Want to hear a horror story that would give any CDL driver recruiter the creeps? Ghosting.
While the practice of leaving someone high and dry without warning might be okay in the world of dating and other social settings, within the trucking industry, a candidate ghosting in the middle of the CDL hiring process is a loss of expensive resources and time. The good news is that there are steps your team can take to improve your driver hiring and retention rates and avoid another perfect candidate slipping through your fingers.
Below you’ll find six tips and driver recruiting strategies to apply to your CDL hiring process from start to finish so you can nail down the next great talent:
1. Don’t wait for the cdl driver candidates. Go after them
What if we told you the CDL hiring process starts way before you get that first person to fill out an application? If your team wants to discover credible leads, then start getting people interested and engaged before they even think about applying.
Sharing what’s happening with the company and the exciting perks of working there on social media, asking current employees for candidate referrals (and incentivizing them), or showing up to key industry events are just a few ways to get your company (and eventual job openings) in front of the right eyeballs.
2. Keep improving your follow-up time
Let’s be honest here. Your job posting isn’t the only one your top candidates are applying to, hence why a lot of them go cold within a few days.
You can’t force people to interview or stay interested in the hiring process, but you can certainly be the first to grab and maintain their attention! To reduce the amount of ghosting your staffing company or team experiences, follow up with applicants immediately.
And if you really want to be thorough and make sure no lead slips through the cracks, consider investing in automated recruiting strategies that can send follow-up responses for you.
3. Don’t turn into the ghoster
It’s easy to point the finger at driver candidates for doing all the ghosting, but we’re all human, and it’s safe to say being responsive towards candidates isn’t everyone’s strong suit.
If you hope to make a good impression on drivers and–fingers crossed– actually hire them, show them what to expect from working with your company by communicating where they stand in every step of the process.
4. Give candidates an offer right away
This isn’t the time to play the long game. In this economy, good and available talent is hard to come by, so reel your candidates in with an offer and fast.
Chances are if you think a driver has what it takes, then so do the other companies they applied to, so beat them to the finish line and kick start the training and onboarding process as soon as you can.
On the contrary, if a candidate is not the right fit, it is always good business practice to let them know by email, and thank them for their interest and time.
5. Make sure your onboarding system is efficient
Once you’ve presented your offer, the next thing you want to do is onboard your new employee as soon as possible and get them working. Don’t even give them a chance to lose interest because of a faulty onboarding process or confusing paperwork, so ensure your systems are simple and effective!
A company’s hiring and onboarding process signals a lot about its culture and what it’s like working there, so put your best foot forward by ensuring yours is streamlined and easy to follow through.
6. Schedule check-ins post-hire
Woo hoo! You’ve successfully got your candidates to interview, sign paperwork, and start driving, but now it’s time for the most complicated part yet: making them stay.
The turnover rate for CDL truck drivers was 91% in 2019, and while that sounds grim, that doesn’t mean CDL candidates are exiting the industry. A candidate might land at your company and then be tempted to job hop and move on, so ensure employees remain engaged through regular check-ins to solicit feedback and keep things running smoothly for your new hire. Most drivers will not make it past the first 6 months. If they can make it to a year, you’ve successfully onboarded a new employee–and keep them on by giving them plenty of incentives (and other ideas here).
Keep your CDL hiring process one step ahead with Inflection Poynt
There are a lot of factors that are out of your hands when it comes to the hiring process. But technology solutions like ours can reinforce your CDL driver recruiting strategies to make recruiting great talent easy—and put you back in control. Schedule an intro call with our consulting team today.
Learn more about how Inflection Poynt can support your hiring needs!
