How can I Help Fill Low-skill job openings?
February 13, 2018 4:55 PM Subscribe
My mom runs what is essentially a fast-food/cafeteria service concept on the campus of a large tech company. She's been struggling to fill low-skill, part-time service positions. I want to help, but am not sure how?
I've been helping mom for the past little while posting Craigslist ads, passing on candidates to our manager and so forth. A recurring problem we've had is that a person will respond to the ad, conduct an initial interview, and then either bale out after we've run a background check on them for whatever reasons, pass the check and quit after a day or two, or just generally be unreliable. I realize a certain amount of this sort of thing is probably to be expected given it's Craigslist, but still.
For reference, the current ad is as follows:
Looking for new team members for lunch service on X Campus. Must be reliable and love working with people, $13.00, hours are flexible between 9 and 3. Holidays and weekends off. This will be a fast food-style position. serious applicants only please.
I didn't write this, and it strikes me as being light on character and quite dry. On the other hand, people do respond to it, but we've run into big problems retaining them.
How do I emphasize in the ad or otherwise that we need to process people, and it both takes some time and costs us money? As a bonus, where else can I be looking or posting for this kind of part-time gig?
I've been helping mom for the past little while posting Craigslist ads, passing on candidates to our manager and so forth. A recurring problem we've had is that a person will respond to the ad, conduct an initial interview, and then either bale out after we've run a background check on them for whatever reasons, pass the check and quit after a day or two, or just generally be unreliable. I realize a certain amount of this sort of thing is probably to be expected given it's Craigslist, but still.
For reference, the current ad is as follows:
Looking for new team members for lunch service on X Campus. Must be reliable and love working with people, $13.00, hours are flexible between 9 and 3. Holidays and weekends off. This will be a fast food-style position. serious applicants only please.
I didn't write this, and it strikes me as being light on character and quite dry. On the other hand, people do respond to it, but we've run into big problems retaining them.
How do I emphasize in the ad or otherwise that we need to process people, and it both takes some time and costs us money? As a bonus, where else can I be looking or posting for this kind of part-time gig?
The problem is that with a job that pays the bare minimum, people have no incentive to stay. There will always be other jobs paying the bare minimum that they can switch to.
Can you raise the salary? Or can you build in a bonus that kicks in after, say, three months? What makes your low-paying job better than any other low-paying job? Are there any other kind of benefit this person can get if they stick around?
posted by BlahLaLa at 5:14 PM on February 13, 2018 [11 favorites]
Can you raise the salary? Or can you build in a bonus that kicks in after, say, three months? What makes your low-paying job better than any other low-paying job? Are there any other kind of benefit this person can get if they stick around?
posted by BlahLaLa at 5:14 PM on February 13, 2018 [11 favorites]
Do you have a community college nearby? I'd contact their career/job center, as well as at any nearby high schools (the morning hours might not work but you never know), and also a community center for employable skills groups, and halfway/reintegration homes where they work to help employ residents. Senior centers? I would guess your better bet for retaining people would be an older employee (semi-retired), depending on your location. But that's just a guess.
I don't know that there's much you can do about retaining people, if the gig is not crappy. Lower wage workers face difficult commutes, less stable long-term housing and other issues, as you know. Knowing it costs you money won't make someone stay in a lousy job, but letting them know during the interview that retaining people is important and they get a cash bonus if they stay x months might help.
posted by Ink-stained wretch at 5:15 PM on February 13, 2018 [13 favorites]
I don't know that there's much you can do about retaining people, if the gig is not crappy. Lower wage workers face difficult commutes, less stable long-term housing and other issues, as you know. Knowing it costs you money won't make someone stay in a lousy job, but letting them know during the interview that retaining people is important and they get a cash bonus if they stay x months might help.
posted by Ink-stained wretch at 5:15 PM on February 13, 2018 [13 favorites]
I think Craigslist is not great for these types of jobs. It is kind of inviting flakiness. I would try reaching out to specific places, like what ink-stained wretch has listed. Word of mouth can be much more effective than trying the same tactics as a big corporation.
