vision and say, “Yeah, I want to be part of that.”  Remember, people strive to be part of something bigger than themselves, something that has meaning.

·      Company Values

Have you identified your core values? These dictate behaviors, which in turn, drive results. Your values represent your culture. Hire to your values by asking interview questions about behaviors consistent with your values and you will have fewer employee fit problems. The people you bring on board will fit your culture.

·      Company History

What is the story of your company? Tell it as a story, replete with drama and excitement. Make it good. Weave into the history the things people must know about your company. Include your growth. Don’t keep it a secret. Share it.

·      Service Area

Define your service area. Are you going to send plumbers 75 miles between calls, or do you operate with a tighter market?

·      Benefits

What are the benefits you offer? What can you offer that your competitors do not? It can be simple things like a vacation subsidy where you pay a small bonus when your team members go on vacation. Of course, you should include the health, dental, and vision care programs you make available. If you have the add-on life insurance that comes bundled with many of them, list this separately.

·      Vacation Days and Holidays

Note the days off, whether personal time off (PTOs) or paid holidays. What can you do to make your days off more attractive? For example, you could make the first day of deer season a company holiday.

·      Testimonials From Smiling Happy Employees

Ask everyone on your team to write to you what they like about working with your company. Use the best with pictures of the team member. Just make sure the team member is smiling.

·      Testimonials From Smiling Happy Customers

Take the same approach with your customers. When you get a glowing testimonial or review from a customer, ask permission to come by and take their picture to use in a recruiting brochure where you quote them.

·      Team Building Events

Many plumbing contractors host team building events from time to time. This might be a fishing trip, a company BBQ, or other activities. List them and include a picture from one.

·      Training

What training do you make available? If you conduct training as part of your service meeting, that’s weekly training. If you send people to third party training classes by manufacturers, local trade associations, or third-party trainers, list each of those. People are hungry for training programs, especially technical people. It suggests that they will personally improve by working on your team.

·      Team Resources

List the company tools you provide. If you have a jetter and a sewer camera, list those as well. Give the average age of your fleet (unless it’s too old). Make sure there is a picture of your best wrapped truck.

·      Marketing Examples

If you do any marketing, include some examples of it in your recruiting brochure. Note that your company markets to keep call volume up, which means more money for the team.

·      Charities and Community Involvement

What charities do you and your team support? State that these are charities supported by YourCo and the YourCo team.

What other ways are people involved in the community? If anyone volunteers for Habitat For Humanity, list it. If anyone coaches youth sports, list it.

·      Memberships

What organizations do you or the company belong to? Are you a member of a local trade association? Are you a member of the Service Roundtable? The local chamber of commerce? The National Federation of Independent Businesses? List everything.

Look For Differentiators 

Read the employment ads of other plumbing companies in your community. What are they offering that you are not? Fix those. More importantly, what are they not offering or not stressing that you could stress? What are the differentiators that you can include in your recruiting brochure and recruiting ads?

Most likely, you will not include every point from the above list, but you should include most. Moreover, you should include them in a page on your website as well as a printed brochure. The recruiting brochure shows you are serious and helps you stand out above the crowd. Work on it one day a week until you get it done.

Are you planning on attending the Service World Expo in Louisville, KY September 21-23, 2021? If not, why not? This is the greatest residential conference and show in the service trades. It’s time to get back together and network with contractors from across the country. Learn more at www.ServiceWorldExpo.com.