Beyond the Job Board

M. Diane McCormick

The days of filling openings by “posting and praying” are over. As the labor market tightens and younger workers bring new expectations to the workplace, forward-looking pest control companies are getting innovative.

Creative strategies attract diverse talent through plans built on proactive outreach and strong company cultures.

“Nearly everyone we’ve talked to in the pest control industry, the first issue they bring up is recruiting—hands down, every time,” says Justin Rechter, newly installed people operations and culture director at Debug Pest Control in Rhode Island. “Their biggest pain point is recruiting.”

A Matter of Culture

Even in tight job markets, leading pest management companies don’t lower their standards to find candidates. “Patience is key,” says Emily Logan, human resources specialist, Accel Pest and Termite Control in Virginia. “It’s much more important to hire someone who’s going to fit in with our company culture and core values, rather than just possessing the technical skills for the position.”

In fact, they stack their company values as the building blocks for clever outreach strategies and dynamic cultures that attract and retain the right people.

Logan shapes the initial screening of job candidates into a test of their abilities as well as their fit with Accel’s core values of focusing on employees, on being the best, and on change for the better. “That is what our company was founded on, and it’s how we retain our people and foster an environment where people want to work,” she says.

It’s important to establish clear standards for what you want in hiring, adds Marci LaRouech, owner of Seay Management Consultants in Florida. Hire to the non­negotiable requirements, while recognizing those that have some wiggle room, and “really hold yourself accountable to sticking to that.”

Then again, hiring managers should meet the expectations of today’s young workers, for example, by crafting policies that help employees spend time with family and friends. Pay still matters, but as Rechter notes, evidence shows that young workers value work-life balance more than previous generations. That’s why Debug’s comprehensive time-off policies offer personal and inclement weather days, encourage employees to use their paid time off, and allow them to enjoy paid holidays and, for new parents, flexible work schedules. Accel is likewise considering changes in Saturday scheduling that give employees more time with family.

To help recruits see the big picture on the benefits of pest control careers, companies should also note perks like gym memberships, a great company culture, and free employee services, all wrapped up with flexibility and opportunities for advancement. For example, Rechter shares a “Total Rewards” tool with potential hires, showing the “hidden dollar value” of benefits in a compilation of pay plus company vehicle use, cellphone coverage, insurance, and bonuses.

“By putting it all on paper, we help them see how it all adds up—and this has genuinely made a difference in whether someone decides to accept an offer or not, or stays with our company,” he says.

Filling the Talent Pool

Pest control companies add that a multipronged recruiting approach develops strategies around employee referrals, outreach, and social media to reach new audiences and spotlight your business as a great—and unexpected—place to work.

Innovative strategies include:

• Streamline the employee referral process by giving team members business cards with a QR code linking directly to your job-application page.
• Build lasting partnerships with vocational schools and hiring fairs, and send employees to share personal stories of careers in pest control.
• Connect with potential candidates by participating in Facebook communities devoted to residential and commercial services.
• Continuously refine your recruiting messages. Using AI chatbots can save time and sharpen your messaging.
• Make recruiting and retention “all hands on deck by encouraging all employees to be talent managers,” Rechter says. Collaborate across divisions, sharing priorities and bringing every office into solving the challenges of finding and keeping good people.
• Show off your investments in technology. Drones and high-tech pest control monitors make your jobs safer—and more intriguing for digital-native young workers.

Streamlined Hiring

The hiring process isn’t just a chance for job candidates to shine. For employers, it’s an opportunity to take advantage of the many techniques available to help streamline the hiring process and funnel the right candidates to your door. For example:

• Don’t fear the big job-posting sites. These sites can generate an overwhelming flood of resumes, but they can also save time on the initial work of weeding out unqualified applicants.
• Start with brief phone screenings. Structured with basic, disqualifying questions such as driver’s license status and availability for full-time work, these calls can help further sift the candidate pool. They can also be used to get a feel for attitude and cultural fit. “For example, simply how someone answers the phone can tell you a lot about them,” says Logan.
• Use human resource information system software to streamline the application process and track candidates’ responsiveness. Are they reacting quickly but thoroughly to your requests, or are they dragging their feet.
• Put your own responsiveness to the test. Cut down on interview no-shows by responding immediately with follow-up emails and appointment confirmations. Rechter strives for an interview experience so upbeat that even candidates who don’t get the job build a buzz among family and friends “that makes people want to work here.”