posted by Aranquis at 5:24 PM on February 13, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by Aranquis at 5:24 PM on February 13, 2018 [3 favorites]
It's not enough hours to appeal to adults and the hours are wrong to appeal to kids. Your applicant pool is probably stay at home spouses looking for part time (who can likely make more elsewhere) and the truly desperate. Pay more or offer benefits and people will stay. That's about it.
posted by fshgrl at 5:25 PM on February 13, 2018 [18 favorites]
posted by fshgrl at 5:25 PM on February 13, 2018 [18 favorites]
There are organizations that place felons on parole in jobs, and many get food service training in prison vocational programs. If you are willing to work with them, they typically provide supports to the employee, and attendance will be good because it'll be a condition of their parole privileges. There may be grants available. You will also be doing a very good thing in helping people who have paid their debt to society to re-enter society.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 5:27 PM on February 13, 2018 [55 favorites]
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 5:27 PM on February 13, 2018 [55 favorites]
You have to screen better before you get to the interview stage. I've been in this industry around 10 years and I would say on average about 1% of initial applications are hireable. Craigslist and equivalents take so much time these days that I find it untenable. I've started using Indeed because it has integrated tools for screening applicants, which reduces time spent on flakes by about 80%.
Use the mass messaging features to screen for ability to work at the time and location needed. Don't get offended that they didn't actually read the ad, no one does. Wait three days, screen out everyone who didn't respond. Use a message template to reject everyone who isn't available to do the job they are applying for. By now the number of applicants is reduced by 80%. Send out interview invitations, half will accept, half again will show up. Out of those who are left, most will accept a job offer should you make one.
Take out the "serious applicants only" language, that's needlessly aggressive.
posted by mikek at 5:28 PM on February 13, 2018 [12 favorites]
Use the mass messaging features to screen for ability to work at the time and location needed. Don't get offended that they didn't actually read the ad, no one does. Wait three days, screen out everyone who didn't respond. Use a message template to reject everyone who isn't available to do the job they are applying for. By now the number of applicants is reduced by 80%. Send out interview invitations, half will accept, half again will show up. Out of those who are left, most will accept a job offer should you make one.
Take out the "serious applicants only" language, that's needlessly aggressive.
posted by mikek at 5:28 PM on February 13, 2018 [12 favorites]
It's not enough hours to appeal to adults and the hours are wrong to appeal to kids. Your applicant pool is probably stay at home spouses looking for part time (who can likely make more elsewhere) and the truly desperate.
This. Unfortunately, no matter how nice your mom is, nor how nice the cafeteria is, you're kind of describing a garbage job. For those wages, you could get a part time job at a regular cafe and walk away with tips on top of your hourly wage. Serious applicants are just not going to apply for a job like this, desperate people are...and as soon as they see an exit they're going to take it.
The food service industry broadly suffers from retention problems as a rule, and the job you're describing is at the bottom of the barrel of that industry so you're going to see more than the baseline.
Depending on how heavily it is used in your city, Poachedjobs.com is oftentimes better for food service industry stuff than craigslist is these days...but I see jobs like this posted on my local Poachedjobs board. You can basically tell when someone didn't show up, because once a week on a different day, a new post goes up looking for the type of job you're describing.
posted by furnace.heart at 5:36 PM on February 13, 2018 [8 favorites]
This. Unfortunately, no matter how nice your mom is, nor how nice the cafeteria is, you're kind of describing a garbage job. For those wages, you could get a part time job at a regular cafe and walk away with tips on top of your hourly wage. Serious applicants are just not going to apply for a job like this, desperate people are...and as soon as they see an exit they're going to take it.
The food service industry broadly suffers from retention problems as a rule, and the job you're describing is at the bottom of the barrel of that industry so you're going to see more than the baseline.
