Trefoil Group principal and founder, Mary Scheibel, presented marketing strategies for talent acquisition at the SPI Annual Conference.

1. Winning the
Talent Game In an
Increasingly
Competitive
Market
September 18, 2013

2. Why? Or Why Not?
With the reasons for
talent marketing obvious,
why aren’t more companies
embracing it?

3. Can you hear me now?
• Demand for skilled workers is
outpacing supply
• Competition is fierce – for largely
the same talent
• Perceptions of manufacturing as a
career aren’t good
• The image of plastics is shaped
largely by environmentalists
• Yet most manufacturers do not
have robust, strategic talent
acquisition programs
Whoever
wins the war
for talent
wins the
game.

4. But whose responsibility is this?
• Federal, State & Local
Government all pledge support
• National Associations are
addressing this on behalf of
members
• Regional/Statewide/Local
Collaborations are taking shape
everywhere
• It’s fast. It’s furious. And it’s
fragmented.
No one is
coming to
save you.

5. New Reality. New Thinking. New Actions.
Acting with this reality requires
a fundamental shift in thinking
to drive new actions
•Historically, manufacturers are not
good marketers
•We think like engineers, not
consumers
•With an average employee age of
56, we are not the target audience
•Most don’t understand how to reach
younger recruits
•Our kids know more about these
channels than we do
The first thing we
need to change is
our thinking

6. With Challenge Comes Opportunity
• You can out-market the
competition
• Exceptional people seek out
exceptional companies
• Give people compelling reasons to
want to work for you
Well-executed
marketing
strategies are
critical tools in
attracting and
retaining the
talent you need
to succeed.

7. What You Need to Do

8. Define What Sets Your Company Apart
Tell a Strong, Compelling Story
• Generate interest with people that share your
vision
• Differentiate your company in a meaningful way
• Be different. Not the same as your competitors
• What appeals to customers most often appeals
to recruits

9. Is your culture helping or hurting?
Define Your Culture…or your culture will
define you
•It’s more than a competitive advantage. It’s the #1 reason
people leave and what recruits value most
– Essential in competing against your area’s leading
companies
– Helps you hire the right people
•Allows people to self-select (both in and out)
•Motivates employees to get behind you and help you win
•If you don’t have a great culture, start to build one

10. Bring your brand to life
Create a brand personality
that’s engaging
•Speak to what people are interested
in and care about
•Don’t tell me what you do. Tell me
what you’ll do for me.
•Create an emotional connection. It’s
personal.
•Use younger people, good photos
and video to make it real
•Don’t be boring….to a 20 year-old

11. Create a Recruitment Roadmap
Have a strategy for winning
• Establish Goals & Objectives
• Evaluate and prioritize channels
• Assign budgets and benchmarks
• Identify key action items
• Execute well

12. What’s in a good plan?
Be the leader great people want to work for
• A robust on-line environment is FUNDAMENTAL
• Use PR & Social Media to build your reputation
and reach people
• Create financial incentives
• Build connections in your community, your
industry and in their schools
• Be visible. Do not be a well kept secret
• Promote industry careers wherever you are
• Equip and motivate employees to tell your story

13. Let’s Make It Real

14. Let’s Make it Real
How can YOU help
companies be the
leaders GREAT people
want to work for?
“The only place
where success
comes before
work is in the
dictionary.”
-Vince Lombardi

15. Tell a Compelling Story

16. Build a Robust Online Presence

17. Build a Dedicated Careers Environment
The Milacron “Be More At Milacron” Campaign

18. Build a Dedicated Careers Environment
Speak to What Recruits Care About

19. Use PR to Connect & Build Your Reputation

20. Use Social Media to Connect & Build Your Reputation

21. Use Social Media to Connect & Build Your Reputation

22. Lead in Your Community and Leverage it
Project Engineer Job
Description excerpts:
• A very successful,
growth-oriented
company
• Winner of the prestigious
Wisconsin Manufacturer
of the Year Award
• Strong reputation for
operational excellence,
employee development
and community
leadership
• Our goal is to equip the
person we hire to lead

23. Lead, don’t follow the transformation
Connect with National/Regional/Local Initiatives

24. It’s Everyone’s Job to Promote the Industry
• Plastics is not an industry
people seek
• Even at Universities with
industry leading programs –
U Mass Lowell & Ferris State
University- more than 90% of
students are through referrals
• There are tremendous
opportunities to connect
Job Fairs
Sponsorships
Pizza Parties
Plant Tours
SPI Video
Competition
Industry Events
And more….

25. Once You’ve Got ‘Em, Keep ‘Em.

26. 5 Key Takeaways
1
Tell a compelling story: define a
culture & brand story that’s TRULY
engaging
2
Have a plan and work the plan:
strategize how you will CREATIVELY win the
talent game
3
A robust online presence is
FUNDAMENTAL: Seize the
opportunity to enhance your #1
marketing tool
4PR/ Social Media to shape your
reputation: reach people in a
more compelling manner
5Create meaningful connections: gain
recognition where it matters

27. Thank You.