Diversify for New Perspectives

Studies show that diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in the workplace improve employee morale and innovation. At Debug, even policies that aren’t DEI-specific can introduce new audiences to pest control careers and help address hiring challenges, says Rechter.

“The more we promote inclusivity and equity, the more applicants we will get, and the more referrals we will get from underrepresented populations,” he says.

Leading pest control companies take proactive steps to attract nontraditional job candidates, including women, people of color, and people with disabilities:

Develop meaningful referral bonuses that incentivize employees to encourage friends, family, and acquaintances to apply. While expanding the talent pool, these programs can also diversify it by tapping into employees’ social and family circles and demographics.

Adopt an interview approach inspired by the NFL’s “Rooney Rule” by intentionally including candidates from underrepresented groups, ensuring that a broader range of perspectives is considered for every position.

Test your job portal for accessibility. People with disabilities can fill many of your jobs, but not if your site presents barriers such as timeout restrictions, low-contrast fonts, and incompatibility with phones and tablets.

A Great Place to Work

Finally, remember that recruits do their research too, which means boosting your brand is essential, says LaRouech.

Earmark part of your marketing budget for reaching job candidates, she says. Show that your business is a great place to work by spotlighting work-life balance, employee achievements, and community causes.

“If you are not spending any time or energy on your employer brand, it’s going to be harder and harder to find good people,” she says, “because they are being marketed to by companies that are paying attention to employer brand.” 

Try Adding Tryout Periods 

As pest control businesses search for people who share their passion for serving customers, some are turning to tryout periods, a kind of paid job shadowing to assess the fit between technician and employer. 
Tryout periods “are typically for roles that are much harder to evaluate in an interview process,” says Marci LaRouech, owner of Seay Management Consultants in Florida. “Employers take the tryout opportunity to make sure the individual is able to perform the skills needed and that they’re technically able to satisfy the requirements of the role.”

State and federal labor laws demand that candidates apply for the job and be treated like normal hires, “no matter how short the tryout,” she adds. Stay on the right side of the law with these practices:

• Write the details of the trial period in an offer letter and have the candidate sign it. Detail the length of the tryout—three days to one week should suffice—and everything required of the candidate. Establish clear standards, tasks, and metrics that the candidate must meet.
• Pay at least minimum wage for all hours worked (not via a gift card or bonus).
• Have the individual complete their portion of the I-9 form by no later than the first day of the trial period. Complete the employer portion by no later than the third day.
• Complete all required onboarding.
• Provide all equipment.

After nailing down the legalities, employers can go above and beyond to create a successful tryout experience that effectively evaluates cultural fit and attitude.

Start by pairing the candidate with a trustworthy, experienced employee who will be positive and supportive. Give the employee an evaluation document—a kind of checklist for rating the candidate on competencies and capabilities. Be as specific as possible regarding on-site skills, driving abilities, courtesy, ability to answer customer questions, and dealing with setbacks—all the expectations outlined in the contract.

This documentation should be crystal clear to support the next step—deciding whether to move forward after the trial period.

If the candidate did not achieve the established goals, the employer has documentation to justify not hiring. Consistency in documentation—for every candidate, every time—helps prevent pushback and limits exposure to liability.

“This helps to create that standard for the whole team to follow and the candidate to understand,” says LaRouech. “You can make a decision based on the objective criteria that everybody’s aligned with.”
There’s no data to suggest that tryout periods keep successful candidates in the job longer, but they do “weed out the fakers,” LaRouech says. They can also build momentum and start the new hire on a positive note.

While tryout periods can apply to any job, they are most useful in pest control for technicians, who need to demonstrate their abilities to accomplish specific tasks, says LaRouech. “This is a good, compliant, healthy way to ensure that people who say they can do X, Y, and Z, particularly in a technical role, are really capable of doing the role for you,” she says.

For more, visit the Seay Management Consultants blog post, “Tryout Periods: Benefits, Considerations, and Legal Requirements,” at seayhr.com/the-rise-of-tryout-periods.

NPMA members have access to free HR consulting from Seay Management Consultants. Its HR 
experts can help you with a wide range of employment questions, including employee relations, federal and state compliance, hiring and firing, and so much more! Learn more at npmapestworld.org/seay.