Depending on how heavily it is used in your city, Poachedjobs.com is oftentimes better for food service industry stuff than craigslist is these days...but I see jobs like this posted on my local Poachedjobs board. You can basically tell when someone didn't show up, because once a week on a different day, a new post goes up looking for the type of job you're describing.
posted by furnace.heart at 5:36 PM on February 13, 2018 [8 favorites]
Another option is to work with a staffing agency. They would do all the pre-screening, background checks, etc., and send people your way. You'd pay more per hour, but the process might be smoother. There are a lot of scammy agencies, however, so you'd need to find a good recruiter that will do what you need.
posted by hydra77 at 5:39 PM on February 13, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by hydra77 at 5:39 PM on February 13, 2018 [1 favorite]
When I read the Craigslist ad, I think it could be clarified a bit more.
I don't quite know what 'lunch service' means. Will I be working the cash register, cooking, serving, cleaning, or all of the above?
How many hours do I get a week? How many days a week? Does "flexible" mean that I get to choose, or just that the employer can give me 3 hours per week? Can I have a set schedule or are my hours going to change every week?
Are there any perks? Free lunch? Any benefits I can take advantage of being on the X campus? Free parking? Easy to access via public transit?
Yes, look at overlooked populations: ex-prisoners, adults with physical or mental disabilities, maybe even people on government assistance on a graduated work program. For disabilities, I believe Easter Seals has a job placement service, as does Goodwill Industries.
posted by hydra77 at 5:45 PM on February 13, 2018 [32 favorites]
I don't quite know what 'lunch service' means. Will I be working the cash register, cooking, serving, cleaning, or all of the above?
How many hours do I get a week? How many days a week? Does "flexible" mean that I get to choose, or just that the employer can give me 3 hours per week? Can I have a set schedule or are my hours going to change every week?
Are there any perks? Free lunch? Any benefits I can take advantage of being on the X campus? Free parking? Easy to access via public transit?
Yes, look at overlooked populations: ex-prisoners, adults with physical or mental disabilities, maybe even people on government assistance on a graduated work program. For disabilities, I believe Easter Seals has a job placement service, as does Goodwill Industries.
posted by hydra77 at 5:45 PM on February 13, 2018 [32 favorites]
If I were you, I would figure out a public transport route between your location and a low income area and post physical flyers (detailing available transportation options) in local grocery stores and community organizations. It's easy to think that internet is everywhere but people looking to take on what are at best $25k/year jobs don't always have access to reliable internet, and the same goes for transportation. In addition, if your mom is ok with immigrants who don't speak English very well, you'd do well to connect with those specific community organizations and get their help on translating/posting your ads (and perhaps training the employees as well).
posted by rada at 5:53 PM on February 13, 2018 [8 favorites]
posted by rada at 5:53 PM on February 13, 2018 [8 favorites]
Maybe see if you can list the job with Ticket to Work, ACCESS-VR, and/or Goodwill vocational services which all work with people with disabilities trying re-enter the workforce. Their clients often want fewer hours at least as they are building skills and can’t make too much per month in order to retain disability benefits.
posted by Waiting for Pierce Inverarity at 6:01 PM on February 13, 2018 [7 favorites]
posted by Waiting for Pierce Inverarity at 6:01 PM on February 13, 2018 [7 favorites]
As others have already noted, you all are trying to fill part-time, low-wage (somewhat dependant upon where you live) positions and available hours are just 9 and 3. Regardless of where you place your ad, the pool of candidates is limited and they will, of course, leave the minute they find a more convenient or better paying job. In order to get and keep employees, you need to offer something more, e.g., Eyebrow's suggestion above or, perhaps, a work-study program at a local high school or community college.
Re the ad lacking character/being dry—I much prefer ads that stick to the facts (hours, pay, duties) and are light on subjective references about the working environment, e.g., "fun", "friendly", although it's good to see something that demonstrates the employer's respect for employees, like "flexible hours".
I would drop "must be reliable" (that's a given for any position) and "serious inquiries" (off-putting to potential employees), as well as "must love working with people". You want workers who are good and efficient servers—insisting that they "love working with people" is a bit much.
