There are several ways for independent freight forwarders to strengthen their team, get new clients and expand their operations. Joining a freight forwarders network will surely help you globalize your company and obtain new projects. Nevertheless, enhancing your core team by recruiting new talents should also be a vital part of your expansion strategy. Independent freight forwarders need to stress on talent management to recruit the best brains in this sector who eventually will become your company’s asset.
Why independent freight forwarders need to recruit the top talents to their company
The transportation and logistics industry is now working with a limited pool of talent that is qualified, agile and innovative. As per a survey by multinational professional services firm, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC), the transportation and logistics industry is facing issues recruiting new talents. The entire industry is finding it hard to recruit candidates with considerable skill levels. Even though the wide scope of operations in the logistics industry allows the independent freight forwarders to offer diverse roles, it fails to achieve success since this sector is often considered to be traditional and lacking in career advancement opportunities.
Therefore, recruitment management should be one of the primary agendas of freight forwarding companies. While joining a freight forwarder network will allow you to find new project opportunities, prioritizing your talent recruitment process will allow you to provide first grade services, get new clients, and enhance your international operations. In other words, the two processes complement each other.
How small freight forwarding companies can recruit the best talents
Ask your best employees for recommendations
This easy recruitment policy can be a powerful one that can pay high dividends. All you have to do is spread the word about your recruitment plans to the A-players of your team. Ask them for personal references and then interview each of the applicants. Additionally, creating a referral programme with financial compensation will motivate your top workers to refer people like them to your company. Turning your most efficient employees into recruiters will allow you to tap into a huge pool of potential employees. The referred candidates tend to stay longer with companies and also greatly augments the possibility of recruiting a better workforce. Moreover, it simplifies your recruitment process enormously.
Come up with internship programmes
Creating lucrative and flexible internship programmes can also be the perfect recruitment strategy for the freight forwarding industry. This gives the supply chain students a chance to try their hands in the industry. Presently, the best players in this sector are offering internships to students who haven’t even completed their sophomore year. They get to work with industry professionals and learn about the intricacies of logistical operations.
Moreover, the companies should also provide them with a chance to assist the project manager with complicated shipments. When you give the interns a chance to brainstorm in challenging projects, you get to test their critical thinking ability. Moreover, working with a professional team provides them with ample exposure to the workings of this industry. It gives them a chance to learn from the experts. To make the most of your internship programme, you need to select a worthy manager who can motivate young professionals.
Modernize your website to reach up-and-coming talents
Adding a ‘Jobs’ page to your website is always a good idea but it’s not enough. The best freight forwarding companies create dedicated landing pages that are linked to websites most visited by supply chain students. Furthermore, high profile companies add their business info and open positions to their company’s webpage. Additionally, they publish interviews of previously hired early career professionals where they narrate their experiences with the company. This allows you to inspire the most worthy candidates to join your company.
Be generous with the remuneration
Freight forwarding companies should also provide a decent remuneration keeping with the standards in this industry. Getting the remuneration level right is also an effective way to attract the best talents. Therefore, you need to do a little research about the compensation level for a particular line of job in the freight forwarding industry. Skimping on remuneration is one of the major reasons why many companies miss out on the top candidates. Your salary package should be appropriate for the job description if you are looking forward to attracting high level candidates.
Take help from a 3rd party recruiter
A third party recruiter can also help you find the most suitable candidates for the vacant positions. However, you need to find a recruiter that is capable of searching, screening and hiring candidates specifically for the supply chain industry. All you have to do is run a Google search on ‘logistics recruitment agencies’ and you will find plenty of relevant candidates who are right for your business.
These third party recruiters usually have a large database of pre-screened candidates who are eligible for various positions in our sector. Although you will need to shell out a few extra bucks, it will be worthwhile in the long run since it helps you avoid misfit candidates. In other words, they will speed up your recruitment process without affecting the quality of the candidates.
Consider participating in career fairs
Supply chain management universities have yearly career fairs at their college. Logistics companies should participate in these fairs to meet a wide range of budding professionals and have a face-to-face chat with them. Make sure to follow up with the students who make an impression and eventually you will succeed in luring them into your company.
Small companies should elevate their brand awareness among candidates and emphasize the benefits they offer
You need to boost the image of your brand to make the top candidates aware of your company, and the opportunities it can provide. A strong social media presence can be helpful in this regard. Rather than posting a simple job recruitment post, you need to emphasize the attractive career that you can offer the candidates. As an independent freight forwarder you need to provide similar kind of perks that are offered by the multinationals. Therefore, you need to make your small business more attractive to the candidates by attractive perks like work from home options or flexible work hours.
There is no dearth of quality candidates who can take up important positions in your company. However, you need to come up with a solid recruitment strategy based on the above suggestions. This will improve the quality of your employees who will take your organization ahead in the long run.