Hiring the right candidate is extremely important, which is why many companies turn to hiring professionals to get the job done. In the trucking field, recruiters need a sound knowledge of the industry, good intuition, and a passion for matching talented people with great jobs. Does this sound like you? If it does, becoming a truck driver recruiter could be your perfect career after graduating from dispatch training!
If you’re considering an exciting career as a recruiter, trucking companies will rely on you to bring fresh and promising candidates to the company, and you’ll have plenty of work to do in the upcoming years. A recent study by CPCS predicts 25,000 new driver job openings by 2024!
Want to become a truck driver recruiter? Then you need these three pro tips for recruiting top-notch truck drivers!
1. Include an Experienced Driver in the Interview Process After Dispatcher Training
Once you graduate from dispatcher training, you’ll have gained valuable industry knowledge that’ll help you recruit great candidates who’ll be successful, safe truck drivers. However, no one knows what it’s like to be a truck driver better than truck drivers themselves, which is why truck drivers make an excellent addition to any recruitment team. By combining your professional skills with a truck driver’s real-world experience, you’ll be able to pick out the best candidates.
To do this, consider running your list of applicants by a driver who has been with the company for a long time. Your drivers will be able to offer valuable insight regarding the candidates’ previous work experience and skills. You can then use those insights to help narrow down a list of candidates to be interviewed. In addition, you can always consider having a driver who is well-versed with the industry sit in on the interviews. Their industry experience will help you weed out candidates who aren’t a great cultural fit for your company, and find the ones who will be your next driver superstars.
2. Conduct a Practical Skills Interview When Hiring After Dispatcher Training
While the formal first interview is important to gauge a candidate’s experience, attitude, and enthusiasm, it can be difficult to truly understand if they are a good fit for the company without seeing their skills in action. This is why you should always incorporate a practical skills interview, otherwise known as a working interview, into your recruitment process.
As graduates of a transportation operations program know, in the trucking and transportation industry safety and timeliness are paramount. Candidates who are unable to drive safely and in a timely matter could cost the company hundreds or even thousands of dollars. By conducting a practical skills interview, you’ll be able to see first-hand how seriously a candidate takes safe driving, and if they’re able to stay safe while still keeping to a tight schedule. You’ll also gain valuable insight into their attitude and how they handle working under pressure.
3. To Reduce Employee Turnover, Always Set Realistic Expectations About the Job
Although Canada’s turnover rate is much lower than the United States’, it still serves as a major problem for Canadian trucking companies. With a turnover rate ranging somewhere between 20 to 30 per cent, recruiters not only need to focus on finding the right candidate, but also on finding a candidate who’s going to be happy and stay with the company. One of the main reasons that trucking companies experience such high turnover is because of unrealistic expectations.
The life of a trucker can be challenging. They are always on the road, away from their families, and they can battle with fatigue. Therefore, it’s essential that recruitment personnel are honest and up front about the job’s conditions. Setting unrealistic expectations is sure to have candidates headed for the door within a couple months. So, if the position calls for a lot of weekends away and long-distance loads, be honest about that. If the candidate walks away, you’ve saved the cost of having to hire again in two month’s time.
Do you want to learn more about dispatch schools in Montreal?
Contact Automotive Training Centres today!