Final comment, these are "low wage" and/or "entry level" jobs, not "low skill".
posted by she's not there at 6:16 PM on February 13, 2018 [12 favorites]
Re the ad lacking character/being dry—I much prefer ads that stick to the facts (hours, pay, duties) and are light on subjective references about the working environment, e.g., "fun", "friendly", although it's good to see something that demonstrates the employer's respect for employees, like "flexible hours".
I would drop "must be reliable" (that's a given for any position) and "serious inquiries" (off-putting to potential employees), as well as "must love working with people". You want workers who are good and efficient servers—insisting that they "love working with people" is a bit much.
Final comment, these are "low wage" and/or "entry level" jobs, not "low skill".
posted by she's not there at 6:16 PM on February 13, 2018 [12 favorites]
Information to add to the job posting: Does she provide training? Does the applicant need a certain type of skill or experience or will she take inexperienced people? Is it on a bus line? What kind of background screening is she doing: credit check, criminal history?
posted by SyraCarol at 6:17 PM on February 13, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by SyraCarol at 6:17 PM on February 13, 2018 [1 favorite]
I'd look for hiring teenagers -- juniors and seniors in high school -- and young adults, like college students. Those are generally the types of people who will be serious about a $13/hour job. Maybe schools would allow you to advertise the job there? I'd also be a little more descriptive about what the job entails so people won't apply unless they are truly interested.
posted by AppleTurnover at 6:17 PM on February 13, 2018
posted by AppleTurnover at 6:17 PM on February 13, 2018
A few thoughts:
posted by kickingtheground at 6:35 PM on February 13, 2018 [5 favorites]
- As some others have noted, it's not clear what jobs you are actually hiring for. Are these servers? Cooks? Cashiers?
- I would also clarify what "hours are flexible between 9 and 3" means. Flexible for the employee? Or for the employer? If someone is never available before, say, 11AM, should they still apply?
- In your shoes, I would be be trying to target stay-at-home parents as ideal potential employees. The hours you've posted correspond very closely to school hours.
- If you're having recurring issues with people quitting after one day - you might want to study that. Explore the possibility that it's not a matter of hiring the wrong people - but instead something about your work environment or on-boarding process that's off-putting or unappealing.
posted by kickingtheground at 6:35 PM on February 13, 2018 [5 favorites]
Employees don't care that training costs you money. Any more than employers care that employees have various costs. You are getting the employees you pay for. Pay attention to existing and, especially, departing employees. Are they leaving for better pay, better schedule, better environment? Offer a sign-on bonus, or completion of training bonus, raise at completion of training, at 6 months, etc. Think about how expensive this churn is and see if better pay will resolve the issue.
Look at your training process. Can it be streamlined? Is there a poster for every given process? Not everybody learns the same way; make it easy for people to get up to speed.
The local Job Center may be able to help, though in my experience the quality of applicants in a tight labor market was not great. Put up flyers. Contact the campus employment office. Offer a bonus to current employees who recruit a new employee who stays for 6 weeks after training. If you can hire people with disabilities, consider it. My brother is mildly developmentally disabled and has something similar to Cerebral Palsy. He washes dishes in a cafeteria. He can only work a 4 hour shift because of his disabilities, but he's reliable, steady, and gets the work done. He gets along with everybody, rarely complains, and does whatever is asked. People with disabilities may need more training and may need some accommodation, but he's been in that job for 14 years.
posted by theora55 at 6:55 PM on February 13, 2018 [7 favorites]
Look at your training process. Can it be streamlined? Is there a poster for every given process? Not everybody learns the same way; make it easy for people to get up to speed.
The local Job Center may be able to help, though in my experience the quality of applicants in a tight labor market was not great. Put up flyers. Contact the campus employment office. Offer a bonus to current employees who recruit a new employee who stays for 6 weeks after training. If you can hire people with disabilities, consider it. My brother is mildly developmentally disabled and has something similar to Cerebral Palsy. He washes dishes in a cafeteria. He can only work a 4 hour shift because of his disabilities, but he's reliable, steady, and gets the work done. He gets along with everybody, rarely complains, and does whatever is asked. People with disabilities may need more training and may need some accommodation, but he's been in that job for 14 years.
posted by theora55 at 6:55 PM on February 13, 2018 [7 favorites]
I like SyraCarol's suggestions about info to add to the job posting, especially the details about your background checks.
