THE Question

“Why should I come to work for you?”

That's the question that can lead to success or failure in recruiting and hiring. You might not hear it out loud but you know that every person you interview for a job is asking it regardless.

If you have the right answer to this question, you'll attract the best talent from the available labor pool. Without the right answer, you will struggle to recruit and hire good people. And you'll probably struggle to keep good people as well.

So what is the right answer? There are twelve right answers, in fact, and to have the best chances of hiring the best people you should be able to give all of them.

Twelve Answers

In an earlier article, “Passing This 12-Question Test Will Help You
Keep Your Best Employees,” I told of twelve such factors. Based on research done by the Gallup organization, here are the twelve answers to “Why should I come to work for you?” that are most influential in attracting, focusing, and keeping the most talented employees, as if you were saying them to a candidate.

1. You will know what is expected of you.
   
2. You will have the materials and equipment they need to do your
   work right.
   
3. You will have the opportunity to do what you do best every day.
   
4. At last once every seven days you will receive recognition or
   praise for doing good work.
   
5. A supervisor or someone else here is going to care about you as
   a person.
   
6. We will encourage your professional development.
   
7. Your opinions will count here.
   
8. The mission or purpose of the business will make you feel that
   your job is important.
   
9. Your co-workers will be committed to doing quality work.
   
10. You will have a good friend here.
    
11. At least every six months, someone will discuss your progress
    with you.
    
12. Each year, you will have opportunities to learn and grow.

What is the best way to give these answers to a prospective employee? You will have to do that in your own voice and in your own way but you can accomplish much of it in your description of what it's like to work in your business. Some might come as you show a job candidate around the place. Others may be evident simply from introducing the candidate to a few of the employees and letting them talk together for a while.

Only you and your employees know if these statements are true about your business. If you can't honestly give these answers, then it's time to make sure that you can - and soon.

But what about the money?

Surely the money is important, right? Yes it is - up to a point. You can't possibly attract the best people with substandard pay and benefits. So competitive pay and good benefits are expected. But that's not what will make you the employer of choice in your trade area. For that, you'll have to satisfy most (if not all)of the employee needs that are represented by the twelve answers I listed above.

In this age of a dwindling work force, increased competition within the industry, and reduced interest in entering the automotive field, it will be the employers of choice who prosper. That's how I see it anyway, and I'm sure you see the same thing.

So are you the employer of choice in your trade area? If not, what will it take for you to get there? I know twelve answers to this question.

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