You didn't give specifics, but I'm wondering if you are unnecessarily (and unfairly) screening out workers and/or discouraging applicants for things that are not directly related to their ability to do the job. Specifically, bad credit is not a character flaw and a "criminal history" does not necessarily mean a crime was committed (I'll spare you my stories about the injustices of "plea agreements") or that a person is incapable of being a responsible employee.
posted by she's not there at 6:55 PM on February 13, 2018 [5 favorites]
You didn't give specifics, but I'm wondering if you are unnecessarily (and unfairly) screening out workers and/or discouraging applicants for things that are not directly related to their ability to do the job. Specifically, bad credit is not a character flaw and a "criminal history" does not necessarily mean a crime was committed (I'll spare you my stories about the injustices of "plea agreements") or that a person is incapable of being a responsible employee.
posted by she's not there at 6:55 PM on February 13, 2018 [5 favorites]
A bit more clarity about what "flexible" means would be useful in the ad. Flexible for them, or flexible for your mum? How many shift's are they likely to get?
I agree that the hours sound perfect for parents with school aged kids, and would look into posting on local mum's facebook groups (with permission obviously).
Also, look at who's doing the training that first day. If it's always the same person, maybe they aren't a great trainer and they are putting people off.
posted by kjs4 at 6:59 PM on February 13, 2018 [1 favorite]
I agree that the hours sound perfect for parents with school aged kids, and would look into posting on local mum's facebook groups (with permission obviously).
Also, look at who's doing the training that first day. If it's always the same person, maybe they aren't a great trainer and they are putting people off.
posted by kjs4 at 6:59 PM on February 13, 2018 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: Thanks, all, for the advice. I will definitely try to take some of it to heart, and see if I can sell mom on at least some changes to the ad. I mentioned VR as a possibility before, she seemed dubious. As a disabled person myself, I found that hard to stomach. It's entirely possible the work environment itself doesn't help things, I've only been a few times and can't easily gauge how it feels.
posted by Alensin at 7:05 PM on February 13, 2018
posted by Alensin at 7:05 PM on February 13, 2018
This is a terrible ad, as discussed, because I've no idea what position you're hiring for or what skills are needed. Nevertheless I would fill this job in my working class neighbourhood with flyers at my local elementary school and by advertising on my local parenting group on FB as a Part Time, Parent Friendly (Role) Job. It is very hard to find work within school hours for stay at home parents, and this fits beautifully.
Additionally, you mention a background check. Were I you, I would look at proactively hiring convicted non-violent felons. It would be both a good source of experienced employees (ain't no kitchen prep like prison kitchen prep) and a mitzvah, considering how hard it is for felons to find jobs. There's a Federal Bonding program that would be free of charge to your mother. She'd have a ready labor source working with your local One Stop Career Center, which would also be free.
Regardless of her feelings about working with non-violent offenders, the One Stops are something you should look into because it could be a good resource for you.
posted by DarlingBri at 7:07 PM on February 13, 2018 [4 favorites]
Additionally, you mention a background check. Were I you, I would look at proactively hiring convicted non-violent felons. It would be both a good source of experienced employees (ain't no kitchen prep like prison kitchen prep) and a mitzvah, considering how hard it is for felons to find jobs. There's a Federal Bonding program that would be free of charge to your mother. She'd have a ready labor source working with your local One Stop Career Center, which would also be free.
Regardless of her feelings about working with non-violent offenders, the One Stops are something you should look into because it could be a good resource for you.
posted by DarlingBri at 7:07 PM on February 13, 2018 [4 favorites]
Mention in the ad that a background check is required (if it is required). People who know there's something in their past won't waste your time by applying. (If they read the ad.)
If it's not required to have a background check, don't do one. It costs money and time and causes unnecessary anxiety to applicants who worry about the one time in 1976 they were caught with a joint showing up and costing them the job.
posted by Former Congressional Representative Lenny Lemming at 7:34 PM on February 13, 2018 [8 favorites]
If it's not required to have a background check, don't do one. It costs money and time and causes unnecessary anxiety to applicants who worry about the one time in 1976 they were caught with a joint showing up and costing them the job.
posted by Former Congressional Representative Lenny Lemming at 7:34 PM on February 13, 2018 [8 favorites]
One of the local restaurants here had supposedly worked out an arrangement with a chapter of a sorority at the local university to provide a certain number of servers every day. It reportedly worked out well for both sides because the restaurant didn’t have to deal with scheduling, just paying the women who showed up, and allowed the women to work the days their class schedules allowed. They had a big enough pool of workers that they didn’t have problems covering the shifts.
posted by Short End Of A Wishbone at 9:02 PM on February 13, 2018
posted by Short End Of A Wishbone at 9:02 PM on February 13, 2018
How are people coming to this tech campus? It sounds like might cost more to travel to the job than it actually pays (after taxes). Also, please don't tell me this job is in Bay Area - $13/hour is a poverty wage where a one bedroom apartment is $3,000/month.
posted by Toddles at 10:05 PM on February 13, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by Toddles at 10:05 PM on February 13, 2018 [2 favorites]
For people who need a full income and might have to add a second job around yours, the schedule is really tough, because shifts at other places likely either end later than yours starts, or start earlier than yours ends. And they still need to account for travel time in between.
Agree that you need to focus your advertising towards people who really only need part-time work, or are just looking to get out of the house.
posted by vignettist at 7:59 AM on February 14, 2018
Agree that you need to focus your advertising towards people who really only need part-time work, or are just looking to get out of the house.
posted by vignettist at 7:59 AM on February 14, 2018
An employer in my area discovered there was a (quite substantial - $10,000/year for a full time position) tax break he could apply for if he hired ex-offenders. He was occasionally doing so already because it was a relatively low-wage service industry and ex-offenders are often willing to do otherwise unappealing jobs. He found that these employees are more loyal and productive than many non-offenders. They are very grateful to have a job, and working is usually a requirement of parole. The don't want to do anything to mess that up! Learning (by chance, overhearing someone at a meeting) about the tax break was money in his pocket, which he actually shared with these same employees in the form of retention bonuses.
He can be choosy about which ex-offenders he hires, and has pretty narrow guidelines. No violent crimes, for example. With the stuffing of prisons with people who are too disenfranchised to have good legal representation after relatively minor charges, there is an abundance of potential hires. He is thrilled to have discovered this niche to find the employees he needs, and get paid for it.
Ex offenders are everywhere, and perhaps your community has something similar? I think the local government offers vetting for potential employers, so talking to someone in local government might be fruitful if your mom is open to discussion. Her approach now is not working very well and is costing her money. This and other approaches above could improve her result.
posted by citygirl at 8:47 AM on February 14, 2018 [4 favorites]
He can be choosy about which ex-offenders he hires, and has pretty narrow guidelines. No violent crimes, for example. With the stuffing of prisons with people who are too disenfranchised to have good legal representation after relatively minor charges, there is an abundance of potential hires. He is thrilled to have discovered this niche to find the employees he needs, and get paid for it.
Ex offenders are everywhere, and perhaps your community has something similar? I think the local government offers vetting for potential employers, so talking to someone in local government might be fruitful if your mom is open to discussion. Her approach now is not working very well and is costing her money. This and other approaches above could improve her result.
posted by citygirl at 8:47 AM on February 14, 2018 [4 favorites]
If the job can promise flexible but consistent hours, community colleges, preschools/Head Start centers, and elementary schools could be really good recruiting centers, as 9-3 are typical school hours for young children. If recruiting in these places, I recommend mentioning how sick time is handled (due to possible sick kiddos) in the ad or in the screening process.
posted by epj at 2:01 PM on February 14, 2018
posted by epj at 2:01 PM on February 14, 2018
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posted by FireFountain at 5:13 PM on February 13, 2018 [8 favorites]